DSST Math for Liberal Arts Exam Prep Course
Full course with 55 chapter quizzes and a practice final exam
Self-paced prep for the DSST Math for Liberal Arts exam. 13 chapters with a quiz after every lesson, plus a practice final exam. The exam has 80 questions (75 scored and 5 unscored) in two hours across 7 content areas, and a non-programmable calculator is permitted. A score of 400 earns ACE's recommendation of 3 semester hours.
- Backup ACE/NCCRS credit path — included in every plan
- Lifetime access — no deadlines, no expiry, study at your own pace
- Credits accepted at 1,500+ U.S. colleges
Pricing
$19 for this course with lifetime access, or $29 a month for all DSST subjects. Every plan also includes UPI Study's 90+ ACE & NCCRS courses.
- All 13 chapters and 55 lessons
- 55 chapter quizzes and a practice final
- Readiness score tracker
- 55 lesson quizzes and a practice final exam
- Lifetime access, no expiry
- All DSST prep courses
- Every chapter, lesson and quiz
- Readiness tracker per subject
- Backup ACE/NCCRS credit path
- Cancel or pause anytime
- Lifetime access to every CLEP and DSST subject
- All current and future courses
- 12-month ACE/NCCRS backup path
- Pay once, never renew
What are ACE and NCCRS?
Two independent bodies that review online courses and recommend them for college credit. The American Council on Education (ACE) and the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS) put courses through faculty panels that assess rigor and learning outcomes, then publish a credit recommendation. When you complete one, the credentialing body issues an official transcript you send to your college — the same kind of transfer credit a student moving from another university would bring with them.
- Reviewed by faculty panels, not by the course provider
- Official transcript issued on completion
- Recognized at 2,100+ colleges, many of which also take CLEP and DSST
Both routes, one plan
Every plan with DSST Math for Liberal Arts prep also includes UPI Study's 90+ ACE & NCCRS courses — at no extra cost. So exam day isn't the only way to college credit: the courses are self-paced, with no proctor and no two-hour timer. Your college decides what credit it gives.
- Online courses reviewed for college credit, a different path
- Unlocked automatically — no extra fee, no application
- DSST can be retaken after 30 days
Each college sets its own transfer policy, so confirm yours accepts the route you plan to use.
Check your college's policy before you buy. Our school pages list accepted exams, required scores and credits awarded.
Check your collegeDSST Math for Liberal Arts exam format and topics
The exam covers a lower-level general-education math course across 7 content areas, from real numbers, sets and logic to geometry, algebra, financial math, probability and statistics. 80 multiple-choice questions in two hours; 75 are scored and 5 are unscored. A non-programmable calculator is permitted. A score of 400 earns ACE's recommendation of 3 semester hours.
| Content area | Weighting | Questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Number Systems | 11% | ≈9 | Natural numbers, integers, rational and irrational numbers and the real number line; fractions, decimals and percentages; operations with real numbers and their properties; prime and composite numbers, divisibility rules and prime factorization; rules of exponents, including rational and negative exponents; scientific notation |
| Sets and Logic | 16% | ≈13 | Sets and set-builder notation; subsets, set operations and Venn diagrams; conjunction and disjunction; conditional and biconditional statements; truth tables |
| Metric System, Conversions and Geometry | 13% | ≈10 | Metric and U.S. customary units; conversions between them, including dimensional analysis; properties of lines, angles and pairs of angles; perimeter and area of 2D figures; surface area and volume of 3D solids |
| Algebra, Graphs and Functions | 11% | ≈9 | Order of operations, simplifying expressions and evaluating formulas; linear equations in one variable and proportions; linear functions and their graphs; quadratic equations and functions |
| Linear Systems and Inequalities | 9% | ≈7 | Graphing and solving linear systems in two variables, including applications; linear inequalities in one or two variables; systems of linear inequalities in two variables |
| Exponents and Logarithms including Financial Literacy | 21% | ≈17 | Properties of logarithms; logarithmic and exponential functions; simple and compound interest; installment buying, including student loans and home buying; investing in stocks and bonds |
| Counting, Probability Theory and Statistics | 19% | ≈15 | The counting principle and fundamentals of probability; permutations and combinations; simple and compound events; odds and conditional probability; mean, median and mode; range, variance and standard deviation; bar graphs, pie charts, histograms, line graphs, box plots and scatter plots |
| 7 content areas | 100% | ≈80 | 2 hours · 80 questions (75 scored) · non-programmable calculator permitted · score 400 for an ACE recommendation of 3 semester hours |
80 questions in 120 minutes gives you about 90 seconds each. Skip a long word problem, answer the quick ones first, then come back to it.
How hard is the exam?
