With rising costs associated with college and university tuition, many students in your position are looking for ways to save money on their education. Taking a prior knowledge exam shortens the path to your college degree and makes it more affordable. DSST exams are great options for speeding up earning a degree. However, many students aren’t aware that they are an option.
Choosing to take a DSST exam, and spending some time preparing for your test, will allow you to reduce the number of classes you pay for to earn your degree. For many students, this is just what they need to make their academic dreams a reality. Here, you’ll find a detailed look at what a DSST exam is, where they are available, and how you can get ready with preparation and practice materials.
What do prior knowledge tests mean for high school and college students?
If your students are looking to shorten their time in college or university, taking a prior knowledge exam is a great opportunity. Similar to how AP classes allow high school students to earn college credit before their first year of study, the DSST exams function in the same way, but cover a broader range of subjects
DSST exams can help students convert their previous experience into college credit. Students show that they understand the college-level material as well as someone who took the corresponding class by passing a subject exam. If they pass their exam, that test stands in for taking the course at a college, earning them the credit for that course and counting towards completing their degree.
What are the dsst exams?
DSST exams allow a student to earn college credit without completing the corresponding course. It’s essentially a way for students to prove their knowledge of a subject. If their test scores are high enough, it demonstrates the student already understands the material that would be covered in the class, allowing them to bypass that course.
Students take the CLEP exam either online from their home computer, or in a testing center, answering multiple-choice questions about the subject. Over 1,900 schools, colleges and universities accept DSST results for college credit.
Like AP exams, DSST exams do come with a cost. For only $100, students can take any DSST exam title that they would like to apply the credit for to their degree. For eligible military service members, DSST exams are available for free, allowing these individuals to earn credits quickly and affordably.
What DSST EXAMS Are Available?
In total, 37 exams are available, including topics in each category:
- Business
- Humanities
- Mathematics
- Physical Sciences
- Technology
DSST exams cover core college requirements, as well as some more specialized or advanced courses.
However, not every DSST exam applies to every degree plan, so students should examine their options and strategically choose which ones to try. We recommend that students work with their enrolled college or university to ensure the DSST exams they take cover courses relevant to their degree programs.
What Are the Easiest DSST Tests?
Whether a DSST test is easy depends on the student’s prior knowledge.
Here’s an overview of all of DSST pass rates among military members that were above 70 percent:
- Principles of Supervision (88 percent)
- Introduction to Business (84 percent)
- Ethics in Technology (81 percent)
- Computing and Information Technology (79 percent)
- Technical Writing (79 percent)
- Fundamentals of Cyber Security (76 percent)
- Management Information Systems (73 percent)
- Introduction to Law Enforcement (72 percent)
- Personal Finance (71 percent)
Where to find DSST Prep Materials
If your students are looking for free DSST study materials, they are in luck. There several options available that won’t cost your students anything.
DSST Study Guides
For DSST
- com: Peterson’s is an official DSST prep provider and provides monthly, unlimited access to test preparation for over 150 exams. Students get unlimited test prep for all of the exams they plan on taking, including 30+ DSST subject tests.
This plan allows for students to prep as fast as they must, or as slowly as they’d like. From in-depth courses to practice tests to videos and flashcards, Peterson’s offers a wide range of materials to fit your unique learning style. And with convenient, 24/7 online access, students can prep on the go…anywhere, anytime. Cancel anytime.
- DSSTPREP.com is a SpeedyPrep test prep product, and is proud to be an official and endorsed test prep provider for DSST and Prometric. All test prep courses are reviewed regularly to ensure that they meet the standards set by DSST and Prometric. In addition, all test prep material is developed by subject matter experts at the collegiate and/or AP instructor level.
Students will have access to all courses during their subscription. You can study multiple courses at a time, and on any device. You set your pace, and our system will tell you when you are ready to test. Test with the confidence of a 96+% first time pass rate, covered by a 100% money back guarantee to pass … first time. DSSTPrep online courses are designed to teach students the broad range of facts, vocabulary, concepts and process they need to know to pass their exam.
- EBSCO LearningExpress: Veterans, military service members and their families enjoy access to free DSST preparation materials in the EBSCO LearningExpress DoD Test Prep platform through the DoD MWR Digital Library. EBSCO LearningExpress is an official DSST prep provider. EBSCO LearningExpress DoD Test Prep is an e-learning platform that includes full-length practice tests, comprehensive study guides, supporting materials and more for many popular DSST tests.
- Online Practice Exams from Prometric: Prometric offers online practice exams for most exam titles. Prometric practice exams are offered on the internet-based platform in which the actual exam is administered. Prometric practice exams are designed to give students a “test drive” of the testing experience so that they know what to expect on test day. They do not contain current exam content and should not be viewed as a predictor of test outcome. Practice exams are approximately 50 questions each and available for most DSST exam titles.
There are also some alternative sources of great online resources available that aren’t geared specifically to the DSST exams but are nonetheless helpful, including:
- Khan Academy
- Coursera
- Harvard College Writing Center
- MIT Open Courseware
- UC Berkley Webcast and Legacy Course Capture Content Library
- Carnegie Mellon University Open Learning Initiative
- HippoCampus
- org
- Online Educational Database Library
- TED-Ed
- CK-12
Where to find DSST Testing Centers
The DSST exams are administered by Prometric, with comprehensive information about registration and test locations at the DSST website, www.getcollegecredit.com.