Today’s post “DSST Exam Prep for Dual Enrollment Homeschooled High School Students” is a sponsored review post to help families learn how to use it for DSST Exam Prep. I was given access to Study.com for a limited time to test it out in exchange for my honest thoughts on the program.

Disclosure: I received access to Study.com in order to write this honest review. This post also includes affiliate links.

Do you have a homeschooled high school student who is doing dual enrollment–high school and college at the same time? Let me introduce you to an option you may not have heard of before called DSST exams And, here is an easy way to get the DSST exam prep you need to get a passing score through Study.com!

What is a DSST Exam?

DSST exams (which were formerly known as DANTES Subject Standardized Tests) are credit-by-examination tests, similar to CLEP tests. There are over 30 exams in lower and upper-level college subject areas. After learning the subject on your own, you take the exam. Check to see if your local community college offers the exams. If you get a passing score, you get credit, which many colleges will accept toward your degree!

What DSST Exams are available?

If you’ve looked into CLEP tests, you know they have them for the typical college classes such as Biology or AP tests in subjects such as Music Theory. I love that the DSST option has some unusual test topics. You might have a student at home who would love to study these subjects!

Mathematics

• Fundamentals of College Algebra
• Principles of Statistics
• Math for Liberal Arts

Social Science

• Art of the Western World
• Human/Cultural Geography
• History of the Soviet Union
• A History of the Vietnam War
• The Civil War and Reconstruction
• Foundations of Education
• Lifespan Developmental Psychology
• General Anthropology
• Substance Abuse
• Criminal Justice
• Fundamentals of Counseling
• Western Europe Since 1945

Business

• Human Resource Management
• Organizational Behavior
• Principles of Supervision
• Introduction to Business
• Money and Banking
• Personal Finance
• Management Information Systems
• Business Mathematics
• Business Ethics and Society

Physical Science

• Astronomy
• Health & Human Development
• Environmental Science
• Principles of Physical Science
• Introduction to Geology

Technology

• Technical Writing
• Computing and Information Technology
• Ethics in Technology

Humanities

• Ethics in America
• Introduction to World Religions
• Principles of Public Speaking
• Principles of Advanced English Composition

Learn more about DSST Exams from the Get College Credit website.

What DSST Exam Prep is Available?

If you have a student who would like to take a DSST Exam in order to get college credit while in high school, you’ll want to know exactly what’s on the test so you can effectively study for it. I have had the opportunity to review the extremely helpful website Study.com to see what help they have available for DSST exam prep. Below, you can go immediately to each of the different subject area’s study guides and test prep sections.

A Closer look at DSST Principles of Public Speaking: Study Guide & Test Prep

Since my kids spent years in a public speaking group, I decided to take a closer look at Study.com’s DSST Principles of Public Speaking: Study Guide & Test Prep online course. I know Public Speaking (aka “Speech”) is required by many colleges for many degree programs, so it would be a great idea for my 3 high schoolers to take the DSST exam to get 3 hours of college credit. They can use Study.com’s DSST Principles of Public Speaking: Study Guide & Test Prep online course to get prepared for it.

The description of the DSST exam prep for Public Speaking is:

“This self-paced course is designed to prepare you for the DSST Principles of Public Speaking exam. Through a series of short lessons and quizzes, you’ll be able to quickly review the test’s public speaking topics and practice answering the types of questions you’ll encounter on the exam. This Study.com course was last updated in 2018.”

There are 118 lessons, with an average length of 8 minutes each. Students will study and review topics such as audience analysis, speech delivery, rhetorical proof, and impromptu speeches.

The objectives of this online course go along exactly with what is on the DSST Principles of Public Speaking Exam. Your student will study the historical tradition of public speaking alongside different types of speeches, discover methods for thinking critically about what they hear, improve note-taking skills, and become a more civil and ethical listener.

What is the DSST Principles of Public Speaking Exam like?

The DSST exam asks questions that align with the subjects you would study in an introductory 1-semester college course on public speaking.

• Number of Questions: Approximately 100, plus a speech portion
• Question Type: Multiple-choice
• Time Limit: 2 hours for multiple choice and 20 minutes for the impromptu speech
• Number of Credits: 3 college credits
• Exam Cost: $80

You’ll practice for it with Study.com:

How will students do this DSST exam prep?

The DSST Principles of Public Speaking: Study Guide & Test Prep course has 110 video lessons organized in 14 chapters focused on key public speaking concepts.

I love that the lessons are quick–less than ten minutes each!

An accompanying transcript is included with each lesson:

There is also a quiz so the student can test his or her knowledge of the material after each video lesson:

Then, there are chapter exams so the student can see which areas need more review.

They even have online flashcards that you can practice with!

Last, there is a final exam to take so you’ll know if you’re ready for the real DSST exam.

Study.com has yet one more help for your DSST exam prep. When you have questions, their professional instructors can help you out. If your goal is to get college credit through taking a DSST exam, Study.com will help you reach that goal!

One of the awesome things about Study.com is their progress tracking tool that you can use to see how many lessons you’ve watched and quizzes you’ve taken. They even email you each week to remind you to keep on track!

Here is their helpful suggestion for planning your study sessions:

Study Frequency	When You’ll Be Ready for the Exam
3 hours a day; 3 days a week	Almost 1.5 weeks
2 hours a day; 3 days a week	About 2 weeks
1 hour a day; 3 days a week	Nearly 4 weeks

More DSST exam prep help from Study.com 

• DSST test prep materials
• DSST study guides
• DSST practice tests
• DSST resources about testing logistics.

My Take-Away

The more I look at Study.com, the more I love it. My daughter has already been using it to prepare for the CLEP Biology exam, and is planning to use it for this DSST public speaking exam as well. My oldest son will use it to prepare for the AP Music Theory Exam in May. College is so expensive these days that the more ways we can find to get that important college degree at a more reasonable cost, the better! Take a look at Study.com!

Get a Discount here:

Get 30% off your first 3 months by clicking here!

Related Posts:

• 2018-2019 Homeschool Curriculum Choices for 1st-12th Grades
• Help Your Teen Prepare for CLEP Test With Study.com
• 100+ Online Courses for Homeschoolers: The Ultimate Guide for Homeschool Success
• How to Include Public Speaking During Your Homeschool High School Years