CLEP® History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877 — College-Level Examination Program
Earn credit for the first half of US history — from Indigenous societies and colonization through the Revolution, the early republic, the Civil War and Reconstruction.
About the exam
CLEP lets you earn college credit by passing an exam instead of taking the course. History of the United States I covers the first semester of a college US history survey, from early colonization to the end of Reconstruction in 1877. It's used by college students, adults returning to school, homeschoolers and service members (who can have the exam fee funded through DANTES). Each college sets its own policy, so check that your school accepts it and the score it requires.
The exam has about 120 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes — about 45 seconds each. About 30% cover 1500–1789 and about 70% cover 1790–1877, across political, social, economic, cultural and intellectual, and diplomatic history. Questions ask you to identify and describe events, analyze and interpret quotations, maps, cartoons and tables, and compare developments. It's taken on computer at a test center or remote proctored at home, and you see your scaled score (20–80) as soon as you finish.
Our practice covers every theme and period with original questions in the real format — short identification questions, quoted primary-source excerpts, described maps and cartoons, and comparison questions — with step-by-step worked solutions for every calculation in the data and table questions. Add flashcards for people, events, laws and dates, worked case walkthroughs that trace causes and effects step by step, illustrated timelines and guides, and timed practice tests with an estimated CLEP score.
How we track your progress
Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:
- Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
- Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
- DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
- ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
- Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.
The exam blueprint
CLEP History of the United States I exam description — College Board (current outline; no content changes announced for 2025–26). Theme weights are official; the topic grouping under each theme is ours. — Five themes — political, social, economic, cultural and intellectual, diplomatic — across 1500–1789 (~30%) and 1790–1877 (~70%). Tap a domain to see its topics.
1 Political Developments and Institutions about 25% of the exam
112 practice questions in this domain so far
2 Social Developments about 25% of the exam
113 practice questions in this domain so far
3 Economic Developments about 15% of the exam
68 practice questions in this domain so far
4 Cultural and Intellectual Developments about 20% of the exam
90 practice questions in this domain so far
5 Diplomacy and International Relations about 15% of the exam
67 practice questions in this domain so far
What you get when you access this exam
Free with your QuizMe account.
Questions built on the official outline
Every question is tagged to a CLEP History of the United States I content area — identification questions, quoted primary sources, described maps and cartoons, and comparison questions.
Hints that teach the concept
Reveal the key term, principle or idea behind the question when you're stuck. Every answer comes with the full rationale.
Adaptive practice
Questions steer toward your weakest areas, weighted like the real exam, and get harder as you get stronger.
Timed practice tests
Outline-weighted tests at the real pace — 120 questions in 90 minutes — with a pacing indicator, full review and an estimated CLEP score.
Flashcards, walkthroughs and guides
Flashcards for people, events, laws and dates, worked case walkthroughs that reason through harder questions step by step, and interactive illustrated guides you explore hotspot by hotspot.
Progress in every content area
Each area moves from Not started to Exam ready, so you know exactly what to study next.
Test at home or at a center
Register and pay for the exam in your My Account on clep.collegeboard.org, then schedule it at a CLEP test center or as a remote-proctored exam at home. Service members choose DANTES funding when they register.
At a CLEP test center
- Most test centers are college testing offices or military education centers — find one with the CLEP test center search and book directly with the center.
- The center charges its own administration fee on top of the exam fee; some military test sites waive it for eligible service members.
- Bring the acceptable photo ID the center asks for and your registration ticket.
- Phones, notes and bags are stored away for the whole exam.
Remote proctored at home
- Take the same exam on your own computer with a live remote proctor watching through your webcam.
- Check the computer, webcam and internet requirements and run the system check well before test day.
- Test alone in a quiet, private room with a clear desk — no notes, phone or second monitor.
- A remote-proctoring fee is paid when you schedule; confirm the current amount with CLEP.
Exam-day game plan
How to walk in ready — and how to pace 120 questions in 1 hour 30 minutes.
Pacing checkpoints
Our timed test simulates the real 120 questions in 90 minutes as one block of single-answer multiple choice. The real exam is a fixed (non-adaptive) form that includes some unscored pretest questions and uses five answer choices (A–E); our questions use 4–5 choices, and anything shown on the real exam as a map, image or chart is given to you as a described figure or text table.
The week before
- Take one full-length timed practice test 4–7 days out, then shorter sets and rest.
- Weight your review toward 1790–1877 — about 70% of the exam — without skipping colonization and the Revolution.
- Build a one-page timeline of eras so you can place any event, law or person in context fast.
- Confirm your registration, test center appointment or remote system check, and your ID.
During the exam
- Keep a brisk pace — about 45 seconds per question; identification questions should take less.
- For quotations and cartoons, first ask who is speaking, when, and what side they're on.
- Use dates and chronology to eliminate answer choices that come from the wrong era.
- Pick your best answer, mark hard questions and come back if time allows.
- Answer every question — there's no penalty for guessing.
Keep your head
- A few nerves sharpen focus. If you freeze, take three slow breaths and reread the question.
- Some questions are unscored pretest items — an obscure name may not even count.
- Your score is measured against your college's cut score, not other test-takers — you don't need a perfect run.
After you test
- You'll see your unofficial score on screen as soon as you finish; your score is also sent to the college you chose when you registered, and you can send transcripts to others from My Account.
- ACE recommends a score of 50 for 3 semester hours of credit, but each college decides its own cut score and how much credit to give — check its CLEP policy before you test.
- If you don't reach your college's score, you must wait 3 months before retaking the same exam; DANTES funds each exam title only once, so military retakes are self-paid.
Official sources and further reading
- CLEP History of the United States I exam page ↗Official content outline, exam length and ACE credit recommendation.
- CLEP exam policies ↗Retest waiting period, DANTES funding and score policies.
Ready to start?
450 questions and scenarios across the blueprint — and growing.
CLEP® is a registered trademark of the College Board. QuizMe and thinQtank Learning are not affiliated with or endorsed by the College Board. All questions are original. Details are summarized from College Board's official CLEP pages; fees and policies change — always confirm at clep.collegeboard.org. Estimated scores are rough guides, not official conversions.