Defense Subject Standardized Test (DSST)
*** ALL FSCJ Credit-by-Exam Course Equivalents are currently under review. Please note that the information below is subject to change. ***
Shorten the time it takes to earn your degree.
Taking the Defense Activity Test and Examination Services Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) can shorten the time it takes to earn your degree, can allow you to skip general introductory courses, and can even satisfy a proficiency requirement by demonstrating that you've already mastered the content. The DSST can reduce the number of courses you need to graduate, saving hundreds of dollars in tuition. The DSST is the second most widely accepted credit-by-examination program. The DSST offers a way to receive credit for “what you know.”
There are over 25 DSST available to you. Look at our list of DSST and see if you can get on the fast track to a degree!
Students can register for a DSST exam by making a testing appointment. On the day of the test, students will need to pay an administration fee of $30 per test (cash, credit or debit card) to Florida State College at Jacksonville, as well as a testing fee of $100 to DSST (note: the $100 fee to DSST must be paid by debit or credit card).
Active duty military can test, at no cost, at a military testing center at NS Mayport or NAS Jacksonville. Persons with base access can also test at the military testing centers. However, established testing fees apply.
The DSST is administered by appointment at the campus assessment and certification center on any of the five main campuses. Each center has time available during the day and evening to accommodate any schedule. Each DSST generally takes about two hours.
The DSST exam is also administered by appointment at NAS Jacksonville, (904) 771-3979 or NS Mayport, (904) 249-7311. Persons with base access can also test at the military testing centers.
You may retake any of the DSST exams as many times as you like as long as you wait 90 days between tests. The fee for retaking a test is the same as it is for the first test.
You may obtain study materials for many DSST by visiting the DSST website. Practice tests are available there as well. Some study materials are also available in the campus assessment and certification centers.
Your score results are mailed to you by DSST about 4-6 weeks after you take the test. When you take the DSST, you will be given the option of having your scores mailed to Florida State College at Jacksonville for evaluation, as well as to your home. If you have taken the DSST and need your scores mailed to FSCJ, call (877) 471-9860. Ask them to be mailed to the campus assessment and certification center you will be attending. The College’s DSST site code is 8621.
Unofficial results may be printed from your test delivery station.
For every DSST, the number of right answers is counted and a fraction of the number of wrong answers is subtracted from that total. If your test had questions with five answers, one-forth of the number of wrong answers is subtracted. If your exam questions offered four choices, one-third of your wrong answers is subtracted. The resulting figure, a formula score, is converted to a DSST scaled score.