Ohio State undergraduates can save time and money by testing out of courses through the Credit by Examinations Program. There are around 200 courses from more than 40 departments which a student can test out of. But few students use it or even know about it.

The program isn’t used enough, said Brian Endicott, the manager of the Office of Testing.

“We only see between 75 and 100 students per quarter,” Endicott said. “And we see 40 to 50 of them the first week of classes.”

Students can earn up to 45 credit hours of examination credit, the equivalent to a rank at OSU. While the credit counts toward graduation, it does not affect a student’s grade point average. Still, a student can save a year’s worth of sitting through courses through this process. They can also save a lot of money.

Exams cost $50 each — much cheaper than the cost of taking the course.

It would cost a student $450 to take nine tests, worth 45 credit hours.

It would take at least two full-time quarters to earn the same amount of credit — at a cost of $2,893 per quarter for in-state students and $4,524 for out-of-state students.

But no one has earned 45 credits through examinations yet.

“I wish I knew this when I was in undergrad,” said Jake Mayer, a master’s of education student at OSU.

And Endicott says the program has its risks, because students cannot take any given exam more than once.

“If you failed, you blew $50,” he said. “It is one shot, one shot only.”

He said the basis of the program is to provide for “students who have the knowledge without sitting through the course.”

Exams are formatted to mirror the final exam of the course and are mostly multiple choice questions. There are also fill-in-the-blank and essay questions, depending on the course. Passing scores vary based on the department.

Recommended study material, usually a textbook, is shown online for most exams.

“Many students study over winter and summer breaks,” Endicott said. “They get the textbook and prep over break.”

Exams are set up by calling the Office of Testing and scheduling a test. Some exams need to be administered through a department.

Students cannot take an exam if they don’t meet the course requirements or if they already have a mark from OSU or transfer credit for that course.

If a student is enrolled in the course at the time, they can only take the test during the first week of classes.

Students can see a breakdown of available courses online or by visiting the Office of Testing at 090 Pressey Hall on West Campus.

For more information and a full list of exams, visit ureg.ohio-state.edu/ourweb/tests or call the Office of Testing at 614-292-2241. The Office of Testing will move into the Student Academic Services building on Lane Avenue when that building opens.