Flying Prep vs InstantCert
What each one costs, what each one covers, and which is the better fit
Both Flying Prep and InstantCert help students pass CLEP and DSST exams for college credit. InstantCert has offered CLEP and DSST prep for many years and costs about half what Flying Prep does, at $20/mo, or $108 for 6 months against our $39/mo, or $150 for 6 months. That is a real advantage and we are not going to talk you out of it.
Where Flying Prep differs is what happens between your first study session and test day: an adaptive readiness score, full-length practice exams, and coverage of every live CLEP and DSST exam in our catalog rather than a selected list. Everything below about InstantCert comes from its own site, checked on the date in the byline. Where we could not source a claim, the table says so instead of guessing.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | InstantCert | Flying Prep |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $20/mo, or $108 for 6 months Wins here | $39/mo, or $150 for 6 months, which includes adaptive readiness scoring and full-length practice exams |
| Free trial | No free trial | 50 free practice questions, no credit card required Wins here |
| CLEP coverage | 27 of the 34 CLEP exams | Every live CLEP exam in the catalog Wins here |
| DSST coverage | 31 DSST exams | Every live DSST exam in the catalog Wins here |
| Money-back guarantee | 30-day money-back guarantee Even | 30-day money-back guarantee Even |
| Readiness scoring | Not verified | IRT-based confidence score that estimates how ready you are before test day Wins here |
| Full-length practice exams | Not verified | 3 full-length practice exams per subject Wins here |
| Spaced-repetition flashcards | Not verified | Fill-in-the-blank flashcards per exam, scheduled by spaced repetition Wins here |
Pricing
$20/mo, or $108 for 6 months
$39/mo, or $150 for 6 months, which includes adaptive readiness scoring and full-length practice exams
Free trial
No free trial
50 free practice questions, no credit card required
CLEP coverage
27 of the 34 CLEP exams
Every live CLEP exam in the catalog
DSST coverage
31 DSST exams
Every live DSST exam in the catalog
Money-back guarantee
30-day money-back guarantee
30-day money-back guarantee
Readiness scoring
Not verified
IRT-based confidence score that estimates how ready you are before test day
Full-length practice exams
Not verified
3 full-length practice exams per subject
Spaced-repetition flashcards
Not verified
Fill-in-the-blank flashcards per exam, scheduled by spaced repetition
"Not verified" means we could not confirm that feature from InstantCert's published materials on the check date, not that it is missing. Pricing, exam counts, and guarantee terms were read directly from instantcert.com.
Key Differences
Adaptive practice
Flying Prep's IRT model estimates your ability from every answer and pushes the next questions toward your weak areas, so two students on the same exam do not get the same study session.
Readiness scoring
A confidence score tells you whether to book the exam this week or keep studying. That is the call that costs money when you get it wrong, since the exam fee is gone either way.
Coverage and price
InstantCert wins on price. Flying Prep covers every live CLEP and DSST exam in its catalog under one subscription, which matters most if your degree plan uses exams outside InstantCert's list.
Which Platform Is Right for You?
Choose InstantCert if...
Price is your main constraint and the exams on your degree plan are among the 27 CLEP and 31 DSST exams it covers. At $20/mo, or $108 for 6 months it is roughly half our price, it has been serving CLEP and DSST students for many years, and it backs purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you mostly need a large bank of flashcards and you are already confident about when to sit the exam, the cheaper subscription is the rational choice.
Choose Flying Prep if...
You want to know whether you are ready before you pay the exam fee. Flying Prep adapts to your performance, scores your readiness, gives you full-length practice exams in the real format, and covers every live CLEP and DSST exam in its catalog. You can test all of that first: 50 free practice questions, no credit card required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is InstantCert cheaper than Flying Prep?
Yes. InstantCert is $20/mo, or $108 for 6 months, and Flying Prep is $39/mo, or $150 for 6 months, so InstantCert costs about half as much. What the difference buys is the part that decides whether you sit the exam on the right day: an adaptive readiness score built on item response theory, 3 full-length practice exams per subject so you have seen the real format before test day, coverage of every live CLEP and DSST exam in our catalog, and a free trial so you can judge the material before paying. If the cheapest subscription that gets you flashcards is what you need, InstantCert is the better buy.
Does InstantCert cover DSST exams?
Yes. As of our last check, InstantCert lists 31 DSST exams alongside 27 of the 34 CLEP exams. Flying Prep covers every live CLEP and DSST exam in its catalog under one subscription, so the practical question is whether the specific exams on your degree plan are on that list. Check both lists against your plan before you pay for either.
Does InstantCert offer a free trial?
No. InstantCert does not offer a free trial, though it does back purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Flying Prep offers a trial: 50 free practice questions, no credit card required. Both approaches let you get your money back or spend nothing; the difference is whether you have to pay first.
Can I switch from InstantCert to Flying Prep?
Yes, and nothing carries over automatically, so the clean path is to start a Flying Prep trial while your InstantCert subscription is still running, take the free diagnostic quiz to see where you actually stand, and cancel whichever one is not earning its keep. Flying Prep is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so a switch is reversible.
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