College-Level Examination Program (CLEP®) Testing

You can take the CLEP® exam at the Central Piedmont Testing Center if you plan to enroll at Central Piedmont or if you plan to enroll at a different school.

The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP®) is the most widely accepted credit-by-examination program in the United States, with more than 2,900 colleges and universities awarding credit for satisfactory scores on CLEP® exams. Since 1967, four million people — adults returning to college, graduating high school seniors, and enrolled college students — have earned college credit through CLEP®. Earn college credit for what you already know by getting qualifying scores on any of the 34 CLEP® examinations.

All exams are 90 minutes in length and are composed of multiple-choice questions, with the exception of the College Composition exam (120 minutes and two essays). These exams require college-level knowledge and critical thinking ability. You must prepare for your exam(s) in order to do well.

CLEP® for Military/Veterans

The CLEP® program is proud of its long-standing relationship with Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) to provide CLEP® exams to eligible military service members, spouses, and civil service employees.

  • Who is Funded under DANTES?

    You can take exams using DANTES contract funding if you fall under one of the following groups:

    • military personnel (active duty, reserve, National Guard), including Army, Navy, Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Navy Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Army, and Air National Guard
    • spouses of Coast Guard (active and reserve)
    • civilian employees of the Air Force

    You cannot take exams using DANTES funding if you fall under one of the following groups:

    • veterans 
    • dependents of active duty military 
    • inactive Guard or Reserve, Coast Guard Auxiliary 
    • Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Personnel
    • spouses and civil service civilian employees of Air National Guard, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, and Air Force Reserve (Coast Guard civil service civilian employees only)
    • spouses of other active duty military, including Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Marine Corps Reserve, Navy, and Navy Reserve

    The DANTES eligibility chart provides information about who can benefit from DANTES funding. CLEP® exams for civil service employees, inactive guard or reserve personnel, and spouses and dependents not listed on the chart are not funded through DANTES. 

    To contact CLEP® regarding U.S. Armed Forces information, please visit collegeboard.com/clep or call 1.609.720.6740 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (ET)

CLEP® Credit and Scores

Central Piedmont awards credit for 25 CLEP® exams and will award CLEP credit based on the CLEP policy used at time of test.

  • Exams Central Piedmont Does and Does Not Accept

    For a detailed list of accepted CLEP® credit awarded at Central Piedmont and course descriptions, please review the Central Piedmont CLEP® policy (PDF).

    Accepted CLEP® Exams

    • Accounting, Financial
    • Algebra, College
    • American Literature
    • Biology
    • Business Law, Introductory
    • Calculus
    • Chemistry
    • College Composition
    • College Mathematics
    • English Literature
    • French, Level I
    • French, Level II
    • German, Level I
    • German, Level II
    • History of the U.S. I: Early Colonization to 1877
    • History of the U.S. II: 1865 to the Present
    • Human Growth and Development
    • Humanities
    • Macroeconomics, Principles of
    • Management, Principles of
    • Marketing, Principles of
    • Natural Science
    • Pre-calculus
    • Psychology, Introductory
    • Sociology, Introductory
    • Spanish, Level I
    • Spanish, Level II

    If you are a Central Piedmont student and you perform satisfactorily on CLEP® exams, you will receive a grade of “X.” The “X” grade carries no quality points, but credit hours are awarded identical to the number normally assigned to that course at Central Piedmont. Consult with an academic advisor to verify certain degree, diploma, and certificate restrictions.

    Non-Accepted CLEP® Exams

    Central Piedmont does not recognize the following CLEP® exams for credit:

    • Analyzing & Interpreting Literature
    • College Composition Modular
    • Educational Psychology, Introduction to
    • Freshman Composition
    • Information Systems and Computer Applications
    • Social Sciences and History
    • Western Civilization I
    • Western Civilization II

  • Scores

    With the exception of the College Composition exam, you will receive a printout of your score as soon as you finish taking the exam. With the exception of the College Composition exam, it will normally take 2 - 3 weeks for your school to receive an official score report from CLEP®. Because the College Composition exam contains two essays, it will normally take four weeks to receive your score. A copy of your score will be sent to both your school and home address. You may contact CLEP®'s Transcripts Department at 1.800.257.9558 to verify that your official score report has been sent or if you need additional copies sent to other schools.

    You may retake a CLEP® exam after three months.

Taking CLEP® Exams

  • Testing Fees

    CLEP® delivers big savings in both time and money. The cost of each exam is:

    • $90 per-exam CLEP® fee. Pay online on the CLEP website.
    • Effective July 1, 2023, the new CLEP® exam fee will be $93. Registration tickets purchased prior to this date will still be valid until their stated expiration dates.
    • $20 per-exam nonrefundable administration fee (pay on the day of your test at the Central Piedmont Cashier's Office BEFORE coming to the Testing Center)

    If paying by check, please make the $20 administration fee payable to Central Piedmont. If you have any questions about the CLEP fee, please email clep@collegeboard.org.

  • Register for an Exam

    You will need to register to take your exam(s) through the My Account Portal on the CLEP® website. After creating your account, you will need to schedule your appointment with the Central Piedmont Testing Center.

    • Visit the College Board's website to see if CLEP® is right for you.
    • Contact your school for a copy of their CLEP® policy. This will determine the specific exams your school will accept, scoring information, etc. It is your responsibility to understand your school's CLEP® policy.
    • Create your CLEP® account through the My Account Portal.
    • Select the CLEP® exam you would like to take. Double-check for accuracy!
    • Pay the CLEP® fee.
    • Print your CLEP® ticket and give it to the testing administrator on the day of your scheduled appointment.

    Read the following guidelines very carefully before scheduling your CLEP® Exam

    1. If you are not feeling well, please reschedule your testing appointment.
    2. Be prepared to follow social distancing rules.
    3. Masks are optional.
    4. Hand sanitizer is available as you enter and exit the Testing Center.
    5. Plan to arrive 30 minutes early for your testing appointment.
    6. Follow the appointment time listed when you schedule your appointment. It may be different from the normal testing times that are listed on our website.
    7. Print and remember your appointment date and time. This is very important due to limited availability.
    8. Remember to bring your payment; pay at the Cashier's Office BEFORE coming to the Testing Center (Cashier's Office is in the Central High building, 2nd floor).
    9. Your CLEPV ticket is required for testing. Print and bring your ticket with you to your testing appointment.
    10. Remember to bring your photo ID. No ID, no test.
    11. Schedule your CLEP® exam at Central Piedmont.
    12. You can also take the CLEP® exam at home with remote proctoring through Proctortrack. Please visit take a CLEP® exam at home for more information and to schedule your testing appointment.
    13. If you need to reschedule or cancel your testing appointment, email testingcenter@cpcc.edu.

    You may retake a CLEP exam after three months.

  • Exam Preparation

    You must prepare for the exam(s) in order to do well. If you are an enrolled Central Piedmont student, you can check out a copy of the CLEP® official study guide from the Central Campus library. Individual exam study guides are available on the CLEP® website.

    The new CLEP® App is now available! The CLEP® Study Guide App includes key information and more than 100 practice questions for 32 CLEP® exam subjects. The app contains the same information and questions found in the CLEP® Official Study Guide and Examination Guides, but offers the convenience of answering sample questions on a mobile device. The app also features diagnostics to help you pinpoint strengths and weaknesses.

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