Ethics in America DSST
A Free Study Guide!
Name of Exam: Ethics in America DSST
Number of Questions: Around 95 (varies)
Time Limit: 120 Minutes
ACE Recommended Passing Score: 400
Practice Test Available?: Yes - Click here
Cost: $80 + Sitting Fee (Usually no more than $20) at your testing site. Military can take DSSTs for free with Tuition Assistance. Check with your Educational Officer!
Difficulty 1-5 : 4
(One being the easiest, and five being the hardest)
Exam Description:
The Ethics in America DSST covers what a student would learn during a Junior or Senior level semester Ethics class. Specific areas covered may include theory, historical figures and their views, and modern ethical issues and teachings.
Personal Thoughts:
The Ethics in America DSST is a favorite for many upper level credit seekers. It's always a good idea to check with your school and confirm it will count as upper level towards your degree. If not, you may want to look at the Ethics Excelsior Exam instead. Most colleges that won't accept the DSST as upper level will accept the ECE instead.
Yeah, this one's a pain. The old version was pretty tough, but the new version by all accounts is much more difficult. You'll have to memorize quite a bit of information, and there will be scenario questions that require you to demonstrate that knowledge. The pass rates are still pretty good on the exam though, which tells us this isn't impossible by any means.
Exam breakdown:
Make sure you check out the Official DSST Fact Sheet for this exam.
Pay attention to the bottom of the fact sheet. It contains some sample questions that closely mimic the type of scenario-based questions you'll see on the actual exam.
The Ethics in America DSST is broken down as follows:
| 56% | Ethical Analysis of Issues and Practical Application |
|---|---|
| 44% | Ethical Traditions |
Yep, that's it. Expect quite a few scenario based questions on those two areas.
Areas of Study
I'm going to list some specific topics that you'll need to study.
Though there are different versions of the Ethics in America DSST, you'll most likely see some of the following on your exam:
- Thucydides
- Biomedical Ethics
- Epictetus
- War and Peace
- Bentham
- Poverty and Equal Opportunity
- Rawls
- Aristotle
- Utilitarianism
- Kant
- Human Rights
- Gilligan
This is not a comprehensive list of topics! I highly recommend (as always) signing up for InstantCert and running through their entire flashcard series as well as seeing the Specific Feedback section for this exam. They've had years to accumulate their information, and it shows.
Recommended Free Study Resources
- DSST The Official Test Preparation Guide - Grab it and download a copy. It's free for now (even though it's also on Amazon for $20 or so.) Covers many of the DSST exams in addition to Ethics in America.
- Ethics Wikipedia Entry - Always a fun source of information. Do a brief run through and skip the truly heavy stuff at the beginning.
- Quizlet Flashcards for the Ethics in America DSST - A great set of flashcards for the Ethics in America DSST.
- Ethics from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - A very nice rundown of the major points of the subject. Thought it may be a bit slow, I'd read this from top to bottom. There are a few things in here that you'll need to know, and you may as well get this introduction to them if you haven't already seen them.
- Snazzlefrag's Ethics in America Study Guide - Snazzlefrag created this for the old Ethics in America DSST. That being said, much of the material remains the same.
Recommended bargain-priced study resources
Always check your library first! You may be able to find some of these for free. You don't have to buy the officially recommended resources all the time. If you're the type of person that prefers to study from a textbook source however, then please see below.
Moral Philosophy: Theories and Issues
InstantCert Academy Ethics in America Specific Exam Feedback - Nine pages of targeted information for this exam. I can't recommend this enough. I'd start with pages eight or nine and then work your way back. Those will have the most bearing on the new exam.
Also if you've subscribed, make sure you go through the Flashcards for Ethics in America as well. They also have flashcards for the old Drug and Alcohol DSST if that's the only version you can take.
If you don't know what InstantCert is, then click here for the scoop as well as a discount code: **InstantCert Academy**
You'll find an InstantCert link for every exam here if that gives you an idea of the amount of information they have available. It's an outstanding resource.
Closing Thoughts
I must admit, I did like this exam when I took it. This probably goes under the category of "I'm a nerd" but I like chewing on things mentally. My only complaint was that many of the questions were subjective, which should come as no surprise when dealing with this subject. Base your answers off of what the question is asking. If it's asking for a utilitarian view on the matter, then that's what you need to give them.
I really recommend Instantcert for this exam because of the flashcards. The scenario flashcards in particular will help you get an idea of what to expect. Don't underestimate this exam and you'll do fine.
Best of luck!
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