Question 1Select one
To remember the digit string 1 7 7 6 1 8 6 5 1 9 6 9, a history student recodes it as three years: 1776, 1865 and 1969. The student is using
Intro psychology credit exam prep
CLEP Introductory Psychology study guide
Work through the 13 topics in the order the exam lists them, weighting your time by each topic's share. Start with the free test to see which topics need the most work.
| Topic | Share | Know these |
|---|---|---|
| History, Approaches, and Methods | 11–12% | History of psychology; biological, biopsychosocial, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic and psychodynamic approaches; experimental, clinical and correlational methods; research ethics |
| Biological Bases of Behavior | 8–9% | Endocrine system, etiology, the nervous system, genetics, neuroanatomy, physiological techniques |
| Sensation and Perception | 7–8% | Attention, the senses, perceptual development and processes, vision and hearing, thresholds and adaptation |
| States of Consciousness | 5–6% | Hypnosis and meditation, psychoactive drugs, sleep and dreaming |
| Learning | 8–9% | Biological bases, classical and operant conditioning, cognitive and observational learning |
| Cognition | 8–9% | Intelligence and creativity, language, memory, thinking and problem solving |
| Motivation and Emotion | 5–6% | Biological bases; hunger, thirst, sex and pain; social motivation; theories of emotion and motivation |
| Developmental Psychology Across the Lifespan | 8–9% | Physical, cognitive, social and moral development; gender; heredity and environment; longitudinal and cross-sectional research; theories |
| Personality | 7–8% | Assessment, growth and adjustment, theories, self-concept and self-esteem |
| Psychological Disorders and Health | 8–9% | Mood, anxiety, dissociative, eating, personality and psychotic disorders; somatic symptoms; stress and coping; theories |
| Treatment of Psychological Disorders | 6–7% | Behavioral, biological, cognitive, community and insight therapies |
| Social Psychology | 9–10% | Aggression, attitudes, attribution, conformity and obedience, groups, attraction, prejudice and helping |
| Statistics, Tests, and Measurement | 3–4% | Descriptive and inferential statistics, intelligence testing, reliability and validity, samples and norms, types of tests |
| Biggest topics | History and methods 11–12%, Social 9–10% |
|---|---|
| Smallest topic | Statistics, Tests, and Measurement 3–4% |
A study plan that works
- Take the free test first and start with your lowest topic.
- Learn the terms in context: most questions describe a situation and ask you to name it.
- Finish with a full 95-question practice exam on the 90-minute clock.
Try 2 questions
Question 2Select one
A dog has learned to salivate to a light that always comes before food. The researcher now pairs a buzzer with the light, never presenting food. Soon the dog salivates to the buzzer alone. This is
Next step
Questions people ask
How long should I study for CLEP Introductory Psychology?
That depends on what you already know. Take a free practice test first: the topics you miss tell you where your hours should go.
What score do I need for credit?
Scores run from 20 to 80. The American Council on Education recommends a credit-granting score of 50, worth 3 semester hours, for Introductory Psychology, but each college sets its own score and the credit it gives, so check your college's CLEP policy.