About Test Out Pathways
Standardized exams offer a pathway for students to earn college credit for existing knowledge. Exams require that students submit an official score report or transcript to NCC’s Records and Registration Office for review and application of eligible credit. Approved test-out options include:
Review different options for PLA below:
AP scores are received and processed through Records and Registration. A Prior Learning Self-Assessment submission is not required to have your scores evaluated. Please request that your official scores be sent to transcripts@northampton.edu for reviewing and processing.
The following table lists how AP Exam scores translate into credits at NCC.
| AP Exam | Score | Credit Equivalency |
| African American Studies | 3 | HIST 121 |
| Art History | 3 | ARTA 101 |
| Biology | 3 | BIOS 107 |
| Calculus AB | 3 | MATH165 |
| Calculus AB | 4 | MATH180 |
| Calculus BC | 3 | MATH180 and MATH181 |
| Chemistry | 3 | CHEM 120 |
| Chemistry | 4 | CHEM120 and CHEM220 |
| Chinese Language | 3 | MDLA105 and MDLA115 |
| Computer Science A | 3 | CISC150 |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | CISC 100 |
| English Language & Composition | 3 | ENGL101 |
| English Literature & Composition | 3 | ENGL151 |
| Environmental Science | 3 | BIOS 126 |
| European History | 3 | HIST153 or Generic HIST Elective for 3 credits |
| French Language | 3 | MDLA102 and MDLA112 |
| German Language | 3 | MDLA Elective for 6 credits |
| Government and Politics: Comparative | 3 | Generic POLS Elective for 3 credits |
| Government and Politics: United States | 3 | POLS110 |
| Human Geography | 3 | GEOG101 |
| Macroeconomics | 3 | ECON201 |
| Microeconomics | 3 | ECON251 |
| Music Theory | 3 | MUSC 110 |
| Physics I | 3 | PHYS101 |
| Physics 2 (Algebra-based) | 3 | PHYS151 |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | PHYS 151 |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 3 | PHYS 101 |
| Pre-Calculus | 3 | MATH 160 |
| Psychology | 3 | PSYC 103 |
| Spanish Language | 3 | MDLA103 and MDLA113 |
| Statistics | 3 | MATH 150 |
| Studio Art: 2-D Design | 3 | ARTA 111 |
| Studio Art: 3-D Design | 3 | ARTA 110 |
| Studio Art: Drawing | 3 | ARTA 107 |
| United States History | 3 | HIST113 |
| World History | 3 | Generic HIST elective for 3 credits |
| Cambridge International AS level | NCC Equivalency | Credit Hour Value | Minimum Grade |
| Biology | BIOS105 - Contemporary Biology | 4 | e |
| Business | BUSA101 - Introduction to Business | 3 | e |
| Chemistry | CHEM120 - General Chemistry I | 4 | e |
| Classical Studies | XTFR HIST - History Elective | 3 | e |
| Drama | THEA110 - Introduction to Theatre | 3 | e |
| Economics | XTFR ECON - Economics Elective | 3 | e |
| Global Perspectives and Research | XTFR SOCA - Sociology Elective | 3 | e |
| Literature in English | ENGL151L - English II | 3 | e |
| Cambridge International A level | NCC Equivalency | Credit Hour Value | Minimum Grade |
| Biology | BIOS107 - Biology I | 4 | E |
| Business | BUSA101 - Introduction to Business XTFR BUSA - Business Elective |
6 | E |
| Chemistry | CHEM120 - General Chemistry I CHEM220 - General Chemistry II |
8 | E |
| Classical Studies | XTFR HIST - History Elective | 6 | E |
| Drama | THEA110 - Introduction to Theatre THEA111 Acting I |
6 | E |
| Economics | ECON201 - Macroeconomics ECON251 - Microeconomics |
6 | E |
| Global Perspectives and Research | XTFR SOCA - Sociology Elective GLBL130 - Introduction to Global Studies |
6 | E |
| Literature in English | ENGL151L - English II XTFR ENGL - English Elective |
6 | E |
Students who have successfully passed a CLEP exam in one of the following subjects can also gain credit if they received the applicable credit-granting score or higher.
