I just took and passed the Ethics in America DSST. I scheduled the test Monday and took it Thursday. I really didn’t study very much. I went through each of the 8 instacert tests once or twice. I probably spent 6 or 7 hours total preparing. The test was the new online format and I got my results instantly. I did have one hang up, my pc locked up with 3 minutes to go. When they rebooted it my time had expired, good thing I was totally finished before then. I was surprised by the number of essay based scenarios. The test was 111 questions and i think 85% was scenario based. There were about 10 different scenarios that were repeated. Every scenario based question had Yes/No answers. Maybe 15 questions were multiple choice and were based on the founding principals. My score was a 54 a 43 was required to pass. Two more classes to complete and I walk in December!

AG

I recently went to the excelsior discussion boards, ( they dont compair to this forum ) and became abit anxious over ECE exams after reading several of their posts about how some studied for 4 months! and still coped a grade of b or c. :confused: I've taken CLEP exams before. I know that the members of this board are Exam Wizards and that the performance on exams has to do with study habits, prior knowledge of exam subject matter etc, but, for those of you who have taken ECE exams, "in general, and aside from test length" did you feel that ECE exams were harder than CLEP Exams, and how much time difference in studying was there then in preparing for CLEP exams. I've yet to take an ECE exam. I'm leaning towards Ethics to be my first. Though after reading their board, I'm apprehensive about going into the test with my current CLEP study preparation method; 1-2 weeks of study; IC; REA Guides; and Petersons Test, which have served me well to this point. Any insights would be appreciated.
Jeff

That probably excludes any with essays..

Guys, I'm kinda in a bit of a dilemma. This thread involves long passages about me and my career path, so I just wanted to forewarn anyone who is not interested so they don't waste their time reading.

Okay, here's the situation. I have been in the IT industry for close to 10 years. I have done everything from programming to testing/QA to project management, with the longest stint being project management. When I got out of the Marine Corps, I was working as a heavy equipment mechanic, and studying in the evenings teaching myself how to write code. I eventually learned how to program, and my brother (who is also an IT guy) and I started our own software development company. We were EXTREMELY successful from about 1999 until the end of about 2004. We built custom software for the nuclear power industry, and were very good at it. Over the course of this time we grew, had about 5 guys on board with us, and were making tons of money. Well, to make a long story short, the nuclear industry had major cut-backs, and we started losing business fast. It got bad enough that we decided to make the company a side business and all go do other ventures.

I was immediately hired as an IT Project Manager for a very large financial institution (which does 100% tuition reimbursement by the way). I stayed there for about a year and a half, and was moderately happy. The money wasn't what I was used to, but it was better than nothing. I felt like there was some opportunity there, but not for a substantial amount of time.

About this time, a friend of mine approached me about coming to work for him in sales (I've always had a natural nack for sales). He had an Account Rep. leave, and was VERY interested in getting me to come to work for him. My main concern was that this was a totally different and unrelated industry that I knew nothing about, and frankly didn't have a lot of interest in. BUT the salary and overall package was really tempting.

Needless to say, I accepted the position despite a pretty good counter-offer from my current employer. I have been here for about 2 months. I am now beginning to second guess my decision. I really do enjoy IT and am thoroughly interested in the IT industry. In my current position, not only did I not know anything, but alot of the "promises" seem to have been forgotten, or have fallen by the wayside. About the only thing that has kept me around this far is the money (which is pretty darn good). There are several things (that I won't go into) that are making me wonder if this was really the right decision. Please understand, I am extremely analytical and typically do not make uninformed decisions. I felt like I gave this decision due dilligence before accepting the offer. But sometimes a picture is painted one way, and when you step into that picture, it looks a whole lot different.

I just recently heard of a couple of openings back in IT Project Management, and one of them could be a higher position at my old company. I really hate this feeling of instability and uncertainty, but I don't see myself where I'm at long term.

I went back to school to finish my MIS degree, and have about a year and half left. From there, I plan to sit for the PMP (Project Management Professional) Exam (this is the most highly recognized credential in my field), and maybe eventuall get my MS in Technology Systems. As you can see, even though I am working in an unrelated field, my heart is still in IT.

My question is, given the Cliff Notes version of the situation I have provided, what do you guys think you would do in my shoes?

A. Stay where I am, even though I have little interest and the things that were "promised" have not come through.

OR

B. Start entertaining other options, and if something as lucrative as where I am now pans out, jump on it.

I don't want to drag this out too long either. I have only been here a little less than 2 months. If I were to leave now it would be a whole lot better than a year from now. Rememer, I know my boss on a personal level, and if I decide to leave, I want it to be as painless as possible.

I appreciate any suggestions. Thanks for listening...

Well I just found out why I have not received the score on my retake of the ECE Human Resource Management. It seems that even though you can retake them after 60 days, Dantes will not pay for it unless you wait 180 days. This is because even though it is an ECE test, Dantes pays for them under the military clause, thus we fall under their rules on retaking failed courses. So here I sit with them having the test in their hands, but they won't score it unless I pay the $190.00.

I opted to pay for it and will find the score out tomorrow. No stress here:eek: ..... If I passed, then it was the best money ever spent. If I fail, I think I might be a bit P/O. I know all of the non-military are probably laughing right now as this is what you have to do every time. I'll post tomorrow and let ya'll know how it turned out. Lee

Has anybody taken this? I plan to use the two main GRE study books. The content guide looks pretty easy as there are many common sense questions. I am counting this one as a freebee since it looks easy and not part of my original plan. Passing this will prevent me from taking Civil War .

Are there any other practice test for this besides IC?

Is there a list official calculators on the dsst site?

Dear Steve et al,

Does one's grade at the University fluctuate with the score you get on Dantes or Clep, or is it a pass/fail situation? I am concerned about my GPA.

Also, what is the minimum score needed, and what is the percentage, would you say, of questions that need to be answered correctly to pass?

Thank you,
cadet9rbi

Hello,

Does anyone know if these instantcert study guides are good prep for the Dantes tests as well as CLEP?

Thanks in advance for your helpful responses.

Kindly,
cadet9rbi