Customer Reviews

CLEP Human Growth & Development w/ CD (REA) - The Best Test Prep for the CLEP (Test Preps)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have used the REA study guides for 4 of the 5 CLEP tests I have taken. This is the first guide that I am unsatisfied with.

About 60 of the 90 questions that appeared on the CLEP test I took today were regarding child development. This REA study guide barely touches upon the theories that appeared on the actual CLEP regarding child development (especially Paiget). I would say this study guide covers about 1/3 of the actual material that appeared on the CLEP.

The practice questions from the Official CLEP study guide by the College Board represent the material I saw on the Human Growth and Development test today much more than this study guide.

I got a 70/80 on the test today, however, I know this is because I recently took a child development course and not because of this study guide.

Purchased the book about a week before the test. Read through it cover to cover; took the tests on the CD and managed to pass the actual test with a 71. Covered a lot of material I was unfamiliar with that did show up on the test. Would definitly buy if trying to study for the Human Growth & Development Clep. But make sure you study ;)

I used this book along with instantcert.com to study for the HG&D CLEP exam. It was a tougher test than I expected. It seems like the level of general info you get in the study prep materials is just one notch below the level of detail needed to be certain of the test answers. Many times a question would have two right answers (you have to choose the best one). I did pass with a 67, but I really, really thought I was bombing it the whole time!
The bottom line: Don't take this exam lightly - study the info repeatedly and look up additional/background details on wikipedia.

Overall this REA book does a good job though. I think it's a critical tool in prepping for the exam.

I have no psychology background, but I passed with a 65. The book is useful. There is enough info in the book to pass the test, but unfortunately there is unnecessary info that they make you get down. Definitely get down everything in the book on Piaget's theory, Kohlberg's moral development theory, Erik Erikson's theory, and Frued's theory. Also make sure you get down classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning. Get down research methods (case study, correlational, cross-sectional, experimental, longitudinal, observational). There is a couple of questions on genetics not found in the book (using the Punnett square; XY Chromosome, etc.) There was also a question about Lev Vygotsky who is not covered in the book. The test deals most with child development; only one question dealing with elderly people. I supplemented the book with the Cliffnotes book on "Developmental Psychology" (ISBN: 0764586149).

The book covered the exam well enough for me to score a 71, but it had a LOT of excess information that I really stressed over learning and was completely unnecessary.

Check it against the College Board's content guide for the test before you stress over every detail of something that isn't on the test.

There's lots of information in here, and it probably does give you a good idea of what to expect, but there's enough misinformation to be worrisome. The answers to the sample test say, for example, that word length has no important influence on learning (as in remembering a list of words), but a quick search on Google will reveal that psychologists recognize a "word length effect" (which agrees with common sense). This book says that IQ tests are "NOT considered reliable" before age 7; by whom? A standard college textbook says that "starting at about age 4 there is a fairly strong relationship between early and later IQ." The book misstates what Chomsky means by a "kernel [sentence]" and says that "a" is a phoneme, not a morpheme, when it is both, because the sound "a" is a phoneme but the indefinite article "a," as in "a dog," is a morpheme.

I know I've learned from reading through this and taking one of the sample tests, but I wouldn't rely on its being correct. The sample questions and answers are obviously not written to the same standards, or apparently with the same expertise, as CLEP's own tests. It's useful because it gives you lots of buzzwords that will probably appear on the test, but look to other sources as well, if you want to be prepared for questions that test whether you actually understand the material.

This book was a total waste of time and money. It had far too much detail unnecessary for the test. The information was not presented in a logical, easy to remember manner. A review of the main learning theories from a basic psychology book would probably prove as helpful and less frustrating. I got a 74 on the test, but common sense, logic and a little psychology background were the reasons, not this guide.

I read and took the practice exams several times. To the point that I did not miss any of the questions. However the actual test questions were not even close. This was not a help.

The book and CD helped a lot in preparing for the exam. The CD with the practice exams and review tools made studying a breeze. The text provides a good summary of information needed to pass the exam.

I bought this book about 5 weeks before taking this test. I studied it over and over almost every night a section at a time. I took the pretests and passed all of them with 60 or better. Well low and behold I went to take the CLEP exam today and failed. Almost all of the test was on child development and the book vaguely covered this material. DO NOT waste your money on this book, find another alternative if you can. Almost everyone that I have talked to that passed this test has said they did so by just having a psychology course. Of course this was not the case for me. Good luck on this test, it is a tough one!