A Free Study Guide Resource for Dantes Exams!
DANTES exams, also known as DSST's, fill in many of the subject matter gaps that CLEP exams do not cover.
Click here to see a list of CLEP exam study guides
There are two main differences from CLEP exams however:
1. Though some CLEP exams are worth 6 credits according to the ACE recommendations, that's not the case with DSST's. All DSST's are recommended at 3 credits by ACE.
2. Some of these dantes exams, unlike CLEP, are recommended for upper level credit by ACE. Because some of these examinations cover knowledge that would normally be learned in 300 or 400 level classes (Junior and Senior level), they are generally considered to be more difficult then the CLEP examinations. That being said, just because they may be a little more difficult shouldn't dissuade you from attempting a DANTES exam!
Below is a list of the DSST exams, along with a breakdown of upper level and lower level recommendations by ACE. The majority of DSST's tend to fall under "Applied Professional" and "Business" categories with a few evident exceptions that would fall under Humanities or Sciences. As with CLEPs, your school makes the final determination on what type of credit, and how much is awarded. Be sure to check with your advisor if you need to fulfill a specific requirement!
Some of the DANTES exams were revised in 2008. If you're given the choice of which one to take at the testing center, I would choose the newer version. All of the DANTES recommended study material is targeted at the new revisions.
Free DANTES Study Guides
** before the title means there is also a supplementary study resource for this exam at the bottom.
Upper Level (UL) DSST Exams
- Business Ethics and Society - 3 UL Credits
- Business Law II - 3 UL Credits
- Drug and Alcohol Abuse/Substance Abuse - 3 UL Credits
- Ethics in America - 3 UL Credits
- Here's to Your Health - 3 UL Credits
- Introduction to World Religions - 3 UL Credits
- Management Information Systems - 3 UL Credits
- Money and Banking - 3 UL Credits
- Principles of Finance - 3 UL Credits
- Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union - 3 UL Credits
- The Civil War and Reconstruction - 3 UL Credits
Lower Level (LL) DSST Exams
- A History of the Vietnam War - 3 LL Credits
- Art of the Western World - 3 LL Credits
- Astronomy - 3 LL Credits
- Business Mathematics - 3 LL Credits
- Criminal Justice - 3 LL Credits (Some schools count as UL Credit)
- Environment and Humanity: The Race to Save the Planet - 3 LL Credits
- Foundations of Education - 3 LL Credits
- Fundamentals of College Algebra - 3 LL Credits
- Fundamentals of Counseling - 3 LL Credits
- General Anthropology - 3 LL Credits
- Human Resource Management - 3 LL Credits
- Human/Cultural Geography - 3 LL Credits
- Introduction to Business - 3 LL Credits
- Introduction to Computing - 3 LL Credits
- Introduction to Law Enforcement - 3 LL Credits
- Lifespan Development Psychology - 3 LL Credits
- Organizational Behavior - 3 LL Credits
- Personal Finance - 3 LL Credits
- Physical Geology - 3 LL Credits
- Principles of Financial Accounting - 3 LL Credits
- Principles of Physical Science - 3 LL Credits
- **Principles of Public Speaking - 3 LL Credits
- Principles of Supervision - 3 LL Credits
- Principles of Statistics - 3 LL Credits
- Technical Writing - 3 LL Credits
- Western Europe Since 1945 - 3 LL Credits
Supplementary Resources
Chances are, between the CLEP exams and DSST exams, you can find one that you need to fill a hole in your degree plan. Whether you decide to take a few exams to fill some electives, or you target a specific requirement on your degree; there's an examination out there that will fill your need.
As with the CLEP's, I've put together my own list of DANTES exams ranked by difficulty all in one place. This list is subjective, but contains both my own opinions as well as others who have taken the exams. If you need to take it slow, try a few on the easier end of the scale. You can find that here - **DSST Difficulty List***
Best of luck. Now get studying!
-Justin
