CLEP History of the United States I Exam Prep Course
Full course with 400+ practice questions and a practice exam
Self-paced prep for the CLEP History of the United States I exam. 15 chapters running from the pre-Columbian Americas to the end of Reconstruction, covering all 5 topical areas the exam tests, with a quiz after every subchapter. 120 questions, 90 minutes. A score of 50 earns 3 transferable college credits.
- Backup ACE/NCCRS credit path — earn the credit even if you don't pass
- Lifetime access — no deadlines, no expiry, study at your own pace
- Credits accepted at 2,900+ U.S. colleges
Pricing
$19 for this course with lifetime access, or $29 a month for all 28 CLEP subjects. Every plan also unlocks the ACE/NCCRS course in the same subject.
- All 15 chapters and 68 lessons
- Five-question quiz after every subchapter
- Readiness score tracker
- Colonization through Reconstruction, in order
- Lifetime access, no expiry
- All 28 CLEP prep courses
- Every chapter, lesson and quiz
- Readiness tracker per subject
- Backup ACE/NCCRS credit path
- Cancel or pause anytime
- Lifetime access to all 28 subjects
- 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
Buying CLEP History of the United States I prep also opens the ACE/NCCRS course in the same subject — U.S. History I — at no extra cost. So exam day isn't the only way through. If the score doesn't land, the course is already sitting in your account: complete it self-paced, no proctor and no 90-minute timer, and earn the three credits through coursework instead.
- Same subject, same 3 semester hours, different path
- Unlocked automatically — no extra fee, no application
- CLEP can still be retaken after three months
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. We keep 280+ school pages listing accepted exams, required scores and credits awarded.
Check your collegeCLEP History of the United States I exam format and topics
The exam covers the first semester of a two-semester U.S. history survey, from early European colonization to the end of Reconstruction. About 120 questions in 90 minutes, some of them unscored pretest items. The 17th and 18th centuries focus on the English colonies, and a small number of questions cover the Americas before 1500. Pass mark is 50.
| Content area | Weighting | Questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Political institutions, political developments and public policy | 25% | ≈30 | Colonial government, the Revolution, the Constitution and its amendments, Supreme Court interpretation, the growth of political parties and participatory democracy |
| Social developments | 25% | ≈30 | Indigenous societies, slavery and resistance to it, immigration and ethnic minorities, women, gender roles and family, colonial society, religion |
| Cultural and intellectual developments | 20% | ≈24 | Nationalism, the Great Awakening and Enlightenment, literature, art and popular culture, abolitionism and reform movements |
| Economic developments | 15% | ≈18 | Colonial economies, the market and transportation revolutions, industrialization, economic growth and development, demographic trends |
| Diplomacy and transnational interactions | 15% | ≈18 | European rivalry, the Columbian Exchange, the Seven Years' War, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, expansionism |
| 5 content areas | 100% | ≈120 | 90 minutes · multiple choice · score 50 for an ACE recommendation of 3 semester hours |
College Board also sets a chronological split: about 30% of questions cover 1500–1789 and about 70% cover 1790–1877.
How hard is the exam?
It's a pace exam as much as a knowledge exam: 120 questions in 90 minutes leaves about 45 seconds each. Questions ask you to identify and describe events, analyze and interpret them, and compare and contrast them, so dates alone won't carry you. Seven in ten questions fall between 1790 and 1877.
- Weight your study toward 1790–1877 — about 70% of the exam
- Political and social history are a quarter of the questions each
- Know causes and consequences, not just names and dates
Exam fee and booking
Register with College Board for $97. Test centers may add an administration fee. You can test at a center or remotely with a proctor, year-round. Scores are reported immediately for multiple-choice exams, and you send them to your college yourself.
- Passing score 50, for 3 semester hours
- Retake permitted after three months
- Free for active-duty military via DANTES
The exam is multiple choice only. The chapters follow the same order as the exam's chronology, so you can study from colonization straight through to Reconstruction.
Check your collegeCourse chapters and lessons
15 chapters across 74 instructional hours. Expand any chapter to see the lessons inside it.
