Clep: History of the United States I: Early Colonizations to 1877

Rating:
Summary: Study this book to pass
Review: After reading the reviews of this book I felt pretty confident. I only studied this clep book and didn't have much of a good understanding of this subject before hand. The way I studied was to read over the book once. Then I took a practice test and I think I got a 45. Definately read the explanations for the practice tests. Then I reread over it again and tried to remember parts that I seemed to miss on the practice test. Then I took another practice test. I scored like a 55 on that test. When I took the actual clep exam I got a 66 (50 is passing). A lot of questions are almost the exact same as the questions in these practice tests so definately read over those. This book is great. I didn't study anything else and probably overall only spent about 10 hours studying.

Rating:
Summary: Guarantee a passing score
Review: Bought this book and had a 67 score. Took all the practice quizes. GREAT STUDY GUIDE

Rating:
Summary: Great way to save 4 months
Review: Great book...covers about 80% of what is on the test but that is more than enough to get an A.... Studied 3 hours a day for 6 days and scored a 63. Had no prior US history knowledge as I am from Canada.

Rating:
Summary: Memorize, memorize, memorize
Review: I bought this book and took the test in 08/00.
After three weeks in which I read the book front to back and memorized all 300 qustions I took the test and past with an 85% score. This was my first attempt at a CLEP, but felt very comfortable during the exam. Keep in mind that any questions you do not recognize, skip. If you guess it may cost you.
Good luck.

Rating:
Summary: Adequate but hardly spectacular
Review: I bought this book around half a year ago, though I ended up procrastinating and only taking the CLEP test just today (I passed with a 73, more than the needed 65). This book was instrumental in my studies, but it has enough flaws to justify a three-star rating.

In studying for the CLEP American History 1, I spent about two weeks cramming (after skimming through the book and the first two tests some months earlier). First, I read in detail the 170-page review. Then I took the first test, looked over the explained answers (paying careful attention to the ones I missed), skimmed through the book again, took the second and looked at the answers, and did the same with the third. My calculated scores were the CLEP equivalent of 69, 70, and 71. Then I took a quick look online at some timelines, looked at the order of the presidents, and took another practice 40-question CLEP provided by the university. Next, I went back through each question that I had missed before, tried the question again, and looked at and read the extended answer. The day of the exam, I reviewed the ones I missed twice, skimmed through the review one last time (I spent about an hour), and went to take the test.

A few things: the test had significantly more emphasis on women, blacks, and their cultures than the book did. Look up information about these on the internet first. Also, the answers to one or two of the practice questions are inconsistent with their explanations. Also, some of the material in the book was redundant. The section on mormons (who weren't on the test anyway) was in there twice. Finally, I was a little annoyed by the non-chronological manner in which the book was presented. It has sections on time periods, and jumps around significantly within those.

So, all in all, a decent study guide, but you'll need a little more than it to do well.

Rating:
Summary: Buy this book!
Review: I found this book to be outstanding preparation for the CLEP. After reviewing the material, taking the sample exams, then reviewing the answers to the sample exams I scored a 76 on the test. It is important to review the detailed answers to the sample exams as they often provide more detailed explanations of those answers than are found in the beginning of the book. I wish I could find this company's book for US History II, but so far I have had no luck.

Rating:
Summary: Great Study Guide
Review: I haven't been in college for 10 years, I dropped every History class I registered for and with only this study guide I passed the CLEP with a 65. I studied for a month on and off; I read the review material and studied the detailed answers on the practice tests. Studying the detailed answers makes a big difference.

Rating:
Summary: Unbeatable!
Review: I just took the CLEP US History I last week. I used this book to help me with my notes and review (the three complete exams in the back of the book with detailed responses were excellent)! I also read a college textbook and some library resources, but this book was essential because it helped me focus on the key items for review. My only regret... there isn't a follow on book for US History II! Hurry writers and publishers!

Rating:
Summary: Great Study Guide
Review: I knew nothing about early history, but I needed a history class. So, I bought this book in hopes it could give me enough basic knowledge for the exam. I read the book for about 1-2 hours a day for 5 days (including the tests at the end). I scored myself on the practice test and score a 62. I took the test and scored a 64 (passing is a 50). The only thing I studied was this book...
Good luck!!!

Rating:
Summary: History of the United States I CLEP Study Guide by REA
Review: I read the 100 plus pages in the REA History of the United States I study guide first. Then I reviewed and completed each of the three 120 question example tests several times each until I could make a 90 plus score. The questions in the study guide were not word for word and I do not know my exact score, however when the grader scanned the test it returned a "Grade substantially higher than the national average". I also used the "Introduction to Sociology" and the "Analyzing and Interpreting Literature". REA has developed exceptional study guides and has never let me down.