Library Guides: Study Guide: CLEP: Introductory Psychology

What's on the test?

Overview
Question Breakdown

Overview

The Introductory Psychology exam stresses the basic facts, concepts, and generally accepted principles of psychology. It stresses basic facts, concepts, and generally accepted principles in history; approaches and methods of psychology; biological bases of behavior, sensation, and perception; states of consciousness; learning; cognition; motivation and emotion; personality; psychological disorders and treatment; social psychology; and statistics, tests, and measurements.

Study Guides & Resources

# of Questions	Time
95	90 minutes

Knowledge and Skills Required

Knowledge of terminology, principles, and theory
Ability to comprehend, evaluate, and analyze problem situations
Ability to apply knowledge to new situations

Score Information

ACE Recommendation for Introductory Psychology

Credit-granting Score	Semester Hours
50	3

Note: Each institution reserves the right to set its own credit-granting policy, which may differ from the American Council on Education (ACE). Contact your the TSTC testing center to find out the score required for credit and the number of credit hours granted.

The subject matter of the Introductory Psychology exam is drawn from the following topics. The percentages next to the main topics indicate the approximate percentage of exam questions on that topic.

History, Approaches, and Methods (11–12%)

History of psychology
Approaches: biological, biopsychosocial, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and psychodynamic
Research methods: experimental, clinical, and correlational
Ethics in research

Biological Bases of Behavior (8–9%)

Endocrine system
Etiology
Functional organization of the nervous system
Genetics
Neuroanatomy
Physiological techniques

Sensation and Perception (7–8%)

Attention
Other senses: somesthesis, olfaction, gustation, and vestibular system
Perceptual development
Perceptual processes
Receptor processes: vision and audition
Sensory mechanisms: thresholds and adaptation

States of Consciousness (5–6%)

Hypnosis and meditation
Psychoactive drug effects
Sleep and dreaming

Learning (8–9%)

Biological bases
Classical conditioning
Cognitive process in learning
Observational learning
Operant conditioning

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
Theories of motivation

Developmental Psychology Across the Lifespan (8–9%)

Dimensions of development: physical, cognitive, social, and moral
Gender identity and sex roles
Heredity-environment issues
Research methods: longitudinal, and cross-sectional
Theories of development

Personality (7–8%)

Assessment techniques
Growth and adjustment
Personality theories and approaches
Self-concept and self-esteem

Psychological disorders and health (8–9%)

Affective disorders
Anxiety disorders
Dissociative disorders
Eating disorders
Health, stress, and coping
Personality disorders
Psychoses
Somatoform disorders
Theories of psychopathology

Treatment of psychological disorders (6–7%)

Behavioral therapies
Biological and drug therapies
Cognitive therapies
Community and preventive approaches
Insight therapies: psychodynamic and humanistic approaches

Social Psychology (9–10%)

Aggression/antisocial behavior
Attitudes and attitude change
Attribution processes
Conformity, compliance, and obedience
Group dynamics
Interpersonal attraction
Stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, prosocial behavior

Statistics, Tests, and Measurement (3–4%)

Descriptive statistics
Inferential statistics
Measurement of intelligence
Reliability and validity
Samples, populations, and norms
Types of tests

Psychology resources

Practice Exams

CLEP® Introductory Psychology Practice Exams Learning Express Library
A set of three 95 question practice exams. Use the instant scoring and detailed answer explanations to determine where you're strong and what you can work on improving.

Study Guides & Fact Sheets

CLEP® Introductory Psychology Exam Fact Sheet and Study Guide
Includes detailed, printable information about the official CLEP® Introductory Psychology Exam. Offers in-depth review lessons for the topics covered on the CLEP® Introductory Psychology exam. It also includes helpful practice questions with detailed answer explanations to review and reinforce what you’ve learned.
CLEP Introductory Psychology Flashcards and Study Interactives
Includes three decks of flashcards covering terms, one deck of practice questions and detailed answer explanations, and one study interactive.

Videos

CLEP Introductory Psychology Exam Introduction
This video provides a helpful introduction to the CLEP® Introductory Psychology exam, including the primary topics covered.

Websites

Introductory Psychology Course
This course covers the fundamentals of the subject taught during one semester of a college-level psychology class: basic facts, concepts and generally accepted principles in history, approaches and methods of psychology; biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception; states of consciousness; learning; cognition; motivation and emotion; personality; psychological disorders and treatment; social psychology; and statistics, tests and measurements.