Chapter 1 The Americas, Europe, and Africa in the Pre-Columbian Era (Before 1492)
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1.1 The Indigenous Cultures of the Americas
The indigenous societies of the Americas, Europe on the eve of exploration, and West African societies at the start of the Atlantic slave trade — the Americas-before-1500 questions the exam includes.
- 1.2 Europe at the Dawn of Transformation
- 1.3 West Africa’s Societies and the Emergence of Slavery
Chapter 2 The Dawn of Globalization: The Atlantic World, 1492-1650
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2.1 Navigating the Seas: Portuguese Ventures and Spanish Dominance
Portuguese and Spanish voyages, religious conflict in the new Atlantic world, Spain's European rivals, and the labor systems and Columbian Exchange that followed contact.
- 2.2 Religious Turmoil in the Emerging Atlantic Societies
- 2.3 Rivals to Spain’s Dominance in the Atlantic Sphere
- 2.4 Transformations in the Americas: Labor, Trade, and the Columbian Impact
Chapter 3 Shaping New Social Structures: Colonial Societies, 1500-1700
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3.1 Spanish Expeditions and the Formation of Colonial Communities
How Spanish, Dutch, French and English colonies were founded and governed, and what colonization meant for indigenous peoples, the environment and trade.
- 3.2 Competing Colonizers: Dutch and French Aspirations in the New World
- 3.3 The Establishment of English Colonies in the Americas
- 3.4 The Consequences of Colonization
- 3.5 Analyzing Historical Causation and Consequence in the Atlantic World (to 1700)
Chapter 4 Rise of the English Empire: 1660-1763
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4.1 The Restoration Era and Charles II’s Colonies
The Restoration colonies, the Glorious Revolution, a slave-driven Atlantic economy, the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment, and the imperial wars that decided North America.
- 4.2 The Glorious Revolution’s Impact on the English Empire
- 4.3 A Slave-Driven Economy and the Consumer Transformation
- 4.4 Intellectual and Spiritual Revolutions: The Great Awakening and Enlightenment
- 4.5 Imperial Conflicts and the Struggle for Dominance
Chapter 5 Imperial Changes and Colonial Resistance, 1763-1774
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5.1 Managing War Debt: The Fallout from the French and Indian War
War debt after the French and Indian War, the Stamp Act and Townshend crises, the Tea Party and Coercive Acts, and the road to the First Continental Congress.
- 5.2 The Stamp Act Crisis and the Rise of the Sons and Daughters of Liberty
- 5.3 The Townshend Acts and the Escalation of Colonial Opposition
- 5.4 The Boston Tea Party and the Coercive Acts
- 5.5 Growing Divide: The First Continental Congress and the Birth of American Identity
Chapter 6 The Fight for Independence: America’s Revolution, 1775-1783
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6.1 Britain’s Strategy to Restore Order and Its Repercussions
Britain's plan to restore order, the opening battles, the Southern campaigns and victory, and how the war shaped a new American identity.
- 6.2 The Beginnings of the Revolutionary Struggle
- 6.3 The Southern Campaigns of the Revolutionary War
- 6.4 Shaping Identity in the Era of the American Revolution
- 6.5 Empire, Resistance, and Revolutionary Change (1660-1783)
Chapter 7 Building Republican Institutions, 1776-1790
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7.1 Common Sense and the Shift from Monarchy to Republic
Common Sense and republican ideas, how far the Revolution changed society, the debate over democracy, and the Constitutional Convention that produced the federal charter.
- 7.2 The Extent of Revolutionary Transformations
- 7.3 The Debate over Democratic Principles
- 7.4 Crafting a New Framework: The Constitutional Convention and the Federal Charter
Chapter 8 Challenges of a Young Nation: The New Republic, 1790-1820
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8.1 Diverging Ideologies: Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans
Federalists against Democratic-Republicans, building the institutions of the new republic, the rise of partisan politics, and the War of 1812.
