Top Military CLEP and DSST Pass Rates

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College level placement examinations can allow you to skip some entry-level college courses if you can demonstrate a thorough enough knowledge of the subjects. To prove that you know enough, you must take a standardized examination. There are two major types of placement examinations available to active duty members. The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP) and DSST (formerly DANTES Subject Standardized Tests).

These tests are free for active duty members.

CLEP and DSST exams helps you earn college credit for knowledge you've acquired through your military experience, independent study, prior course work, on-the-job training, professional development, cultural pursuits, or internships. They save you time (time not spent taking a college class) and money (money not spent taking a class). Taking placement examinations allows you to stretch your tuition assistance (TA), GI Bill, Federal Student Aid, and/or scholarship dollars while you achieve your education goals.

Now what? Which exams should you take? Well, it depends. What degree program are you interested in, what credits do you need, and what is your school’s transfer policy concerning accepting alternative sources of credit? Since the answers to these questions vary widely, the first place to begin is your local education center, where a counselor can help you find the answers that are just right for you.

To help you get started, take a look at the exams with the highest military student pass rate for FY 2021.

Rank

Test Type

Test Title

Pass Rate

1

CLEP

Spanish With Writing

93%

2

DSST

Technical Writing

88%

3

CLEP

Spanish Language

84%

4 CLEP College Composition Modular 82%

5

CLEP

College Composition

80%

6

CLEP

Introductory Sociology

77%

7

DSST

Intro To Law Enforcement

77%

8 DSST Health & Human Development 77%
9 CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature 73%
10 DSST Fundamentals of Cyber Security 73%

11

CLEP

French Language

71%

12

DSST

Criminal Justice

71%

13 DSST Personal Finance 71%
14 DSST Introduction to Business 70%

15

CLEP

German Language

68%

16 DSST Money & Banking 67%
17 DSST Ethics in Technology 66%
18 CLEP Natural Sciences 65%
19 DSST Substance Abuse 65%
20 DSST  Computing and Information Technology 65%

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