The exam is broad rather than deep: seven areas run from number systems and logic to geometry, algebra, finance and statistics. The two largest areas, exponents and logarithms with financial literacy (21%) and counting, probability and statistics (19%), make up 40% of the exam, so interest formulas, logarithms, permutations and basic statistics deserve extra practice. Many questions are real-life word problems, like the official samples on store credit, sales and population growth, so set up the calculation before you reach for the calculator.
- Financial math and logarithms are the largest area at 21%
- Know permutations, combinations and basic statistics (19%)
- Practice truth tables and Venn diagrams for sets and logic (16%)
Exam fee and booking
Register through the DSST program, run by Prometric, for $100. Test centers may add their own administration fee. You can test at a center or online with a remote Prometric proctor. Internet-based results appear as soon as you finish, and your college receives the official score report.
- Passing score 400, for 3 semester hours
- Retake permitted after 30 days
- Funded by DANTES for eligible military (first attempt)
Each college sets its own minimum score and credit award for DSST Math for Liberal Arts, so check your school's DSST policy before you book.
Check your collegeCourse chapters and lessons
13 chapters and 55 lessons. Expand any chapter to see the lessons inside it.
Chapter 1 Strategic Management and Organizational Decision-Making
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1.1 Thinking Ahead: How the Strategic Management Process Guides Organizational Direction
The strategic management process, how organizations make decisions, decision trees, payback methods and simulation, and the advantages of a quantitative approach.
- 1.2 How Organizations Make Choices: Structures and Procedures Behind Organizational Decision-Making
- 1.3 A Toolkit for Uncertainty: Applying Tree Analysis, Payback Methods, and Simulation to Business Choices
- 1.4 Crunching Numbers for Better Outcomes: The Advantages of a Quantitative Decision-Making Approach
Chapter 2 Decision Models, Risk, and Uncertainty
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2.1 Choosing the Right Framework: Types and Development of Decision-Making Models
Types of decision-making models, decisions under certainty, risk and uncertainty, and business risk analysis and risk management.
- 2.2 Decision-Making Under Certainty and Risk: Structured Approaches When Data Is Available
- 2.3 Decision-Making Under Uncertainty: Strategies When Outcomes and Probabilities Are Unknown
- 2.4 Knowing What Could Go Wrong: Business Risk Analysis and the Goals of Risk Management
Chapter 3 Simulation in Business Analysis
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3.1 Running the Scenario Before It Happens: Simulation as a Tool for Business Problem-Solving
Simulation as a problem-solving tool, random numbers and probability distributions, static and dynamic models, and Monte Carlo simulation.
- 3.2 Building Simulation Models: Random Numbers, Probability Distributions, and the Difference Between Static and Dynamic Approaches
- 3.3 Rolling the Dice Deliberately: The Scope and Business Applications of Monte Carlo Simulation
Chapter 4 Inventory Management and Queuing Theory
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4.1 What Goes on the Shelf: Understanding the Components of Merchandise Inventory
Merchandise inventory and its costs, balancing supply against demand, inventory control and purchase accounting, and queuing theory for waiting lines.
- 4.2 The True Cost of Keeping Stock: Definitions, Methods, and Types of Inventory Costs
- 4.3 Supply Meets Demand: Balancing Inventory Needs Against Cost Constraints
- 4.4 Keeping Track of What You Have: Types and Objectives of Inventory Control Systems
- 4.5 Recording What Comes In: How Inventory Purchases Are Accounted For
- 4.6 Downstream Consequences: Why Inventory Choices Reverberate Across the Entire Supply Chain
- 4.7 Nobody Likes to Wait: Understanding Where Queuing Problems Arise and What They Cost Businesses
- 4.8 Queue Design and Economics: How Waiting-Line Theory Helps Businesses Build Efficient Systems and Manage Costs
Chapter 5 Decision Analysis: Frameworks and Tools
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5.1 Making Decisions on Purpose: The Discipline and Structure of Business Decision Analysis
Structured decision analysis, probability and economic metrics, decisions with and without probabilities, decision trees and payoff tables, and the expected value of perfect information.
- 5.2 Data That Informs Choices: Using Probability and Economic Metrics in Decision-Making
- 5.3 Choosing in the Dark: Three Frameworks for Rational Decisions When No Probabilities Exist
- 5.4 Probability in Action: Applying Decision Analysis When Likelihood Data Is Available
- 5.5 Branches and Boxes: How Decision Trees and Payoff Tables Clarify Complex Business Choices
- 5.6 What Is Certainty Worth? Calculating the Expected Value of Perfect Information
Chapter 6 Decision Analysis: Bayesian Methods, Strategy, and Utility
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6.1 Revising the Estimate: How New Evidence and Updated Probabilities Sharpen Business Decisions
Updating probabilities with new evidence, Bayes' theorem, decision strategies, the expected value of sample information and utility theory, building on the conditional probability in the counting, probability and statistics area (19% of the exam).
