Barron's How to Prepare for the Cbest: California Basic Educational Skills (Barron's How to Prepare for the C B E S T, California Basic Educational Skills Test, 5th ed)

Rating:
Summary: If you want to pass.... don't buy this book!
Review: After buying this book, I nearly didn't take the CBEST! The book goes into way too much depth, which really isn't necessary for the actual test, and the explanations were more confusing than enlightening! In the end I discarded the book, sat the test in any case and passed! Good luck for the test, just make sure you DON'T BUY *THIS* BOOK!!!

Rating:
Summary: Overwhelming, confusing, and unnecessary!
Review: Do not buy this book. You are better off simply working through the practice problems in the CBEST instructional booklet. I bought this book because I needed to review basic math before taking the test. The book gave such complex descriptions that I was incredibly intimidated. This book recommends that you memorize all kinds of formulae, even the quadratic equasion(!), whereas the test will give you complicated formulae--your task is to perform operations. A look at the English grammar section was equally, if not more, intimidating to me, and I am a grammarian! I also found more than a few typos in the math section--one wonders how many more there are throughout. The CBEST tests basic proficiency, not expertise. If you need to review some basic concepts, look online, or get a different prep book, just not this one. I wasted a lot of time because of this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Overview For The Test
Review: I passed the CBEST on the first attempt. I found this book (the only one I used) adequately prepared me. I would recommend it to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: If you want to pass.... don't buy this book!
Review: I took the CBEST and passed on the first try. I used Barron's CBEST and also Cliffs review. If anyone has weaknesses in Math word problems I highly recommend the Barron's guide which gives a great review of these types of problems. That is what I mainly used it for.

Rating:
Summary: SAVE YOUR MONEY, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK
Review: Save your money do not buy this book. The questions in the book do not reflect what is on the test. If you can balance your checkbook, figure the price on a percentage off sale, double, triple or halve a recipe and total your sales with the double coupons you can pass the math section. For the reading read Time, Newsweek. If you can understand the articles and graphs that go with the article you will pass the reading portion.
The book does a diservice to people. I can see where a lot of people might just give up and not take the test, especially if they have been out of school for awhile. The math explanations to the questions are horrible even I couldn't understand them and my bachelor degree is in math.
Shame on Barron's for not actually working on a book for the CBEST but for taking portions of their other test books and throwing them all together and calling it a CBEST prep book.

Rating:
Summary: SAVE YOUR MONEY, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK
Review: Save your money do not buy this book. The questions in the book do not reflect what is on the test. If you can balance your checkbook, figure the price on a percentage off sale, double, triple or halve a recipe and total your sales with the double coupons you can pass the math section. For the reading read Time, Newsweek. If you can understand the articles and graphs that go with the article you will pass the reading portion.
The book does a diservice to people. I can see where a lot of people might just give up and not take the test, especially if they have been out of school for awhile. The math explanations to the questions are horrible even I couldn't understand them and my bachelor degree is in math.
Shame on Barron's for not actually working on a book for the CBEST but for taking portions of their other test books and throwing them all together and calling it a CBEST prep book.

Rating:
Summary: Best way to prepare...
Review: Some people complain that this book has practice tests that are HARDER than the actual CBEST. It is true... but to me that is a good thing. I'd much rather find the practice tests harder, than to find the actual test more difficult. By completing these practice tests, the ACTUAL CBEST WAS A BREEZE! I've heard that only about 1/2 of the people who take the CBEST pass on the first attempt. I don't know if it's true, but I know that I passed easily and this book was my only preparation.

Rating:
Summary: Worth Every Penny
Review: This book helped me a great deal. I had been out of school for almost ten years. The reading and writing portions helped me regain my confidence. The math helped me remember what I had almost forgotten.