Is the CLEP U.S. History II Prep Course Worth $19?

The CLEP U.S. History II prep course can be worth $19, but not for every student. If you are taking CLEP History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present and only need a tight review, the $5 study guide may be enough.

If you want more step-by-step practice, the course gives you 17 chapters, 77 lessons, and a quiz after every subchapter. You also have a free option: a 25-question practice test with explanations. This post compares all four paths, guide, course, plan, and free test, so you can pick the cheapest option that still fits how you study.

What you get for $5, $19, and with a plan

Start with the table below. It shows the cleanest price comparison for this exam and for the CLEP plans.

Here is the short version of what those numbers mean. The $5 study guide is a one-time purchase and an instant download. It is a printable PDF of 37 pages. It is built from the official content areas and ordered by weight, heaviest first. Inside are 180 key terms, each with an example, 42 practice questions with every answer explained, common exam traps, a 2-page cram sheet, and 2-, 4-, and 8-week study plans.

The $19 prep course is also paid once. It gives you 17 chapters, 77 lessons, a quiz after every subchapter, and lifetime access. That is the main reason to pay the extra $14. You are paying for more structure and more chances to check yourself as you go.

Plans change the math if this is not your only CLEP exam. CLEP Monthly is $29 a month and includes all 23 CLEP prep courses and all 34 CLEP study guides. CLEP Semester is $69 for 3 months with the same CLEP access. CLEP + DSST Lifetime is $149 once for 23 CLEP and 8 DSST prep courses plus all 72 CLEP and DSST study guides, for life. Every plan also includes access to UPI Study's 90+ ACE and NCCRS courses for the time the plan states.

One more cost matters: the exam itself is $97, plus the test center's or remote proctoring's own fee. Prep and exam fees are separate.

When the $5 guide is enough

The $5 study guide is enough when you do not need a full lesson-by-lesson course. That usually means one of three things: you already took U.S. history, you remember a fair amount of the material, or you are close to test day and need a focused review.

This guide is built for fast coverage. It follows the official content areas and starts with the heaviest-weighted topics first. On this exam, political institutions and public policy are 30%, and social developments are 30%. Cultural and intellectual developments are 20%. Economic developments and diplomacy and international relations are 10% each. That setup matters. If your time is short, it makes sense to spend more of it on the two 30% areas.

The guide also gives you things a lot of students want right before the exam: a printable format, common exam traps flagged, and a 2-page cram sheet for the night before. The 42 practice questions with explanations help you spot weak areas without working through 77 lessons.

For some students, the best path is even cheaper at first: use the 10 free sample questions on the guide page and the free practice test. If those feel manageable and you mainly need organization, buy the guide and stop there.

One warning: a guide is a review tool, not a promise of a score. CLEP scores run from 20 to 80, ACE recommends 50 as a credit-granting score, and each college decides what credit it accepts.

When the $19 course is worth the extra $14

The CLEP U.S. History II prep course is worth the extra $14 when you learn better by moving step by step instead of reading one PDF. The big difference is format. The guide is a compact review. The course breaks the material into 17 chapters and 77 lessons, with a quiz after every subchapter.

That structure helps if you have gaps across the exam, not just one weak unit. It also helps if you tend to read notes and think you know them, then miss questions because you did not test yourself enough. The built-in quizzes force recall more often. For many students, that is the real reason to upgrade from $5 to $19.

The course is also the better buy if you want to spread studying over time. CLEP has no fixed test dates, exams run all year, and eligible test takers can also test at home with remote proctoring. Since the course includes lifetime access, you do not have to rush through it before an access window closes.

The course is probably not worth it if you are only doing a last review and already score well on practice questions. In that case, the guide plus the free test may cover what you need for $5.

Think about the exam price too. The test itself costs $97, plus the test center's or remote proctoring's own fee. If spending $14 more on prep gives you a study method you will actually use, that can be a sensible trade. Just do not buy the course because it sounds bigger. Buy it because the lesson-and-quiz format fits you better.

When a CLEP plan costs less than buying one course

If this history exam is one of several CLEP tests you want to take, a plan can cost less than buying one exam product at a time. The key question is simple: are you preparing for only CLEP History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present, or are you preparing for a group of CLEP exams over the next few months?

If it is just this one exam, single purchases are usually simpler. The guide is $5. The course is $19. Buying both is $24. That is still less than CLEP Monthly at $29 a month.

But the plan math changes fast once you need more than one CLEP course or guide. CLEP Monthly includes all 23 CLEP prep courses and all 34 CLEP study guides for $29 a month. CLEP Semester gives you the same CLEP access for $69 over 3 months. If you want more time but still plan to finish a set of CLEP exams within a term, that can be easier to budget.

Use the plans and pricing page and the CLEP prep hub if you are comparing several exams at once. If you know you also want DSST, CLEP + DSST Lifetime is $149 once. If you want AP, CLEP, and DSST together, All-Access is $455 once. Remember the product rules here: CLEP plans include CLEP prep courses and guides. Plans cover prep only. Exam fees are paid separately when you register.

A small planning note matters with CLEP. You cannot retake a CLEP exam with the same title within three months of your test date. That is one more reason to choose a prep option you will really use before you test.

Best low-cost path for most students

For most students, the smartest path is to start free, then spend the smallest amount that solves the problem you actually have. Begin with the free practice test. It has 25 original questions that follow the official exam outline, and every question has an explanation. That gives you a quick read on whether you mainly need content review or a fuller study system.

If the practice test shows only a few weak spots, go to the $5 study guide. It is usually the best value for students who want one printable source, a cram sheet, and a study plan built from the exam weights. You can also try the 10 free sample questions on the guide page before buying.

If the practice test shows broad gaps, or if you know you do better with smaller lessons and frequent checks, move up to the $19 prep course. That is where the CLEP U.S. History II prep course earns its price. You are not just getting more material. You are getting a different way to study.

If you are stacking several CLEP exams in a short period, skip single purchases and check a plan instead. That is the point where $29 monthly or $69 for 3 months can beat buying exam products one by one.

One last note on credit: ACE recommends a credit-granting score of 50, worth 3 semester hours, but each college sets its own CLEP credit policy. 2,900+ colleges accept CLEP, and each college decides what it accepts.

Frequently Asked Questions about CLEP US History II

Final Thoughts on CLEP US History II

If you want the cheapest solid prep, start with the $5 study guide. If you want lessons, quizzes, and lifetime access, the $19 prep course is a fair upgrade. If you are taking several CLEP exams soon, a plan may cost less than buying one exam at a time. The best next step is simple: try the free practice test, then choose the guide, the course, or a plan based on how many gaps it shows.