I was wondering if it is possible to get exempted from courses when you already have mastered the material. Do most schools give an option for students, such as taking an exam?
I am not talking regular core classes but the major related courses, such as those seen in engineering. For example, there is a CAD course required at my prospective college, but I am already a highly certified and proficient student in the CAD software they use and many others.
What are the normal procedures with this type of scenario? Thanks in advance!
Most schools offer some kind of placement testing for at least some subjects. If you have legitimate certification in using this software, it’s likely that you’ll be able to place out of it. There are instances where placing past classes isn’ an option as well though, so it’s going to vary from case to case.
The best thing to do is contact the department that offers the course and/or your major’s department.
Each school may have different policies on credit or placement by exam.
Also consider whether the course in question is just about the CAD software, or if it merely uses the CAD software to teach something else.
Also look into “CLEP” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Level_Examination_Program
The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a group of standardized tests that assess college-level knowledge in several subject areas that are administered at more than 1,700 colleges and universities across the United States created by College Board.[1]
Also for something like CAD, your college (which is it?) may have a placement test. Back in the old days we had to be proficient in technical drawing for engineering…but you could either take a class or self study and take a test to get credit.
Some schools, especially very selective schools, will give you nothing. Some schools will give no credit but place you into a higher-level course. Some schools will give you straight-up credit. Some schools will give you credit, but only if you take the higher-level course. (All that assumes you take some kind of placement test, standardized or home-grown.)