| CLEP Exam | Credit-Granting Score | CLEP recommeded credit hrs | Credit Equivalency |
| American Government | 50 | 3 | POLS 110 |
| American Literature | 50 | 3 | ENGL 205 & ENGL 255 |
| Analyzing and Interpreting Literature | 50 | 3 | ENGL 151 |
| Biology | 50 | 4 | BIOS 107 |
| Calculus | 50 | 4 | MATH 180 |
| Chemistry | 50 | 3 | Generic CHEM Elective for 3 credits |
| College Algebra | 50 | 3 | MATH 140 |
| College Composition | 50 | 3 | ENGL 101 |
| College Mathematics | 50 | 3 | 3-credit Math Elective |
| English Literature | 50 | 6 | ENGL 201 & ENGL 251 |
| Financial Accounting | 50 | 3 | ACCT 101 |
| French Level 1 | 50 | 6 | MDLA 102 & MDLA 112 |
| French Level 2 | 50 | 9 | MDLA102, MDLA112, MDLA122 |
| German Level 1 | 50 | 6 | Generic MDLA Elective for 6 credits |
| German Level 2 | 60 | 9 | Generic MDLA Elective for 9 credits |
| History of the US I | 50 | 3 | HIST 113 |
| History of the US II | 50 | 3 | HIST 163 |
| Human Growth and Development | 50 | 3 | PSYC 258 |
| Humanities | 50 | 3 | not accepted by NCC |
| Introduction to Educational Psychology | 50 | 3 | Generic PSYCH Elective for 3 credits |
| Introductory Business Law | 50 | 3 | BUSA 152 |
| Introductory Psychology | 50 | 3 | PSYC 103 |
| Introductory Sociology | 50 | 3 | SOCA 103 |
| Natural Sciences | 50 | 3 | Generic BIOS Elective for 3 credits |
| Precalculus | 50 | 3 | MATH 160 |
| Principles of Macroeconomics | 50 | 3 | ECON 201 |
| Principles of Management | 50 | 3 | BUSA 205 |
| Principles of Marketing | 50 | 3 | BUSA 232 |
| Principles of Microeconomics | 50 | 3 | ECON 251 |
| Social Sciences and History | 50 | 3 | Generic HIST Elective for 3 credits |
| Spanish Level 1 | 50 | 6 | MDLA 103 & MDLA 113 |
| Spanish Level 2 | 63 | 9 | MDLA103, MDLA113, MDLA123 |
| Spanish with Writing Level 1 | 50 | 6 | MDLA 103 & MDLA 113 |
| Spanish with Writing Level 2 | 65 | 12 | MDLA103, MDLA113, MDLA123, MDLA133 |
| Western Civ I: Ancient to 1648 | 50 | 3 | HIST 103 |
|
Western Civ II: 1648 to Present |
50 | 3 | HIST 153 |
Northampton Community College recognizes the DSST® Exams recommended for credit by the American Council on Education (ACE).
NCC awards course equivalencies for successfully completed subject area course exams based on the ACE score equivalency recommendations for past and present examinations.
All participating members of the PA College Transfer System must award credit, and apply it toward graduation, for the approved minimum scores. www.patrac.org
| DSST Exam Title | ACE Recommended Score | NCC Credit Hours Awarded | NCC Course Equivalency |
| Business Courses | |||
| Business Ethics and Society | 400 | 3 | BUSA Elective Credit |
| Business Mathematics | 400 | 3 | BUSA Elective Credit |
| HumanResource Management | 400 | 3 | BUSA 226 |
| Introduction to Business | 400 | 3 | BUSA 101 |
| Money and Banking | 400 | 3 | BUSA Elective Credit |
| Personal Finance | 400 | 3 | BUSA 211 |
| Principles of Finance | 400 | 3 | BUSA Elective Credit |
| Principles of Supervision | 400 | 3 | BUSA Elective Credit |
| History Courses | |||
| A History of the Vietnam War | 400 | 3 | HIST Elective Credit |
| The Civil War and Reconstruction | 400 | 3 | HIST 166 |
| Art Course | |||
| Art of the Western World | 400 | 3 | ARTA 101 |
| Humanities Courses | |||
| Ethics in America | 400 | 3 | PHIL 202 |
| Principles of Advanced English Composition | 400 | 3 | ENGL 101 |
| Introduction to World Religions | 400 | 3 | PHIL 121 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Courses | |||
| Foundations in Education | 400 | 3 | EDUC Elective Credit |
| Fundamentals of Counseling | 400 | 3 | PSYC Elective Credit |
| General Anthropology | 400 | 3 | SOCA 102 |
| Lifespan Developmental Psychology | 400 | 3 | PSYC 258 |
| Substance Abuse | 400 | 3 | PSYC Elective Credit |
| Introduction to Geography | 400 | 3 | GEOG 101 |
| Introduction to Law Enforcement | 400 | 3 | CJST 135 |
| Criminal Justice | 400 | 3 | CJST 101 |
| Natural Science Courses | |||
| Astronomy | 400 | 3 | GEOG Elective Credit |
| Environmental Science | 400 | 3 | BIOS Elective Credit |
| Introduction to Geology | 400 | 3 | GEOL Elective Credit |
| Health Course | |||
| Health and Human Development | 400 | 3 | HEAL 150 |
| Information Technology Courses | |||
| Computing and Information Technology | 400 | 3 | CISC 100 |
| Ethics in Technology | 400 | 3 | CISC 280 (Law & Ethics of Computer Security) |
| Fundamentals of Cybersecurity | 400 | 4 | CISC 205 |
| Management Information Systems | 400 | 4 | CISC 104 (Information Systems and Resources) |
The following DSST® Exams are available but have not yet been reviewed by TAOC for recommendations.
