Barron's How to Prepare for the Mat: Miller Analogies Test (Barron's How to Prepare for the M A T. Miller Analogies Test, 8th Ed)

Rating:
Summary: Thank you Sternberg!
Review: Book was very well organized. Formatted great for those of us on the go and trying to "cram" for the MAT. This exposed to me how these words were related and gave me a basic understanding of some of the terms, without overburdening me with facts. I know that it helped tremendously. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: I scored in the 96th percentile.
Review: Buying this book was the best idea that I had since deciding to go to grad school. There is absolutely no way you can go wrong with it if you follow it from cover to cover. Start with the pre-test and see how you do. If you score low, don't be discouraged, because it won't be low for long. Next, follow the book page by page, paying especially close attention to the thirty tips section. Read all other tips for taking the M.A.T. After that take the practice tests and watch your scores increase with every test. THIS BOOK IS FOR REAL. If you are considering buying another book instead of this one...DON'T! This is the only book you will need to destroy the M.A.T. Also there are vocab. study words at the end...VERY HELPFUL, so don't ignore them because they will be on the test, especially toward the end as the test gets more difficult, but not impossible. Thanks Barrons!

Rating:
Summary: Thank You Barrons!!!
Review: Buying this book was the best idea that I had since deciding to go to grad school. There is absolutely no way you can go wrong with it if you follow it from cover to cover. Start with the pre-test and see how you do. If you score low, don't be discouraged, because it won't be low for long. Next, follow the book page by page, paying especially close attention to the thirty tips section. Read all other tips for taking the M.A.T. After that take the practice tests and watch your scores increase with every test. THIS BOOK IS FOR REAL. If you are considering buying another book instead of this one...DON'T! This is the only book you will need to destroy the M.A.T. Also there are vocab. study words at the end...VERY HELPFUL, so don't ignore them because they will be on the test, especially toward the end as the test gets more difficult, but not impossible. Thanks Barrons!

Rating:
Summary: MAT review
Review: Great prep, make sure you know the word lists inside out, do all the practice tests. The test is difficult, do not panic, pace yourself, the results will probably be better than you expected. All the easy questions are not necessarily at the beginning. Get the REA book written by Budd to fill in the U.S. history gaps.

Rating:
Summary: A Query regarding MAT
Review: Hello ppl, I am hoping to take the MAT test in a short while and am shooting for 65-70 raw score. I have taken couple of mock tests so far from this book and have not been able to score more than 51. I was wondering if any of you people, who have already used this book could tell me the difficulty level of the real thing as compare to the Barron's mock test. I guess part of my difficulty is coming from the fact that I am international and several general information questions are foreign to me. I really appreciate for taking the time in responding to my post and your suggestions. Thanks a million!

Rating:
Summary: Barron's is the best
Review: I always use Barron's for reviewing subject matter and they have yet to let me down. This book is wonderful. Some of the practice questions were even on the exam. Without it you won't know what to expect.

Rating:
Summary: Quite Adequate
Review: I browsed this slim volume and utilized a practice exam on the morning of the MAT. The actual test seemed rather elementary and I scored in the 99th percentile, raw score 99, which hardly surprised me. I imagine the one question I supposedly missed is somehow faulty on the exam. I completed the MAT in 25 minutes and was refused permission to leave the room, so be prepared to sit idly for a half-hour and listen to others desperately scribble. The Barron's guide did not prepare me for that. However, it did suggest that the exam would be intellectually banal and less than challenging, so I was completely relaxed at test time. In retrospect, I'm pleased I had a few minutes to flip through the book while waiting to enter the testing facility. Arriving a quarter hour early for the MAT might afford you the same chance. I have not encountered a five star book thus far, so I grant this a hearty four stars and my recommendation to all who may require its help. Cheers!

Rating:
Summary: No Help!
Review: I got a 19 & in 15 precentile on the test due to my study of this guiede, and Im upset! It didnot perpare me for the totale nightmare ofx the mat or the horrors of takeing it. This is a vary hard test and impossable to pass for regular student takers! The book make you feel it ok but it was no help. I dont recomend the test or this book if reading and studyng is somthing you dislike like me. Congrats to the lucky winers but most wont do so good!

Rating:
Summary: Good preparation but not a replacement for education
Review: I just received by score back and so now feel as though I am qualified to say something about what this book really does. When I got the book I sat down and took the pretest. I scored a 61 on the pretest. I needed 47 to be competitive in my school. Despite my exceeding the pretest handily I chose to spend time studying the book and taking more sample tests.
One of the best things about it is explaining the rationale and the typical "common mistakes" section. After concentrating on the "common mistakes" I found probably about 4-5 of my wrong answers were common mistakes in analogies or just failing to fully comprehend the question.
I took the test again and scored an 81. I was shocked. With a background in psychological testing I was more dismayed than happy at the huge discrepancy between first and second tests. Obviously I was better prepared the second time but not THAT much better.
I studied more and went over some of the tables in the back which act as a refresher tutorial for various types of information such as Greek and Roman mythology, etc.
On my second sample test I scored a 73. To be honest I was really questioning the validity of the whole thing given that my scores were so divergent. In general I was doing far better than I needed so I quit worrying and took the test. I scored an 80.
That being said I have to say that while it helped and it made a difference I question whether it would make much of a difference for someone without the same background. I had a strong humanities element to my education and continue to read a wide variety of materials. The MAT to me is a test of a diverse educational background. Those who slept through english and history probably would be helped very little by this book. I have a friend who once said "Paris, that's in France, isn't it?". She could probably read this book for a year and only increase her score by 5 points. For those with a similar background to me you can probably make a big jump up. For ones less so it may buy another 5-10 points. That alone may be worth the price of admission.

Rating:
Summary: Good preparation but not a replacement for education
Review: I just received by score back and so now feel as though I am qualified to say something about what this book really does. When I got the book I sat down and took the pretest. I scored a 61 on the pretest. I needed 47 to be competitive in my school. Despite my exceeding the pretest handily I chose to spend time studying the book and taking more sample tests.
One of the best things about it is explaining the rationale and the typical "common mistakes" section. After concentrating on the "common mistakes" I found probably about 4-5 of my wrong answers were common mistakes in analogies or just failing to fully comprehend the question.
I took the test again and scored an 81. I was shocked. With a background in psychological testing I was more dismayed than happy at the huge discrepancy between first and second tests. Obviously I was better prepared the second time but not THAT much better.
I studied more and went over some of the tables in the back which act as a refresher tutorial for various types of information such as Greek and Roman mythology, etc.
On my second sample test I scored a 73. To be honest I was really questioning the validity of the whole thing given that my scores were so divergent. In general I was doing far better than I needed so I quit worrying and took the test. I scored an 80.
That being said I have to say that while it helped and it made a difference I question whether it would make much of a difference for someone without the same background. I had a strong humanities element to my education and continue to read a wide variety of materials. The MAT to me is a test of a diverse educational background. Those who slept through english and history probably would be helped very little by this book. I have a friend who once said "Paris, that's in France, isn't it?". She could probably read this book for a year and only increase her score by 5 points. For those with a similar background to me you can probably make a big jump up. For ones less so it may buy another 5-10 points. That alone may be worth the price of admission.