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College Mathematics

Subject Information

The College Mathematics examination covers material generally taught in a college course for nonmathematics majors and majors in fields not requiring knowledge of advanced mathematics.

The examination contains approximately 60 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest questions that will not be scored. Any time candidates spend on tutorials and providing personal information is in addition to the actual testing time.

The examination places little emphasis on arithmetic calculations, and it does not contain any questions that require the use of a calculator. However, an online scientific calculator (nongraphing) is available to candidates during the examination as part of the testing software.

It is assumed that candidates are familiar with currently taught mathematics vocabulary, symbols, and notation.

Knowledge and Skills Required

Questions on the College Mathematics examination require candidates to demonstrate the following abilities in the approximate proportions indicated.

  • Solving routine, straightforward problems (about 50 percent of the examination)
  • Solving nonroutine problems requiring an understanding of concepts and the application of skills and concepts (about 50 percent of the examination)

Scientific Calculator

A scientific (nongraphing) calculator is integrated into the exam software, and it is available to students during the entire testing time. Students are expected to know how and when to make appropriate use of the calculator. The scientific calculator for the iBT versions of the CLEP exams, together with a brief video tutorial, is available to students as a free download for a 30-day trial period. Students and encouraged to download the calculator and become familiar with its functionality prior to taking the exam.

Computer-based Scoring

CLEP exams are scored without a penalty for incorrect guessing. The raw score--the number of correct responses--is translated into a scaled score. The scaled scores for CLEP are reported in a range from 20 to 80.

At Ferris, candidates taking the Mathematics exam earn credit for a score of 50 or higher.

Course(s) and Credits

  • MATH 117 or MATH 1-Q 3 Hrs

4 credits (MATH 117) or 3 credits (MATH 1-Q)