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About This Exam

The CLEP Introductory Psychology exam covers material typically taught in a one-semester undergraduate introductory psychology course. It tests basic facts, concepts, and generally accepted principles across the major areas of psychology, from biological bases of behavior to social psychology.

What's Covered

• History, approaches, and methods (11–12%) — major schools of thought, research methods, experimental design, and ethics in research
• Biological bases of behavior (8–9%) — the nervous system, neuroanatomy, endocrine system, genetics, and physiological techniques
• Sensation and perception (7–8%) — receptor processes, sensory thresholds, perceptual organization, attention, and Gestalt principles
• States of consciousness (5–6%) — sleep and dreaming, hypnosis, meditation, and psychoactive drug effects
• Learning (8–9%) — classical conditioning, operant conditioning, observational learning, and biological constraints on learning
• Cognition (8–9%) — memory, language, thinking, problem solving, intelligence, and creativity
• Motivation and emotion (5–6%) — theories of motivation and emotion, hunger, thirst, and social motivation
• Developmental psychology (8–9%) — physical, cognitive, social, and moral development across the lifespan
• Personality (7–8%) — psychodynamic, humanistic, trait, and social-cognitive theories; assessment techniques
• Psychological disorders and health (8–9%) — anxiety, mood, psychotic, dissociative, and personality disorders; stress and coping
• Treatment of psychological disorders (6–7%) — behavioral, cognitive, biological, and insight-oriented therapies
• Social psychology (9–10%) — attribution, conformity, obedience, attitudes, group dynamics, prejudice, and aggression
• Statistics, tests, and measurement (3–4%) — descriptive and inferential statistics, reliability, validity, and types of tests

For the official exam description, see the College Board CLEP Introductory Psychology page.

Study Tips

1. The exam uses DSM-5 terminology. Know the difference between major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, and understand the classification of anxiety disorders, OCD, and PTSD.
2. Social psychology (9–10%) is the single heaviest category. Know Milgram, Asch, Zimbardo, and the concepts of attribution, cognitive dissonance, and the bystander effect.
3. Understand all major perspectives (behavioral, cognitive, psychodynamic, humanistic, biological, evolutionary, sociocultural) and be able to identify which one applies to a given scenario.
4. Memory and learning are reliably tested. Know the difference between classical and operant conditioning, and be fluent with encoding, storage, and retrieval concepts.
5. Don't underestimate developmental psychology. Know Piaget's stages, Erikson's crises, Kohlberg's levels, and Ainsworth's attachment types cold.

How to Register

Register at clep.collegeboard.org. The exam costs $97 and can be taken at a testing center or remotely. Check with your college for their CLEP credit policy and minimum score requirements before registering. Military service members, their spouses, and eligible veterans may be able to take the exam at no cost through DANTES funding.

About Our Practice Tests

All questions are original and written to match the difficulty, format, and topic coverage of the real exam based on official exam descriptions. We offer two modes: Practice Mode gives you instant feedback and explanations after each question, and Test Mode simulates the real exam with a timer and no feedback until you submit. Both modes are completely free with no account required.

Sample Practice Questions

Review these sample questions to get a feel for the exam. For the full interactive experience, use the Practice Tests above.