DSST Test Center

Empire State University is a fully funded DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) Test Center. The DSST examinations are administered online and will be available at our Saratoga Springs location. Examinations are offered on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Office of Veteran & Military Education with questions or to schedule a DSST examination at examtestcenter@sunyempire.edu

DSST Exams*

* Exam study information can be obtained by clicking on the link to Peterson’s Practice Exam when available: https://www.getcollegecredit.com/testprep/

Business | HumanitiesMathPhysical ScienceSocial Science | Technology

Business

Business Ethics and Society

3 Baccalaureate

Moral philosophies and business ethics, social responsibilities of a business, regulation of business, employer-employee relations, ethics of information, ethics in international business, corporations and stakeholders, ecology and global business, business and government.

Business Mathematics

3 Baccalaureate

Integers, fractions, decimals, round numbers, ratios, averages, business graphs, simple interest, compound interest, annuities, net pay and deductions, discounts and markups, depreciation and net worth, corporate securities, distribution of ownership, stock and asset turnover.

Use of a nonprogrammable calculator is permitted during this exam.

Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Computing and Information Technology

3 Baccalaureate

Hardware, software licensing and development tools, development life cycles, data management, connectivity, privacy concerns, intellectual property, telecommunications law, network etiquette, artificial intelligence and globalization.

Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Human Resource Management

3 Baccalaureate

Training and development, performance appraisals, compensation issues, security issues, personnel legislation and regulation, labor relations and current issues. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Introduction to Business

3 Baccalaureate

Economic issues, international business, government and business, business ownership, small business, entrepreneurship, franchise, management process, HR management, production & operations, marketing management, financial management, risk management & insurance, management and  information systems. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Management Information Systems

3 Baccalaureate

Telecommunications, network security, systems analysis and design, business decision making, knowledge management, data warehousing and data mining. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Money and Banking

3 Upper Baccalaureate

Role and kinds of money, commercial banks and other financial intermediaries, central banking, Federal Reserve System, money and macroeconomics, U.S. monetary policy, the international monetary system.

Organizational Behavior

3 Baccalaureate

Scientific approaches, research designs, data collection methods, individual processes & characteristics, interpersonal and group processes, organizational processes, change & development processes. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Personal Finance

3 Baccalaureate

Credit and debt, major purchases, taxes, insurance, investments and others. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Principles of Finance

3 Baccalaureate

Financial statements and planning, time value of money, working capital management, valuation and characteristics, capital budgeting, cost of capital, risk and return.

Use of a nonprogrammable calculator is permitted during this exam.

Principles of Supervision

3 Baccalaureate

Management functions, planning, organization and staffing, directing at the supervisory level, legal issues, stress management, union environments, quality concerns. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Humanities

Ethics in America

3 Baccalaureate

Ethical traditions and analysis in various relationships, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, affirmative action and capital punishment. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Introduction to World Religions

3 Baccalaureate 

Dimensions and approaches to religion, primal religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Shintoism, Hellenic and Roman Traditions, Scientology. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

NEW! Principles of Advanced English Composition

3 Baccalaureate

Elements of effective writing, reading and writing arguments and using secondary sources.

Principles of Public Speaking

3 Baccalaureate

Principles of Public Speaking, audience analysis, purposes of speeches, structure/organization, content/supporting materials, research, language and style, delivery, communication apprehension, listening and feedback, criticism and evaluation. Record an impromptu persuasive speech that will be scored. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Math

Fundamentals of College Algebra

3 Baccalaureate

Solving quadratic inequalities, operations of functions, rational functions and exponential and logarithmic functions.

Use of a nonprogrammable calculator is permitted during this exam.

Math for Liberal Arts

3 Baccalaureate

Real number systems, sets and logic, metric system, conversions and geometry, algebra, graphs and functions, linear systems and inequalities, exponents and logarithms. This exam was created January 2017 and includes content reviewed by the American Council on Education (ACE).

Use of a nonprogrammable calculator is permitted during this exam.

Principles of Statistics

3 Baccalaureate

Principles and concepts underlying higher-order statistics, continuous and discrete distributions, use of predictive statistics using the linear model and confidence intervals.

