New York National Guard Education Services

CLEP/DSST/ECP Testing Programs

The CLEP/DSST/ECP Testing Programs provide Guard members and their Spouses, and Civilian employees (federal and state) of the Army National Guard with the opportunity to take college-level credit-by-exam tests free-of-charge at over 180 New York colleges and universities that serve as National Test Centers.

Many colleges will award up to 30 semester hours of college credit for successfully passing credit-by-exam tests. Each test is worth between 3 and 12 college credits.

The program allows Soldiers to take the following exams in the NYARNG Education Office or at a National Test Center free of charge:

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
DANTES Subject Standardized Testing Program (DSST)
Excelsior College Examination Program (ECP)
- ECP exams are administered through six Prometric Testing Centers in New York

Under this program, DANTES pays for the exam. National Test Centers charge a fee for each test administration. Test fees and administration fees are reimbursed regardless of the score achieved on the exam.

How do I schedule a test?

Locate the nearest National Test Center:
- For CLEP:
  http://clep.collegeboard.org/?affiliateId=rdr&bannerId=clep
  Click the “CLEP Test Centers” option & Search by state and city.
- For DSST:
  http://getcollegecredit.com/institutions/search
  Search by institution name, city and site code
- For ECE:
  http://excelsior.edu/scheduling-exams
  Follow the steps for registration and scheduling information.
Once you have decided on the specific test, obtain the corresponding study guide:
- For CLEP:
  Study Guides and Sample Tests are available in your local bookstore or can be purchased from online booksellers. You can download the test descriptions from the CLEP Web site link listed in STEP 1.
- For DSST:
  Test preparation information to include online practice exams available at http://getcollegecredit.com/testprep
- For ECE:
  Exam content guides can be downloaded from http://excelsior.edu/books-study-guides-exam-resources
Register for the test:
- For CLEP and DSST exams: Schedule testing at the National Test Center nearest to you, identifying yourself as a service member covered by DANTES
- For Excelsior College Exams: Register and pay test fees directly to Excelsior College. Schedule testing at the nearest Prometric Test Center. Both of these actions can be done online at http://excelsior.edu/registering-for-exams

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:

SPOUSE-SPECIFIC Instructions:
Army National Guard Spouses must possess a currently issued “Uniformed States Uniformed Services” Identification Card in order to participate in this program.
CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE-SPECIFIC Instructions:
Federal and state civilian employees of the Army National Guard must possess a currently issued official government card in order to participate in this program. A photocopy of the applicable identification card must be included with the reimbursement paperwork. It only needs to be sent once. The Education Services Office staff will use the card for eligibility verification purposes only.