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Credit Sprint's Guide to the CLEP® Principles of Microeconomics Exam
The exam at a glance
- About 80 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes. Some are unscored pretest questions, so don't panic over a strange one.
- Scores run from 20 to 80. The American Council on Education recommends credit for a 50, worth 3 semester hours, but each college sets its own policy.
- Product markets are the biggest area (55–70%): supply and demand, consumer choice, production and costs, and market structures.
- There's no free-response section and no penalty for guessing, so answer every question.
Before you register
- Check your college's CLEP® policy first: the score it requires and the course it gives credit for. Search your registrar's site for "CLEP".
- Finish the free Modern States course for Principles of Microeconomics to get a voucher that covers the exam fee.
- Check the current exam fee on the official CLEP® site. Test centers and remote proctoring can add their own fee.
Test center or at home
- Test centers are often on college campuses. Bring an approved photo ID.
- At-home exams use remote proctoring with an equipment check, an ID scan and a room scan before you start.
- Read the official at-home testing requirements well before exam day.
On exam day
- Pace yourself: 90 minutes for about 80 questions is just over a minute each. Flag hard questions and come back.
- Sketch the graph on scratch paper. Most micro questions are a demand curve, a cost curve or a payoff matrix in disguise.
- Your score appears on screen right after the exam for most subjects.
After the exam
- Scores sent to colleges can take a couple of weeks to arrive, and the college may need more time to post credit.
- If you don't pass, you must wait three months before retaking the same exam.
- Use the wait: your mistakes notebook and a fresh study plan will be ready.
Sources: CLEP® Principles of Microeconomics · At-home CLEP® exams · Modern States. Policies change; confirm details on the official CLEP® site.