Yes you can test out of college courses. You may already have with AP tests you have taken in High School. Why take college courses you already know? This article is about how you can test out of college courses if you have the knowledge and motivation. CLEP, IB, AP and DSST out of courses are standardized exams accepted by many colleges and universities. Save tuition and reduce course load skipping subjects you know.

With the average course of three credits costing more than a computer laptop or iPad, you should strongly consider options that may help you avoid courses you already know.  We don't intend to minimize the learning experience or the benefits of refreshing knowledge taking any course.  But, if you have demonstrated a mastery of a subject and have another 30 or 40 courses to go, it just seems practical to skip the introductory general education courses if you could.  Prior learning counts if you apply for it.  There are existing methods for doing this called Credit by Examination.  There are several flavors we will cover.  First, here are some of the benefits of studying and testing out of courses:

• Demonstrate Knowledge. Prior learning can occur outside of traditional classrooms and course work. Many schools will accept a test as evidence that you understand the course. This means if they do, you won't have to sit in class, pay for tuition and spend your time on topics you already understand. Many of the courses you can test out of may be general electives or special courses.
• Save time. Depending on a college's policy, a satisfactory score on a test can earn you a semester or more of college level credits. A small investment in the test, can reap a huge return. We believe each college and university should publish their acceptance of tests and exams simply by listing their expected minimum scores on CollegeTransfer.Net, so you can learn how the investment in tests and exams will count before you take them. Let schools know they should!
• Save money. The cost of taking a test or exam is far less than taking the course, a fraction of the tuition and fees for the corresponding course.
• Make college more interesting. Skip general introductory courses and move on to more advanced classes, or explore new and challenging academic areas.
• Graduate faster. Tests and exams can help you to the finish line if you're a few credits shy of graduation and reduces the coursework you have to complete through the semester and terms.
• Satisfy a proficiency requirement. Demonstrate your knowledge of a college course, such as math or a foreign language, giving you a better chance to show admissions you have the ability and knowledge to complete the rigor of college.

• Find out if colleges you are interested in accept college credit by examinations. Use the pre-set searches to find what schools accept the tests and for what courses - or talk to each school's admissions office to determine what examinations they will accept if you do not see your school.  Some schools do post their test mappings on their websites, but it is not a common practice.
• CollegeTransfer.Net is attempting to compile a course mapping by school, but we are dependent on schools to publish the information.  Currently, schools just tell us they accept CLEP or AP or DSST or Excelsior for credit.  There are generally little specifics at the present time on how they will accept the examinations and apply it toward degree requirements. But, we are changing that.  We are getting schools to publish their detail test to course mappings - which would be valuable information for you.
• Talk to your academic advisor.  Or, call  your college's Student Services Office if you don't have an academic advisor.  Determine which college level courses map to the specific examination you may take or have taken.  For example, a Spanish exam will generally map to a Spanish course, but the level has to be determined.
• Read examination descriptions to decide which examinations may be attempted.  There are many good AP Study Guides, CLEP Study Guides and FREE online course materials today.  Check out the OCW Courseware offered by the Khan Academy at http://www.khanacademy.org/ on YouTube or the http://www.ocwconsortium.org/ which has over two hundred major world-wide universities providing FREE courses online you can take at your own pace.
• Register to take the examinations by contacting a test center and making an appointment. 
  • Check out the Test Center Search for CLEP with the CollegeBoard.
  • Check out the Test Center Search for DSST.
  • Check Excelsior College for Testing Procedures.
• Start studying. Get a college textbook and review sample questions.  Or, better yet review online courses such as OpenCourseWare offered by MIT to bone up on the subjects.  Again, the course content is FREE. 
• Pay for and take the examinations when you are ready. 
• Before transferring, make sure you note the completion of all examinations you have completed by requesting a transcript from the CollegeBoard, IB, DSST or Excelsior.

If you want to learn more about Credit by Examinations and compare the assessment tools, study guides and testing methodologies, continue reading on about the five major credit by examinations series many colleges and universities accept for course credit.  Remember, the score ranges are unique to the test and assessor.  And, not all tests are created equal.  The level of difficulty of each examination also differs.