Customer Reviews

Barron's How to Prepare for the MAT: Miller Analogies Test, 9th Edition

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Of the three books I used to prepare for the MAT, this was the most helpful. I felt confident at test time and did well. While the Arco book was a wasted effort, the Barron's guide was right on target. I strongly recommend this book for MAT preparation.

I purchased Sternberg's (Barron's) as well as Michelle Spence's (Cliff's) Miller Analogies Test Preparation Guide -- probably overkill -- but I studied both thoroughly and got a very high score. It was worth it! I have a hunch that Sternberg would help more in the middle score ranges and perhaps Spence in the higher more difficult analogies. I thought Sternberg offered many detailed pointers (outstanding for their clarity and helpfulness) not only about the analogies, but also about every angle of preparing for the test. Spence was somewhat more abstract, often leaving me unsatisfied that I understood her logic. If I had to choose only one, I would buy Sternberg. (I also bought and enjoyed his book, Successful Intelligence.) Nonetheless, I think Spence probably added to my score at the top. When I finished the actual test, I felt I had not done as well as I had on the practice tests in either of the preparation books, but actually I had scored higher than nearly all my scores on the practice tests. Sternberg is worth studying!

The MAT is a very difficult test. It was more difficult than I thought. This book helped me to understand the types of questions asked on the MAT. I believe this is why I scored a 62 on the MAT(82nd Percentile) . I had two freinds who scored an 20 and a 38 who did not use the book. I found it challenging to do the practice questions, but they did help me understand what types of questions are aked.

I scored in the 95th percentile (raw score 79) on the MAT using this book as preparation. Now, either I'm a genius or this is a very good guide (there is no evidence of the former). Get this specific book before the MAT.

True, the MAT is a formidable test. However, this guide accomplishes what it promises. It will, if followed, make certain that your intellectual ability will not be fogged over by an unfamiliarity with test procedures. The practice tests are excellent and don't be discouraged by the pre-test score. I thought it was the most difficult of the eleven tests. The lists, if not comprehensive, do cover a large portion of the topics on the test.

I picked up a couple of other guides and found that neither were as good as Barron's. My adivice is to pickup at least one other guide for additional practice tests.

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!

I used this as one of two books to help me prepare for the test. I found this book to be useful with its lists and practice tests. I scored an 83 raw score with a 98 percentile rank for my degree category. This book was a great help.

I used this book to prepare for the M.A.T. and it really helped me. I can directly attribute 5 points of my raw score to using this guide. One of the questions was exactly the same as on one of the pretests and the others were things that I wouldn't have refreshed my memory on if I hadn't seen them on the practice exams(Roman numerals and the Greek alphabet). I can't calculate how much better I did as a result of being familiar with the test format and types of word play questions that were on the test but this also undoubtably improved my grade. I ended up in the 94 percentile and I think this book got me into the 90th percentiles. I highly recommend it.

Readers should note that this book is geared for a 100 question, 50 minute exam, whereas the MAT is now 120 questions and takes an hour. Apparently this is has changed since this book was last printed. Having said that, this is an excellent guide to the MAT and a good preparation for those also taking the GRE. True, there's no substitute for a broad-based education, but by dusting off old history lessons and getting into the "mode" of MAT analogies you will undoubtedly do better than if you'd taken the test cold. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED BY YOUR PRE-TEST SCORE: YOU WILL GET BETTER! I only scored a 66 on my pre-test but by the end of the book I was getting around 90% of the questions right on the first pass. The MAT itself will probably seem easier than the questions in this book. I'm assuming adrenalin has something to do with this, but I can't discount the idea that this book helped as well. As always, a first-rate Barron's product.

I used this guide exclusively to prepare for the MAT and I placed in the 99th percentile!! As a previous reveiwer stated, there isn't much evidence that I'm a genius and I haven't been a college student in many years so I have to credit this guide. I took each of the practice tests in the book and found that the questions on my MAT were very similar...no surprises, no curveballs. Don't forget to brush up on simple geometry, roman numerals, gods and godesses, negative exponents, and famous historical philosophers, scientists, etc. Good luck!