- 8.2 Establishing the Foundations of the American Republic
- 8.3 The Rise of Partisan Politics
- 8.4 A Return to Conflict: The United States at War Again
- 8.5 Interpreting Political Thought and Authority in the Early Republic
Chapter 9 The Northern Industrial Revolution, 1800-1850
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9.1 The Beginnings of Industry in the Northeastern United States
Early industry in the Northeast, the rise of a market society, the transportation revolution, and the class divisions of a changing North.
- 9.2 The Rise of a Dynamic Capitalist Society
- 9.3 Transforming Mobility: The Transportation Revolution
- 9.4 Emerging Social Structures: Class Divides in a Changing North
- 9.5 Nation-Building, Economic Transformation, and Social Change (1776-1850)
Chapter 10 The Age of Jackson: Democracy Expands, 1820-1840
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10.1 Shaping a New Political Era: From John Quincy Adams to Andrew Jackson
From John Quincy Adams to Andrew Jackson: the growth of democratic participation, the Nullification Crisis and the Bank War, and Indian Removal.
- 10.2 The Growth of American Democratic Ideals
- 10.3 The Nullification Crisis and the Battle Over the Bank
- 10.4 The Policy of Indian Removal
- 10.5 The Power and Perils of Majority Rule
Chapter 11 Expanding Horizons: Westward Movement, 1800-1860
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11.1 The Expedition of Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark, the Missouri Compromise, Texas independence, the Mexican-American War, and the fight over slavery in the western territories.
- 11.2 The Missouri Compromise and Its Challenges
- 11.3 Texas Secures Independence
- 11.4 The Mexican-American War: 1846-1848
- 11.5 Free or Enslaved? The Western Territory Debate
Chapter 12 The Reign of Cotton: The Antebellum South, 1800-1860
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12.1 The Cotton Economy and Its Impact
The cotton economy, African American life under slavery and in freedom, the South's wealth and culture, and the filibusters who tried to expand slave territory.
- 12.2 African American Life in Antebellum America
- 12.3 Southern Wealth and Cultural Identity
- 12.4 The Filibuster Movement and the Expansion of Slave Territories
Chapter 13 Antebellum Movements and Reform, 1820-1860
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13.1 A Revival of Faith and the Rise of Individualism
The Second Great Awakening, utopian communities, public health and education reform, abolitionism, and the early women's rights movement.
- 13.2 Utopian Communities and Social Experiments
- 13.3 Advancements in Health and Human Welfare
- 13.4 Confronting the Institution of Slavery
- 13.5 The Struggle for Women’s Rights
Chapter 14 A Decade of Discord: The Turbulent 1850s
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14.1 The Compromise of 1850: Seeking Balance Amid Division
The Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the new Republican Party, Dred Scott, John Brown's raid and the election of 1860.
- 14.2 The Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Birth of the Republican Party
- 14.3 The Dred Scott Ruling and Growing Sectional Tensions
- 14.4 John Brown’s Raid and the Pivotal Election of 1860
Chapter 15 The Civil War: Struggle for Unity, 1860-1865
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15.1 The Causes and Beginning of the Civil War
Secession and the outbreak of war, early strategy, the turning points of 1863, and the Union victory that set up Reconstruction.
- 15.2 Early Efforts and Strategies in the War
- 15.3 1863: Turning Points and Transformations in the War
- 15.4 Victory for the Union: The War’s Conclusion
Practice exam Practice final exam
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Practice final exam — 100 multiple-choice questions
A full-length practice final that mirrors the exam's content areas and question style. Your score feeds the readiness tracker, so you know when you're ready to book the real exam.
These chapters make up the CLEP History of the United States I exam prep class. They cover every content area on the official exam outline, and some topics go further than the exam requires.
Take the CLEP exam for the fastest route to 3 credits. If it doesn't go your way, your plan also includes a backup course that earns the credit through coursework.
See pricingColleges that accept CLEP History of the United States I
CLEP is recognized at more than 2,900 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 CLEP History of the United States I exam, drawn from the chapters above. No sign-up needed — see where you stand before you buy.