DSST Principles of Physical Science I Exam Guide (Physics)

Let me begin this guide by saying that I only ever took the mandatory science classes in high school--that is to say, the most experience I have in science courses was taking a Grade 10 general science class. That said, the DSST Physical Science I exam is one of the easiest exams I have ever written.

According to the DSST fact sheet, the exam consists of 60% physics and 40% chemistry. If you intend to write this exam, simply study the general concepts in those areas and know how to apply some of the related formulae, and you should be able to pass the exam.

There's a lot of stuff mentioned on the fact sheet, all of which you should look up and study, so I'll just give a few examples and relevant links here to get you started.


PHYSICS

Check out Wikipedia's entry on elementary physics formulae. Many of the formulae aren't important, but you should know things like work, force, distance, power, time, energy, acceleration, and gravity. You should be able to comprehend how these various elements may be related to each other in terms of formulae.

Know the relation between distance and gravity/magnetic forces. In other words, know how it's an exponential inverse equation.

Study vectors and direction.

Understand the basic ideas of the laws of thermodynamics, particularly the law of conservation of mass.

Know the difference between potential and kinetic energy.

Know Ohm's law, which says that Voltage equals Current multipled by Resistance (V = I * R), and the other variations of it (I = V/R, R = V/I). You should be able to do basic calculations with Ohm's law. You should also be able to remember the electrical formula for power, P = V * I.

Know the various SI units and scientific notation.


CHEMISTRY

Understand the basic equations of specific heat. You should be able to do basic calculations involving mass, heat energy required, etc. There is an example of one of these questions on the DSST Fact Sheet. There is also a good video on specific heat calculations here:



Know the different states of matter. One of the more important things to remember about the different states is that a liquid is incompressible.

Know the difference between chemical and physical changes and be able to evaluate changes and determine which kind of change it is.

Those are all of the tips I have for studying in this guide, but they're not all of the things you need to know. Be sure to read the DSST fact sheet on the subject and study any additional points not mentioned here before writing the test. Good luck!

Excelsior College's Ethics: Theory and Practice Exam

Excelsior College's exam, "Ethics: Theory and Practice" is worth three upper-level credits in philosophy. It's not that bad if you have had some experience arguing or researching various philosophical positions in the past, but if you haven't, there will be a lot of reading involved.

You will want to know about other philosophers and their positions as well, such as Plato, Socrates (an invention of Plato), Aristotle, Saint Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Niccolo Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Friedrich Nietzsche.

You should also read about Immanuel Kant and deontological ethics.

There are a few books which can readily summarize their philosophers' thoughts in small amounts, therefore I would recommend them as an alternative to reading a Wikipedia article about them.

Read Ayn Rand's "The Virtue of Selfishness." I can't seem to find a free copy online, but most libraries should have it, and in the event that they don't you can find it in most major bookstores. You can also support this blog by purchasing it at the low price at the time of writing this guide of $7.99 from Amazon.com by clicking here. If you don't want to read the book, you can also get a quick idea of her philosophy by viewing her here:



Also read John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty" and Machiavelli's The Prince. These are free online, and both of these books are only about 100 pages in the hard copy versions I have, so they should be quick reading.

Know the difference between act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. There are other concepts that should be addressed, too, which are too numerous to mention here. It would be a good idea to review Excelsior College's examination guide for this subject (you may have to be logged in to a free Excelsior College student account to view it).

That's pretty much it. The blog entry is short, but you'll find that the reading material linked to is extensive. Just remember that you can't only memorize this exam and pass--you'll have to understand how to argue and apply the material as it relates to practical examples. Studying for this exam might take a week or two if you put a lot of effort into it, but your hard work will pay off during the exam. Good luck!

CLEP American Government Study Guide

CollegeBoard's CLEP American Government exam is one of the easiest exams out there, and is considered by most universities to be an introductory political science course worth three lower-level credits. Most people who have taken a basic high school civics class should know enough about the government to be able to pass this exam.

