CLEP testing halted this semester
Testing software, Vista incompatibility slow CLEPS?for 08-09
David Steffen
Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: News
Compatibility glitches between College Level Examination Program software and campus Windows Vista programs have halted CLEP testing for the 2008-2009 academic year. Fifteen students this semester are still waiting to take the test, Registrar Doug McArthur said.
"I haven't given up on it yet," he said. "There's still a chance we can get it done."
Attempts to administer the computer-based exams during the standard October and March testing dates failed. In both cases, CLEP software froze or shut down. The registrar's office and Information Technology Services said they still hope to have CLEP exams ready before the academic year's end.
CLEP exams test students' knowledge of a specific subject, like chemistry, psychology or history. Students scoring at least 50 percent pass, but the registrar's office requires at least a 60 percent score to earn college credits.
McArthur said he has been flexible with students' scheduling due to the glitches, and he plans to offer them a convenient time to take their respective CLEP exams. For students in a hurry, McArthur said, Hillsdale College will allow students to CLEP at other institutions' test sites.
"If they're really needing to take a CLEP test, and if they take the CLEP at another college, they can take the test as long as they pass with a score Hillsdale College accepts," McArthur said.
Senior Nathanael Wynia is an accounting major. Candidates who take the Certified Public Accountant exam need 150 credit hours to qualify to take it. CLEP allows him to fulfill the extra credits, but the malfunctions put him in a bind with less than a month until graduation, he said.
"I'll be starting a job in June at a CPA firm," Wynia said. "I would like to have my 150 credits completed before then, so I don't need to go back to classes while working."
He decided to take the test at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Mich., about an hour and 10 minutes away.
"I decided I couldn't rely on Hillsdale to get the software working, so I registered to take my three CLEP exams at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek," he said. "That was the closest test center."
"I haven't given up on it yet," he said. "There's still a chance we can get it done."
Attempts to administer the computer-based exams during the standard October and March testing dates failed. In both cases, CLEP software froze or shut down. The registrar's office and Information Technology Services said they still hope to have CLEP exams ready before the academic year's end.
CLEP exams test students' knowledge of a specific subject, like chemistry, psychology or history. Students scoring at least 50 percent pass, but the registrar's office requires at least a 60 percent score to earn college credits.
McArthur said he has been flexible with students' scheduling due to the glitches, and he plans to offer them a convenient time to take their respective CLEP exams. For students in a hurry, McArthur said, Hillsdale College will allow students to CLEP at other institutions' test sites.
"If they're really needing to take a CLEP test, and if they take the CLEP at another college, they can take the test as long as they pass with a score Hillsdale College accepts," McArthur said.
Senior Nathanael Wynia is an accounting major. Candidates who take the Certified Public Accountant exam need 150 credit hours to qualify to take it. CLEP allows him to fulfill the extra credits, but the malfunctions put him in a bind with less than a month until graduation, he said.
"I'll be starting a job in June at a CPA firm," Wynia said. "I would like to have my 150 credits completed before then, so I don't need to go back to classes while working."
He decided to take the test at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Mich., about an hour and 10 minutes away.
"I decided I couldn't rely on Hillsdale to get the software working, so I registered to take my three CLEP exams at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek," he said. "That was the closest test center."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Claire
posted 4/16/09 @ 2:01 PM EST
The glitch started last year, actually... I stayed up all night the night before a biology and chemistry CLEP and I got to the on-campus test center, only to be told that I couldn't take it. (Continued…)
Greg Harms
posted 4/16/09 @ 10:13 PM EST
Sounds like a small group of computers need to be rebuilt with XP ASAP.
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