Exams are a great strategy to earn credit if you are comfortable with standardized exams and have prior knowledge in the exam subject area.  If you have any measure of test anxiety, this is not a good option for you.  There is some risk—you will need to post a passing score and be self-disciplined to map out study time to prepare, schedule the exam and follow up to make sure the official transcript posts.  You also need to pay for the exam—either out of pocket or by saving your excess funds and using those to cover the site fee and exam fee. All exams must be completed at least 60 days prior to graduation to allow time for us to receive official scores.