However, if you don't think you're up to speed on American politics, or you want to be extra-prepared for the exam, I can suggest a few reading tips for you.

First, read the US Constitution (not that you shouldn't have already if you want to understand what makes a free country). Know the powers of federal and state legislatures, the process for elections, and how the courts function. Be especially sure to read the Amendments to the United States Constitution and to know how each amendment modified the original document. (Amazon.com has a good pocket-sized U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence rolled into one book for the price of $4.95 at the time of writing this blog; it's published by the Cato Institute). Also know the significance of the "reserved powers" clause of the Bill of Rights and how it affects the division of power among the federal government and the states. If you're a visual learner, here's a good and quick video which breaks down each amendment within the Bill of Rights:




Knowledge of court cases can also be important. Thinkquest.org has a list of important Supreme Court cases that you can read, though it may be somewhat lacking in the civil rights cases, which About.com gives a good summary of here. You should also read about the civil rights movement in general, which Wikipedia divides into two parts: civil rights between 1896 and 1954, and civil rights between 1955 and 1968.

Know about the different kinds of legislatures, such as unicameral and bicameral, and know about how a bill becomes law. You should also know about the President's veto powers.

You should be able to understand basic demographic graphs and be able to answer questions about graphs. For example, "Which group had the greatest amounts of supporters of __."

Read up on political parties and Political Action Committees. Know how interest groups affect political decision makers and what strategies they use.

Also know about the political theories about democracy, such as pluralism, elitism, and (yuck) Marxism.

For an excellent book on political theory and processes, I recommend The Irony of Democracy: An Uncommon Introduction to American Politics. I personally used this to brush up on my political science, and as far as textbooks for freshman courses go, it's a fairly good price. If you can borrow another freshman textbook for a political science course, that should also be just as good.

You can read the CLEP exam description for American Government here.

Good luck!

DSST Money and Banking Exam

According to the military's DANTES program, the DSST Money & Banking exam has one of the lowest pass rates at only 16%. Not realizing this at the time, I decided to "wing it" with some free time left over during an exam session last month, and ended up passing it. The kind of knowledge that I used to pass the exam was acquired over a few years as a matter of recreation, but could be acquired over a few weeks if one were intentionally studying for this exam.

Before you read this guide any further, know that if you have already passed a good macroeconomics exam or course that required a knowledge of the Federal Reserve, interest rates, and monetary theory, then you can probably just write this exam and pass it, provided that you still remember all of those dry details.

Now, if you don't know these things, you have some studying ahead of you. First of all, if you haven't already done so, read a free online copy of Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson cover to cover. It's annoying to have to read a book when you want to challenge an exam quickly, but you must have a firm understanding of the concepts of supply, demand, shortages, surpluses, and consequences of command economics, and be able to apply this knowledge in practical examples, before you can consider refining your knowledge to the subject of money and banking. Skipping over this step would be like trying to write a calculus exam without understanding the principles of addition and subtraction. If you want to purchase a physical copy of Economics in One Lesson instead of reading it online, you can help support this website by purchasing it through Amazon.com here.

Next, start reading about monetary policy. You can read the Wikipedia entry on the subject here. Pay special attention to terms like interest rates, CPI, overnight rate, federal funds rate, prime rate, and so on. Understand the difference between real and nominal income/interest rates.

Know the structure of the Federal Reserve System, particularly how many banks it has, which cities they are located in, how the Board of Governors is chosen, and who the current chairman is.
Know a bit about the Federal Open Market Committee.

Watch a lot of Peter Schiff's television interviews about the economy. Unlike most interviewees on the subject of economics, he likes to bring interest rates into the picture. His comments on how inflation and deflation affect the economy are very relevant. You can also listen to a good interview referring a lot to inflationary monetary policy here:




Once you've immersed yourself in economic study for a week or two, you should be ready to write the exam and save yourself some money that you would have otherwise spent on an expensive course in Money and Banking. If you pass the exam, you'll probably know not to put the saved money into a bank account even if interest-bearing, lest its real value be consumed by a greater inflation rate.

