I can not find any study books for the following topics. I wish to spend $8 - $12 each. The only books I can find are textbooks in the $80 - $ 200 range DANTES - General Anthropology DANTES - Drug and Alcohol Abuse DANTES - Management Information Systems DANTES - Here's To Your Health DANTES - Introduction to World Religions RCE - Ethics: Theory and Practice RCE - World Population RCE - Religions of the World RCE - American Dream Are there Cliff notes or other books for these topics?
stb, You might try to find your textbooks at your local public or academic library, particularly if your library is a consortium member. If they're not there, surely some library in your state can transfer them over so you can borrow them. Mark A. Sykes
For RCE (now ECE) exams, you can check the Excelsior website to see what books they offer as study guides then, to save money, check out eBay and Amazon.com (although Amazon will not be able to beat Excelsior's book price, they link to Amazon 'marketplace' sellers offering used versions of the same book). The Excelsior website also has abbreviated downloadable study guides for each of their exams. The guides include recommended study material, but you will have to visit the Excelsior website bookstore to obtain the ISBN's. A juidicious search of Amazon.com will also turn up the Cliffs Notes on available subjects. Although you may run across the occasional exceptional deal on eBay, for a used current-issue textbook expect to pay at least 30% of the new price.
My only experience was with the DANTES World Religions Test. I used the "Idiot's Guide to the World's Religions." I bought it at Books-a-million for $20, but you might find a similiar book at your local library. I read through it twice, and passed the exam.
See if there are any used bookstores in your area. They sometimes have used texts or other introductory survey books. Also check out any local colleges. Their bookstores will sell used texts, though often at inflated prices. But you may luck out and find them selling older editions that are no longer being used in their classes for almost nothing. A buck or two. Local community colleges are often good for that. If you are just using the text to prepare for an introductory level exam, it doesn't really matter very much which one you choose (as long as it is a university level introductory survey) or if the book is an older edition. If that doesn't work, try the sale and discount items at Barnes and Noble and Borders. Also check out their on-line branches and Amazon. I grabbed a new hard-cover copy of Parrinder's 'World Religions' (an excellent survey text) for less than ten bucks at Barnes and Noble. I believe they are still selling them at their site. There are also a number of on-line used bookstores, but I have never used them and don't know their prices. The cheapest thing has already been suggested: go to your local library. Whatever they don't have on their shelves they can order for you from other libraries on interlibrary loan, and it's all free.
I buy all my books from www.half.com (A subsidiary of Ebay.com - I guess). People sell their old books for half price or lower through www.half.com.
ME too! Me too!--although sometimes a cheaper textbook can be had on Amazon.com's used book offerings--and more rarely, via abebooks.com--which can be found via a button next to the new listing. half.com charges $2.49 for media mail, while Amazon.com charges a dollar more for same. --Orson
books... 3 sites to try, which I've spent alot of money and found good deals, www.abebooks.com www.getcheapbooks.com www.barronseduc.com Abe books will even do a search for you if they don't have the book you're looking for in stock. Good luck!