| DSST Exam Title | ACE Recommended Score | NCC Credit Hours Awarded | NCC Course Equivalency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organizational Behavior | 400 | 3 | BUSA Elective Credit |
| Principles of Public Speaking | 400 | 3 | CMTH 102 |
| Fundamentals of College Algebra | 400 | 3 | MATH 140 |
| Math for Liberal Arts | 400 | 3 | MATH 120 |
| Principles of Statistics | 400 | 3 | MATH 150 |
| Human / Cultural Geography | 400 | 3 | GEOG 101 |
Old DSST scores (for exams prior to 2008) will be reviewed on a case by case basis for potential awarding of credit.
Northampton Community College recognizes the International Baccalaureate ® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) offered to high school aged students in the US and by international schools all over the world.
NCC awards course equivalencies for successfully completed Higher Level (HL) subject area course exams. Minimum scores range from 4–6 based on course subject and level.
All participating members of the PA College Transfer System must award credit, and apply it toward graduation, for the approved minimum scores. www.patrac.org
| IB Examination | Minimum Score | NCC Course Equivalency |
| Biology (HL) | 5 | BIOS 107 |
| Business Management (HL) | 4 | BUSA 205 |
| Chemistry (HL) | 5 | CHEM 120 |
| Computer Science (HL) | 5 | CISC 100 |
| Dance (HL) | 4 | DANC 101 |
| Design Technology | 5 | ARTA 111 |
| Economics (HL) | 5 | ECON 201 |
| English A: Literature (HL) | 5 | ENGL 151 |
| English B (HL) | 5 | ENGL 101 |
| Film (HL) | 4 | CMTH 220 |
| French B (HL) | 5 | MDLA 102 |
| French B (HL) | 6 | MDLA 102 & 112 |
| Further Mathematics (HL) | 4 | MATH 150, MATH 180, OR MATH 202 for 3 or 4 credits depending on student’s Program of Study |
| Further Mathematics (HL) | 6 | MATH 150, MATH 180, OR MATH 202 for 6 – 8 credits depending on student’s Program of Study |
| Geography (HL) | 3 | GEOG General Elective (3 credits) |
| History (HL) | 4 | HIST General Elective |
| Info Technology in Global Society (HL) | 5 | CISC 101 |
| Mathematics (HL) | 4 | MATH 160 |
| Mathematics (HL) | 6 | MATH 160 & MATH 180 |
| Music (HL) | 4 | MUSC 110 |
| Philosophy (HL) | 5 | PHIL 201 |
| Physics (HL) | 5 | PHYS 101 |
| Physics (HL) | 6 | PHYS 101 (with a score of only 5) and PHYS 151 (both classes with a score of 6 or above) |
| Psychology (HL) | 5 | PSYC 103 |
| Sport, Exercise, and Health Science | 5 | SMAT 101 |
| Spanish A (HL) | 5 | ENGL 250G |
| Spanish A (HL) | 6 | ENGL 250G and HUMA General Elective |
| Spanish B (HL) | 5 | MDLA 103 |
| Spanish B (HL) | 6 | MDLA 103 and 133 |
| Theatre (HL) | 4 | CMTH 110 |
| Visual Arts(HL) | 4 | ARTA general elective (3 credits) |
This course introduces computer concepts including hardware and software, an overview of application software, networking and the Internet, and current issues with respect to computers and society. The course content includes a focus on productivity tools such as word-processing, spreadsheets, database, and presentation software.
Students who believe they have enough experience and skill level to test out of this course may request this option through the Office of Prior Learning. Please email pla@northampton.edu to request steps to register and pay the testing provider the required $56 testing fee.
**As of January 1, 2026 NCC will no longer accept transfer credits from Sophia Learning or Study.com.
This course introduces computer concepts including hardware and software, an overview of application software, networking and the Internet, and current issues with respect to computers and society. The course content includes a focus on productivity tools such as word-processing, spreadsheets, database, and presentation software.
Students who believe they have enough experience and skill level to test out of this course may request this option through the Office of Prior Learning. Please email pla@northampton.edu to request steps to register and pay the testing provider the required $56 testing fee.
