Lydia Melendez, a testing specialist (from left); Patrick McGehee, associate director of high school to university programs & testing services; and Sandra Barba, a testing specialist; stand inside the UTRGV testing facilities located on Resaca Village in Brownsville. MARIO GONZALEZ/THE RIDER
For the second consecutive year, UTRGV has placed as one of the top 100 testing centers in the nation for the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), a test that has been offered for more than 20 years.
“CLEP is based on the premise that some individuals enrolling in college have already learned part of what is taught in college through job training, independent reading and study, noncredit adult courses and advanced high school courses,” according to the official CLEP guide. The exam is offered at 1,800 institutions nationwide and 2,900 colleges and universities.
The test provides individuals with the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of college-level material by taking exams that assess the knowledge and skills taught in college courses, according to the guide.
“Students realized they only have to pay a minimum fee to register for the test, and if they pass the test, they will get at least three hours in the subject,” said Patrick McGehee, associate director of High School to University Programs and Testing Services.
Students must pay a $25 registration fee to UTRGV and an $80 fee to the testing company.
“We offer a lot of CLEP testing,” McGehee said.
CLEP exams available are principles of accounting, introductory business law, information systems and computer application, principles of macroeconomic, principles of management, principles of marketing, biology, chemistry, college algebra, calculus, introductory psychology, human growth and development, analysis and interpretation of literature, American literature, English literature, U.S. History I, U.S. History II, American government, introductory sociology, French, German and Spanish.
Students can take the CLEP in the Edinburg CESS Building and in Brownsville at the Resaca Plaza, McGehee said.
Students must check with their adviser to determine whether the credits fit their degree plan.
“We do not check that. If they sign up for the test, we administer the test,” McGehee said. “It is the student’s responsibility to sign up for the test they need.”
Romina Duarte, a psychology junior, said that taking the CLEP has allowed her to concentrate on her other courses.
“I took the CLEP before starting my first semester at UTRGV because by taking it, I would get ahead and save money,” Duarte said. “It is a very beneficial option the university grants.”
The CLEP exam is offered Monday through Friday on the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses.
For more information about registration, call Testing Specialists Ayissa Salinas at 665-7523 in Edinburg and Lydia Melendez at 882-8875 in Brownsville.
