Customer Reviews

CLEP Analyzing & Interpreting Literature (REA) - The Best Test Prep for the CLEP (Test Preps)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I basically crammed for the CLEP test spending a couple of hours Monday, all day Tuesday and an hour Wednesday in prepaation. I took all 3 practice tests and scored in a scaled range of 52-55. I took the test today and got a 73 which if the table in this book is correct my raw score was 69 out of 80.
This book is helpful in that it gives you an idea of what type of questions will be asked. However, both the questions asked and the readings are easier on the real test. For example, there is nothing on the real test as hard as Keats' "Ode to Indolence" or that passage from Gulliver's Travels. All of the readings on the test can be comprehended fully in 2 tries.
In addition, this book comes with about a 60pg. list of english terms. Don't overanalyze this section too much. I'd write down the boldfaced terms only (reading this section is a waste of time) or use a writer's inc. type book just to make sure you know what e.g. an allusion or allegory is.

In summary, buy the book for practice, don't fret if you don't score well. The real test is much easier.

I recently tok the English lit test and was surprised at how easier it was than I expected. It is possible to over study for these tests. My one suggestion is DO NOT buy the Rudman's study guides! they are full of obscure questions that will never be asked on the test> I bought one for the engl. lit and was cowed into thinking I had to know more than I actually did, putting off the test for a year longer than necessary. I would recommend the REA how to study for the cbast as a good guide for learning how to interpret lit from all genres.

This is a must have review book if you are planning to take the CLEP test. I got my book last Wednesday, studied Wednesday night, all day Thursday and about an hour on Friday. I took the test today (Monday) and got a 61, which is equivalent to a "B". I took the 3 tests in the book several times and focused on my weakest area, poetry. The actual test seemed much easier than the ones in the book, which means I was very well prepared. Also, you have 1:30 minutes to answer 80 questions on the computer when you take the test, as opposed to the same amount of time to answer 90 in the book.

I figured it out -- these much needed 6 hours cost me about [$$$] a piece, including the cost of the book, shipping and handling and the CLEP test fee. Go for it, you can't get 6 semester hours of college credit any cheaper!

I haven't taken a Literature class since high school (over 10 years ago), and this was the only book I used in preparation for the exam. I passed with a 54 - not a great score, but enough for a pass and that's what matters to me.

I found some of the information presented in the text useful because it refreshed things I learned years ago, but most of it was unnecessary. There were entire sections of the text devoted to the different types of structure for poetry, and I just skipped over them. I didn't see any questions for that on the test. In fact, I feel I could have skipped the text entirely (as suggested by other reviews). The real strength of this book is the practice questions - be sure to read and understand the explanations to the questions you don't get right. That will get you familiar with the format of the questions on the exam.

One last suggestion when taking the exam (contrary to what is stated in the text): if you don't know the question, don't answer it. The CLEP tests are scored on questions you answer correctly - unanswered questions don't count against you. I skipped over the entire Shakespeare section in the exam (around 10 questions) because it makes no sense to me. I still passed.

I had just decided to finish my degree and was dreading taking 2 literature classes that I needed so instead I thought I'd try the CLEP. I have no background in literature and I haven't attended a class in nearly 10 years. I used only this book, I read the review, did all of the practice tests and then reviewed the detailed explanations for all of my wrong answers, I'd say I spent about 40 hours total studying and I work full time so this was sporadic. I took the test and passed with a 72, I highly recommend this book!

I recently took this CLEP test using this book as the only means of my study. Unfortunately, I procrastinated and didn't follow the suggested study schedule in this book and only started studying three days in advance. With that in mind, this book is a decent review for the literary terms that you need to brush up on. Also, there are some great examples of all the different types of literature found on the exam. However, the tests included in this book are tough...I didn't pass them. However, when I took the actual test, I passed with a respectable 61. The moral: don't fret too much if you don't do well on the practice test which takes up a large part of this book. If you study with this book, take it with a grain of salt, and don't rely solely on the tests provided with this guide.

I bought this book, studied Monday and Tuesday nights - took the test this morning, and passed with a 70! What an easy way to get college credits!

A lot of the terms didn't appear in the text, but I studied them anyhow, as well as did the practice tests. The practice tests are much harder than what the actual test is, but at least you get immediate feedback and can go back and review passages that you didn't understand.

The book comes complete with detailed explanations - so use those the best you can. Review the bold parts in the book, and read everything two or three times so you can catch the full meanings of the passages.

I bought this book about three weeks before I was to take my exam. I studied the book on and off for two of those weeks and passed with a 65. I have to agree with the reviewers who state that the practice questions in the book are harder than the actual CLEP itself. However, the greatest difference between the actual test and the practice tests is the lack of ambiguity in the possible answers. My one complaint with the REA book is that on many of the questions more than one answer could be correct. This is not the case on the actual CLEP test. Don't worry if you dont ace the practice tests... if you can score a 40 or above you should have a great chance of passing the real thing!

This book covers the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP test. This CLEP is a hard test. Further it is difficult to prepare for.
This book gives you a heads-up on what the test makers are looking for. The definitions section is a must. The practice tests are helpful and in scope.
A good book that will prepare you for the above mentioned CLEP.
(Score on test - 62 - which is adequate for credit at many Universities and Colleges).

This is one of the easier CLEP tests. Although I am and always will be terrible at literature, nevertheless I aced the CLEP test. Everything the other reviewers say is true. The practice tests are hard, I scored in the mid-50's on all of them, but I passed with a 76 on the real test. If you can pass the practice tests with more than a 50, it's almost a guarantee that you will pass the real test. The literature review before the book is good and should not completely skipped (there are definitely some questions on the test that will require you to know definitions of literary terms), but the review before the book was probably slightly overkill.