You can read the DSST study guide for Money and Banking here.

Excelsior College's World Conflicts Since 1900 Exam

If you enjoy the History Channel, the World Conflicts Since 1900 exam from Excelsior College is one of the easiest ways you can earn three upper-level credits.

Even if you don't know much about historical military conflicts, you should be able to pass this exam with only a week or two of study.


CONFLICTS

Because you need to know a century's worth of subjects here, it's a bit harder for me to provide a bunch of links to all of the related study materials like I do with other exams. However, as far as conflicts go, you're going to want to know about World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (including knowledge of the war prior to American entry, i.e., French military involvement), Cold War, Gulf War, and the formation of and conflict with the State of Israel in the Middle East. Here are some suggested resources:

Causes of World War One
Causes of World War II (Wikipedia)
Challenge It's DSST A History of the Vietnam War Study Guide

In addition to the above, and I cannot stress this enough, know about the conflict in the Balkans. The different former republics, the history of Tito, how Milosevic rose to power, etc., are all important. An excellent television series about the conflict was produced by the BBC and is entitled "The Death of Yugoslavia." You can find it here:



You should watch the entire series so you have a good knowledge of the issues and history of the conflict, if you don't already. If you open the video in a new window you should be able to view the rest of the series in the "Related Videos" on the right side of the screen.

As far as the State of Israel is concerned, know the history of when it was formed, and who the belligerents were in the different wars that it fought. Wikipedia has a good timeline of Israel's military history available here.  I also recommend the following documentary if you wish to get an extensive knowledge on Israeli military history, receive a free Israeli flag, and support this blog with an affiliate commission:




INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

Know about international law, particularly the different categories of war under international law, the UN Security Council, its number of members, and the names of the member states with veto powers. The difference between the UN Security Council and the General Assembly is important to know (it's the Security Council that has more powers relating to international conflicts).

Read about the different types of war (preemptive, defensive, aggressive), and the differences between unipolar, bipolar, and multipolar balances of power. You should also know the difference between state actors and non-state actors and the importance of this distinction in international war (it's harder to define and fight a non-state actor than an actual state).

Some important reading material includes:

Functions and Powers of the General Assembly (United Nations website)
Types of Wars
UN Security Council: Background (United Nations website)


PERSPECTIVES OF ACADEMICS

I didn't study much of this part of the exam due to the lack of substantive material online, and it was to my detriment. I didn't know the answers to a few questions about the positions of academics such as Stoessinger and Ziegler. The following textbooks are listed in the content guide from Excelsior College as recommended studying material, and I would suggest that they would be useful if you can borrow them from a library or want to buy them and resell afterwards to another student:

Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History (7th Edition)
War, Peace, & International Politics (8th Edition)
Why Nations Go to War

That's pretty much all I can think of for study suggestions. Keep in mind, if you already know a lot about military history, you could probably pass the test anyway. Just study the parts you have less knowledge of for a couple days and you should be ready to write the exam. Good luck!

DSST A History of the Vietnam War

A month ago, I knew almost nothing about the Vietnam War. But with the help of YouTube, Wikipedia, and a free Sunday, I passed DSST's Vietnam War exam with flying colours.

I recommend knowing a bit about the history of Vietnam before the war, when the war began and where, how the United States got involved, a bit about Ho Chi Minh's biography, and the policies of different presidential administrations as the war went on.

Key things to know include:

Fall of Saigon
Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Ia Drang
Invasion of Cambodia
Operation Rolling Thunder
Strategic Hamlet Program
The Tet Offensive
Viet Cong
Viet Minh

You can read a detailed timeline of the Vietnam War here.

Also, YouTube has a wealth of videos about the war which provide a lot of clips of embedded journalism. I found it very helpful to watch what would have been current event television news in the sixties. Here's but one example of the footage available online:



And here's a good documentary on the Battle of Khe Sanh:







I also recommend watching "Vietnam - A Television History" (read the online companion here). This was produced by PBS and provides an extensive history of the war. Watching the series alone should give you sufficient knowledge of the war to pass the exam (though you should still study the other materials in this guide). Below is the first part of the series, the rest of which can be viewed by opening the video in a new window and clicking on the related videos at the right side of the page:



The DSST fact sheet for the Vietnam War exam can be found here.

