Study Guide
What's on the exam, which units to prioritize, the best free resources, and a 3-minute check to know if you're ready.
Pass Rate
varies
Published exam data
Prep Time
15-25h
Typical for first attempt
Units
5
Covered on the exam
CLEP Chemistry covers general college chemistry (two semesters). Exam: 75 questions, 90 minutes. Passing earns 6 credits (~$2,400 savings). Content: structure (20%), states (19%), reactions (12%), stoichiometry (10%), equilibrium (7%), kinetics (4%), thermo (6%), descriptive (14%), experimental (8%). Cognitive: 30-40% Recall, 40-50% Understanding, 20-30% Application.
Unit 1: Atomic Structure and Periodicity
electron configuration · periodic trends · quantum numbers
Unit 2: Chemical Bonding
ionic vs covalent bonds · Lewis structures and VSEPR · molecular polarity
Unit 3: Reactions and Stoichiometry
balancing equations · limiting reagents · mole conversions
Unit 4: States of Matter and Solutions
gas laws · colligative properties · solution concentration
Unit 5: Thermodynamics and Kinetics
enthalpy and Hess's law · entropy and Gibbs free energy · rate laws
Cognitive: 30-40% Recall, 40-50% Understanding, 20-30% Application.
Translation: rote memorization alone gets you about a third of the way. The rest comes from recognizing patterns and applying concepts.
These are the best free resources for CLEP Chemistry. Use them, then come back here for exam-format practice and a readiness check.
Modern States: Chemistry
Modern States (College Board partner)
Free full video course. Earn the free CLEP voucher after 70% completion.
OpenStax: Chemistry 2e
OpenStax (free, peer-reviewed)
General chemistry — stoichiometry, thermodynamics, equilibrium.
Khan Academy: Chemistry
Khan Academy
Full gen chem — atoms, bonding, reactions, equilibrium.
YouTube: CrashCourse
YouTube
Fast-paced 10-min videos on each topic.
Khan Academy AP Chemistry (full course)
Khan Academy (student-endorsed)
Recent passers report Khan AP Chem 'carried' their prep. AP Chem questions are HARDER than CLEP — if you can do Khan, you're in great shape. ~85% of the CLEP is conceptual, not calculation-heavy.
Official CLEP practice questions
College Board (gold standard)
Slightly easier than the real exam but the most representative resource — directly from CB. Use as your final-week confidence check.
Before you study anything, know where you stand. You'll get a readiness signal, a weakest-unit callout, and an estimate of hours to ready. No signup.
Don't re-watch content you already know. Drill the 1-2 units flagged as weak. Exam-format flashcards + MCQs give you the question patterns, not just terms.
Simulate the real exam under time pressure. Miss it, and you'll know exactly which unit to revisit.
Full CLEP Chemistry prep
Complete breakdown, units, resources, pricing.
3-day pass plan
Day-by-day plan if you're testing this week.
How hard is CLEP Chemistry?
Difficulty factors, pass rates, what trips people up.
Exam-aligned flashcards
Free preview — 12 cards generated to the blueprint.
Printable cheat sheet
High-yield formulas, facts, and graph-reading rules.
Free readiness check. No credit card, no signup.
Start the 3-minute check