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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