Use of a nonprogrammable calculator is permitted during this exam.

Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Physical Science

Astronomy

3 Baccalaureate

Celestial mechanics, celestial systems, astronomical instruments, the solar system, nature and evolution, the galaxy, the universe, determining astronomical distances, and life in the universe.

Environmental Science

3 Baccalaureate

Ecological concepts (ecosystems, global ecology, food chains and webs), environmental impacts, environmental management and conservation, and political processes and the future. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Health & Human Development 

3 Baccalaureate

Human development and relationships, fitness and nutrition, disease and prevention, consumer awareness, psychological disorders and addictive behaviors, intentional injuries and violence. Peterson's Practice Exam Available 

Introduction to Geology

3 Baccalaureate

Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, weathering, groundwater, glaciers, oceanic systems, deserts, winds, hydrologic cycle, internal Earth processes, mineral and energy resources, environmental geology.

NEW - This exam includes content reviewed by the American Council on Education (ACE).

Social Sciences

A History of the Vietnam War

3 Baccalaureate

The history of the roots of the Vietnam War.

Art of the Western World

3 Baccalaureate

The history of art during various periods, e.g. Renaissance, Baroque and Realism.

Criminal Justice

3 Baccalaureate

Criminal behavior, police, the court system, sentencing issues, adult prison systems, and juvenile correction alternatives. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Foundations of Education

3 Baccalaureate

Contemporary issues in education, past and current influences on education (philosophies, democratic ideals, social/economic influences), and the interrelationships between contemporary issues and influences.

Fundamentals of Counseling

3 Baccalaureate

Historical development, counselor roles and functions, the counseling relationship, and theoretical approaches to counseling.  

General Anthropology

3 Baccalaureate

Theoretical perspectives, physical anthropology, archaeology, social organization, economic organization, political organization, religion, and modernization and application of anthropology.

History of the Soviet Union (formerly The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union)

3 Upper Baccalaureate 

Russia under the old regime,  the revolutionary period, new economic policy, pre-war Stalinism, Second World War, post-war Stalinism, Krushchev years, Brezhnev era, and reform and collapse.

Introduction to Geography (formerly titled: Human/Cultural Geography)

3 Baccalaureate

Earth and basic facts (maps, physiography, atmosphere, soils and vegetation, water), culture and environment, settlement patterns, political geography and regional geography. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

This exam includes new content and content outlines reviewed by the American Council on Education (ACE). 

Introduction to Law Enforcement

3 Baccalaureate

Overview of the U.S. criminal justice system, police systems in the U.S., police organization, management and issues; and U.S. law and precedents. Peterson's Practice Exam Available 

Lifespan Developmental Psychology

3 Baccalaureate

Ethical issues, biological development, perception, learning and memory, cognition and language; social, emotional, and personality development, social behaviors, family life cycle, adjustment to life stresses, bereavement, and loss.  

Substance Abuse (formerly Drug and Alcohol Abuse)

3 Upper Baccalaureate 

Formerly “Drug and Alcohol Abuse.” Substances such as anabolic steroids, over the counter medications, dependency/addiction, societal effects, screening, diagnosis and neurological factors. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

The Civil War and Reconstruction

3 Baccalaureate 

The Civil War from pre-secession (1861) through Reconstruction. Peterson's Practice Exam Available

Technology

Ethics in Technology

3 Baccalaureate

Privacy and security in cyberspace, government surveillance, hacking and counter-hacking, information warfare, cyberterrorism, free speech issues, cyber crimes, autonomous vehicles, social justice issues and net neutrality.

Fundamentals of Cybersecurity

3 Upper Baccalaureate

This examination includes content related to major topics in cybersecurity including application and systems security, implementing authentication and authorization technologies, compliance, security pertaining to networks and physical environments, and vulnerability management.

Technical Writing

3 Baccalaureate

Theory and practice of technical writing, purpose, content, organizational patterns of common types of technical documents, elements of various technical reports, technical editing.

Peterson's Practice Exam is available.