- 6.2 Playing It Smart: Understanding and Applying Business Decision Strategies
- 6.3 Reasoning Backward From Evidence: Bayes' Theorem Defined, Derived, and Applied
- 6.4 Is More Data Worth It? Evaluating the Expected Value of Sample Information
- 6.5 Measuring More Than Money: Applying Utility Theory to Complex Business Choices
Chapter 7 Project Planning, Scheduling, and Cost Management
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7.1 Mapping the Work: Using PERT to Analyze Projects and Plan for Completion
Project analysis with PERT, Gantt bar charts, the phases and deliverables of project planning, and how project teams and work breakdowns are set up.
- 7.2 A Visual Timeline for Every Project: The Legacy of Henry Gantt and the Power of Bar Charts
- 7.3 From Vision to Execution: The Phases, Steps, and Deliverables of Project Planning
- 7.4 Assigning Responsibility: How Project Teams Are Structured and Work Is Broken Down
Chapter 8 Project Risk, Critical Path, and Global Complexity
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8.1 Sources of Uncertainty in Project Timelines: Why Activity Durations Are Rarely Fixed
Why activity times vary, statistical estimates of project completion time, the critical path method, direct and indirect costs, and managing diverse global teams.
- 8.2 Estimating Under Uncertainty: Statistical Methods for Predicting Project Completion Times
- 8.3 Finding the Bottleneck: How the Critical Path Method Identifies What Cannot Be Delayed
- 8.4 Every Expense Counted: Distinguishing Direct and Indirect Costs in Project Budgeting
- 8.5 Across Cultures and Borders: Addressing Diversity and Global Complexity in Project Teams
Chapter 9 Linear Programming: Modeling and Solving
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9.1 Constraints as Equations: Constructing Linear Programming Models From Real Business Problems
Building linear programming models from real problems, integer programming, why optimal solutions sit at corner points, and reading computer output, all resting on the systems of linear inequalities in the linear systems and inequalities area (9% of the exam).
- 9.2 Indivisible by Design: Using Integer Programming to Solve Budgeting and Distribution Challenges
- 9.3 Solving for the Best Outcome: Putting Linear Programming to Work on Business Constraints
- 9.4 Where the Optimal Lives: Why Extreme Points Are Central to Linear Programming Solutions
- 9.5 Beyond the Printout: How to Interpret and Act on Linear Programming Computer Results
Chapter 10 Sensitivity Analysis and Solution Robustness
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10.1 What Sensitivity Analysis Is and Why Every LP Solution Needs It
What sensitivity analysis is and how changes to coefficients, constraints and parameters affect a linear programming solution.
- 10.2 How Changing Coefficients, Constraints, and Parameters Affect the Optimal Solution
- 10.3 Testing the Boundaries: Sensitivity Analysis and What It Reveals About LP Optimal Solutions
Chapter 11 LP Applications in Marketing and Finance
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11.1 Where the Budget Goes: Applying LP to Audience Targeting and Marketing Research Allocation
Linear programming applied to marketing budgets, financial planning and cash flow, and portfolio risk and return.
- 11.2 LP in Financial Planning: Optimizing Budgets, Cash Flow, and Resource Allocation
- 11.3 LP in Portfolio Management: Balancing Risk, Return, and Investment Strategy
Chapter 12 Transportation Problems: Models and Methods
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12.1 Getting Goods Where They Need to Go: The Characteristics, Variants, and Solutions of Transportation Problems
The features and variants of transportation problems, non-standard cases, and moving from an initial feasible solution to an optimal plan.
- 12.2 Edge Cases and Exceptions: Tackling Non-Standard Scenarios in Transportation Problem-Solving
- 12.3 Starting Simple and Improving: Solving Transportation Problems from Initial Feasible Solution to Optimal Plan
Chapter 13 Assignment Problems and Optimization
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13.1 The Assignment Problem: What It Is, Where It Appears, and Why It Matters
The assignment problem and how to solve it step by step with the Hungarian algorithm.
- 13.2 Step by Step Through the Hungarian Algorithm: Solving Assignment Problems Optimally
Practice exam Practice final exam
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Practice final exam
A practice final at the end of the course. Take it before you book the real exam to see where you stand.
These chapters make up the DSST Math for Liberal Arts exam prep course.
Take the DSST exam for the fastest route to 3 credits. If it doesn't go your way, every plan also includes UPI Study's 90+ ACE & NCCRS courses, another way to college credit through coursework.
See pricingColleges that accept DSST Math for Liberal Arts
DSST is recognized at more than 1,500 U.S. colleges, but each one sets its own minimum score and decides how many credit hours to award. Check yours before you book the exam.
Browse college credit policies
Policies change. Every college page lists the date the policy was checked, and we recommend confirming minimum scores and credit awards with the Registrar before you schedule an exam. TransferCredit.org is an independent education service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the institutions listed.
Practice tests and study guides
Five questions in the style of the DSST Math for Liberal Arts exam. No sign-up needed — see where you stand before you buy.