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Policy: Policy 3-3-5: Challenge Examinations Date Adopted:  
Department: Instruction Contact: Division Chair
Statement: The College recognizes that students accumulate a great deal of information outside the classroom without formal instruction. There are times when this information may be extensive enough to satisfy the requirements of courses offered by the College. For this reason, an enrolled student may take challenge examinations in certain courses.

Table of Contents:

  1. Rules Relating to the Challenges
  2. Transcript Grade
  3. Denial

Section 1: Rules Relating to the Challenges


  1. A student interested in these examinations should consult the registrar on the Carson campus or the counselor on the Fallon and Douglas campus.
  2. Courses cannot be challenged if a student has taken an advanced course in the same area. Students who are part of an advanced placement program cannot challenge lower-level courses.
  3. Challenge examinations are not considered resident credit.
  4. Challenge examinations do not count as part of a students credit load for any given semester nor are they computed into the grade point average.
  5. A student may not retake a challenge examination.
  6. A student may not challenge a course that has been previously attempted in classroom instruction.
  7. Challenge examinations are not transferable and, in many cases, will not count for licensing agencies.

Section 2: Transcript Grade


  1. Successful challenge examinations are posted as a pass on the students transcript.

Section 3: Denial


  1. WNC reserves the right to deny any petition for credit by examination.

Date(s) Revised September 2, 2008; Date(s) Reviewed