Best Study Books??

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by David H. Wilson, Jan 31, 2002.

Loading...
  1. David H. Wilson

    David H. Wilson New Member

    What are the best study books for CLEP tests? For DANTES? For GRE? Any others worth recommending?

    Dave

    KC7WGB
     
  2. Whew. A few years of intense recreational reading on a wide variety of subjects would be your best bet. If you're looking for a fallback plan, though...

    I'm a huge fan of the Princeton Review books. Their books for the CLEP General Exams and the GRE General are eerily on-target in content, difficulty, and makeup of the actual tests. Good explanations for answers on the sample tests.

    I haven't taken the GRE subject exams, but used the book for the Psychology subject exam to prep for a number of "lesser" exams (ECE Abnormal Psych, Developmental Psych, et cetera.) Thorough, understandable, but not padded with a lot of "fluff."

    There is no such animal for DANTES, but the Chauncy Group (administrators of the DANTES/DSST exams and, coincidentally, a subsidiary of ETS, who bring you the CLEP, GRE, and other of life's fun things) publish the "DSST Official Test Preparation Guide." It includes an "overview" primer for each sample test. It runs around $20.00; I found mine at the local mega-bokstore. Somewhat helpful, in that the "overviews" are good, quick refreshers for what you already know and good "guides" for learning what you don't.


    Check out Lawrie Miller's "BA in 4 weeks" site: http://www.geocities.com/ba_in_4_weeks/mainmenu.html

    .. where he devotes an large amount of bandwidth to test preparation. Uniformly good advice, IMHO. I trusted it enough to pass it along to my wife.

    And good luck.
     
  3. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    Why not go to a used bookstore, buy an older edition of a college textbook (often available for almost nothing), then read it carefully, working the study problems as you go along?

    I really doubt if the CLEPs or DANTES are are so text-specific that any good textbook wouldn't do.
     
  4. Lawrie Miller

    Lawrie Miller New Member

    I know Dennis has already listed the main site, but I've prepared a book list for many of the CLEP, DANTES, and ECE exams which can be directly accessed at via the URL given below. Recommendation for the GRE Psych exam is included there and there is a general review of GRE subject exams practice materials under the heading "2nd Bachelor's Degree", accessible from the main menu.
    http://www.geocities.com/ba_in_4_weeks/recommendedbooks.html

    For the most part I'd echo Bill Dayson's sentiments that for study and review, any generic subject text will do. Exceptions to the rule would include the practice exam materials - since some are useful and some are not. For the ECE (Regents) and the GRE
    subject exams, the best original samples can be had free at their web sites, links to which are on the BA in 4 Weeks site page
    noted by Dennis. Excelsior and ETS also produce more extensive printed works, and of those, I'd recommend the ETS, "Practicing to take the GRE [subject] Test" publications, since they contain two or more full tests. Note that the free practice tests on the ETS web site contain one full test per subject.

    For any of the three GRE subject exams covered by Princeton Review*, the "Cracking the GRE [subject]" publications, are a must have. For CLEP general exams as mentioned elsewhere, there's the Princeton Review "Cracking the CLEP". A brief review of this and other CLEP guides can be found at the URL below under "CLEP required materials". Next there's the College Board, CLEP "Official Study Guide" (essential reading) covering both the general and subject CLEP exams.

    * Princeton Review publications cover the GRE subject exams in Biology, Literature, and Psychology
    http://www.geocities.com/ba_in_4_weeks/1styearBS.html
     
  5. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I have been very happy with the REA study guides for the CLEP exams
     

Share This Page