DSST Business Law II Exam

If you haven't already followed the instructions in my post on the CLEP Business Law Exam, please don't try skipping to DSST's Business Law II.

If, however, you have studied for the CLEP exam thoroughly, your Business Law II studies should be pretty easy. Learn about negotiable instruments, real property, and the different kinds of business entities such as corporations, LLCs, and sole proprietorships. The relationship between agents and principals is also important. If you do this and remember your studies from the CLEP exam, you should be able to pass.

Here are a couple videos on Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy:





The DSST exam fact sheet along with practice questions can be found here.

CLEP Business Law Exam

I'm a Canadian but I wrote the CLEP Business Law examination and passed it largely because of prior learning in high school about English common law theory. For the same reason that students with legal backgrounds from common law countries have a good chance of passing this exam, students without knowledge of the common law will surely fail.

Knowledge of the principles of contracts and torts and the ability to apply those principles in every day circumstances is necessary for success in this exam. Additional information, such as knowledge of the principles of the criminal law, is also necessary. Understand all of the Latin legal terms: actus reus, mens rea, stare decisis, caveat emptor, ultra vires, intra vires, etc. Wikipedia offers a good list of legal Latin terms.

As far as getting a firm knowledge of common law goes, I highly recommend buying or borrowing the Sum & Substance audio lecture series in Contracts, Torts, and, if you can get it, Crimes. These lectures are favoured amongst first-year law students in English common law countries all over the world, and will go a long way in helping you to understand how to analyze and apply the law in a given set of circumstances. If you can't borrow the CDs, you can buy them at these links:

Sum & Substance Audio on Contracts, 3d Edition (CD) (Sum & Substance CD Series)

Sum & Substance Audio on Criminal Law, 4th with Summary Supplement (MP3)

Sum & Substance Audio on Torts

If you want to learn how law is applied but can only afford one of these, I suggest the "Torts" lectures. Stephen Finz is probably one of the least dry law professors you will ever listen to. You'll know what I mean when you hear him sing his chicken bone song.

I also recommend reading a book on commercial law. I brushed up on my legal skills before writing the exam by using a common commercial law textbook in Canada, Managing the Law: The Legal Aspects of Doing Business. However, if you can't borrow a copy of Managing the Law and are looking to buy something which won't cost an arm and a leg, I have also read good reviews about Barron's Business Law.

In addition to understanding traditional English contracts and torts, you should also read up about the Uniform Commercial Code and the different kinds of bankruptcy. A bit of constitutional law and knowledge of the different levels of courts is also relevant. Here are some relevant links:

Bankruptcy in the United States (Wikipedia)

Uniform Commercial Code

United States Constitution

You should also know what contracts are covered by the Statute of Frauds.

You might also visit the website of an Internet lawyer, as they usually have good free articles on contract law, fraud, etc.

CollegeBoard's description of the CLEP Business Law exam can be found here.

When you're done studying for and writing the CLEP exam, try challenging the DSST Business Law II exam.

Excelsior College's Abnormal Psychology Examination

The Excelsior College abnormal psychology exam is fairly easy to study for, provided that you have some basic reading experience in introductory psychology. My only prior psychology study was to challenge “Psychology as a Natural Science” with Athabasca University. I then viewed The World of Abnormal Psychology series from Annenberg Media, wrote the test, and got the credits.

If you have no prior experience with introductory psychology, it’s no sweat. View some additional material from Annenberg Media, such as:

The Brain: Teaching Modules
Discovering Psychology: Updated Edition

As far as books go for learning introductory psychology, I learnt the subject using Psychology: Theme and Variations. However, there is a variety of freshman psychology textbooks available, and all of them should give you a good knowledge base.