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Except for January 2, 2026
About the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
Administered by the College Board, the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) offers an opportunity for students to earn college credit based on their performance on certain exams that cover introductory level college course material. Generally, CLEP exams are computer-based and contain multiple choice questions about the subject area. CLEP exams take 90-120 minutes to complete. Students are given their score immediately. NOVA students who achieved an appropriate score on certain CLEP exams are eligible to earn college credit. Please see the tables that designate the name of the CLEP Exam, the required score needed to earn college credit, and the corresponding course code and credit hours. Please note the accepted equivalency for credit and the required passing score(s) may be different depending on the year a student completed CLEP testing. Test equivalencies are checked on a regular basis by faculty and updated accordingly.
To register for a CLEP exam, please visit the CLEP website.
Business and Hospitality Management CLEP Exams
| Name of CLEP Exam | Required Score | NOVA Equivalent | Credit(s) Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Accounting | 50 or higher | ACC 211 | 3 |
| Principles of Marketing | 50 or higher | MKT 201 | 3 |
| Introduction to Business Law | 50 or higher | No Credit | 0 |
| Principles of Management | 50 or higher | No Credit | 0 |
Information and Engineering Technologies CLEP Exams
| Name of CLEP Exam | Required Score | NOVA Equivalent | Credit(s) Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Systems | 50 or higher | ITE 152 | 3 |
Language CLEP Exams
| Name of CLEP Exam | Required Score | NOVA Equivalent | Credit(s) Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| College Composition | 50 or higher | ENG 111 | 3 |
| College Composition Modular | 50 or higher | No Credit | 0 |
| American Literature | 50 or higher | No Credit | 0 |
| Analyzing & Interpreting Literature | 50 or higher | No Credit | 0 |
| English Literature | 50 or higher | ENG 245 | 3 |
| French Language: Levels 1 and 2 | 50-62 | FRE 101 and FRE 102 | 8 |
| French Language: Levels 1 and 2 | 63 or higher | FRE 101, FRE 102, FRE 201, and FRE 202 | 14 |
| German Language: Levels 1 and 2 | 50-62 | GER 101 and GER 102 | 8 |
| German Language: Levels 1 and 2 | 63 or higher | GER 101 , GER 102 , GER 201 , and GER 202 | 14 |
| Spanish Language: Levels 1 and 2 | 50-62 | SPA 101 and SPA 102 | 8 |
| Spanish Language: Levels 1 and 2 | 63 or higher | SPA 101, SPA 102, SPA 201, and SPA 202 | 14 |
| Spanish with Writing | 50-62 | No Credit | 0 |
| Spanish with Writing | 63 or higher | No Credit | 0 |
Mathematics CLEP Exams
| Name of CLEP Exam | Required Score | NOVA Equivalent | Credit(s) Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| College Algebra | 50 or higher | MTH 154 | 3 |
| College Mathematics | 50 or higher | MTH 154 | 3 |
| Precalculus | 50 or higher | MTH 161 & MTH 162 Scores of 50 or higher will receive the default college credit award of MTH 161 and MTH 162. Alternatively, students may ask to be awarded college credit for MTH 167 (5 credits) when they submit the evaluation request on form 125-049E. (https://dashboard.nvcc.edu/Default.aspx) Note: Credit will not be awarded for all three courses. Once credit has been transcribed on to a student’s academic record the student cannot ask for another evaluation of the Precalculus CLEP exam. Students are advised to speak with an advisor before the evaluation. |
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| Calculus | 50-63 | MTH 261 | 3 |
| 64 or higher | MTH 263 | 4 |
Physical and Life Science CLEP Exams
| Name of CLEP Exam | Required Score | NOVA Equivalent | Credit(s) Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 50 or higher | BIO 101 and BIO 102 | 8 |
| Chemistry | 50 or higher | CHM 111 and CHM 112 | 8 |
| Natural Sciences | 50 or higher | Natural science elective | 4 |
Social Science CLEP Exams
| Name of CLEP Exam | Required Score | NOVA Equivalent | Credit(s) Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principles of Macroeconomics | 50 or higher | ECO 201 | 3 |
| Principles of Microeconomics | 50 or higher | ECO 202 | 3 |
| History of U.S. I | 50 or higher | HIS 121 | 3 |
| History of U.S. II | 50 or higher | HIS 122 | 3 |
| Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648 | 50 or higher | HIS 101 | 3 |
| Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present | 50 or higher | HIS 102 | 3 |
| American Government | 50 or higher | PLS 135 | 3 |
| Human Growth and Development | 50 or higher | PSY 230 | 3 |
| Introduction to Educational Psychology | 50 or higher | No Credit | 0 |
| Introductory Psychology | 50 or higher | PSY 200 | 3 |
| Introductory Sociology | 50 or higher | SOC 200 | 3 |
| Social Sciences and History | 50 or higher | No Credit | 0 |