Customer Reviews

FTCE (REA) - The Best Teachers' Test Prep for Florida Teacher Certification (Test Preps) 3rd Edition

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

 

 

Very thorough and well-written, but many of the questions are above and beyond the complexity of those encountered on the General Knowledge test. I used it in conjunction with the GK test preparation book published by Cliff's Notes. The CN's volume tracks very closely with the GK test sections--and tells you precisely which section of the GK test it is addressing. I took the CN book as my main study guide and used this, the REA book, to provide me with additional practice questions of somewhat greater complexity within the context of the CN's guide. Had I done the reverse and used the REA volume as my main study guide for the GK, I'd still be studying what is ulitmately a large body of extraneous material--and feeling depressed at my ignorance. (Yes, I passed. :) )

I needed to retake the Professional Ed test 14 years after college graduation. This book was a great refresher for me. At least a dozen questions from the test were very similar (though not necessarily identical) to the practice test items from the book, and that could make the difference between passing and failing for many people.

If you have absolutely no background in education, you are going to have to put a lot more time (like several months) and effort (like locating and reading many of the resources listed) into studying for this test, but this book will definitely help you to focus your efforts by showing you your strengths and weaknesses. Read the book, take the first Practice Test, and anzlyze your results (based on your missed items) to focus your study efforts. Make sure you read the explanations to help you understand any missed items.

If you have an education background, though, and need to take or retake the Prof Ed test, this book is a great investment and confidence booster.

I took the computerized version of the test, and used the study guide without the CD. I am very comfortable with computers. I am glad I didn't spend extra money for the CD. If you aren't comfortable with computers, you might want to consider purchasing the edition with the CD-ROM if you plan to take the computerized test.

I started studying about 6 weeks before the test with this book. It reviews each section of the test. I took all the practice tests and the explanations are like extra review. I recommend that you take all the practice tests - many of the questions were close to the actual exam. Definitley worth the price to pass.

After several years out of college, this book helped me to "blow off the cobwebs" on some of the topics that aren't normally used in the day-to-day classroom (e.g., names of cognitive psychologists and their theories). The two practice tests were very helpful in determining where I needed to focus my study efforts. If you're expecting the tests to mirror the actual examination, prepare to be disappointed. The questions are similar, but rarely identical. However, the manner in which the questions are presented tracks well with the actual examination. If you're looking to ensure you have enough working knowledge of the fourteen core competencies, then you're in the right book. Use of this, and another resource (such as a CD ROM for testing) is a powerful approach for those professional educators that need refreshing. However, I would guess that those looking to study to take the test "cold" (no preparation other than the book) will find the material challenging, tedious and somewhat confusing. I did pass the test. Oh, and for those who study while relaxing - The book is printed on recycled paper that does not stand up well for use in a hot tub while sipping a Mai Tai -- but it does dry out well enough to be salvageable. ;)

For someone that does not have an education degree and needs to take the exam, reading the book will give you some confidence before taking the exam, and this counts for a lot to any exam taker. The book covers a wide range of education topics and written in a reader-friendly style with only one or two typos. However since the topics are so wide, the book cannot cover them all. Only two items from this book came out in the FTCE exam I took. Just use your common sense for what the book does not cover, but does come out in the exam. You'll be surprised how much this works, sure did for me.

This book was great in helping me prepare for the FTCE Professional Education Test. I passed the exam and I do not have a degree in Education, however, I have had several classes in education but by no means do I know it all! So this book was a great help. The cliff notes of an Education BA. I thought the exam was easy and I only read half of the book, because it was about as boring as you can get. I recommend going to your local coffee shop for a couple of days and read the book with coffee and sweets!

I just took the FTCE test this past Saturday after reading/studying this book from cover to cover. There were 120 questions on the actual test and I knew maybe 30 of them. Most of the questions were not covered at all in this book. Beware!! Do not rely on this book as your sole studying form. Buy something Else!!!

This book provides plenty of practice in all subtests of the general knowledge test; however; its content and application goes way beyond the scope of the test. if you need extra practice I highly recommend the Xam Online GK test as it is a lot easier and the explanations in it are very thorough. Your primary study guide for the GK should really be the Cliff Test Preparation Guide because it is the closest to the original test.

Again, the REA is horrible and it will make you feel like you can't do it no matter how hard you study. Check the reading section and you will know what I am talking about. If you choose the wrong answer, that's it because the explanation section does not explain why that particular choice is wrong and, mainly, why the correct choice in the book is the right one. I also caught a few worng answers in the math section, and again no explanations of nothing. All three exams in the math section have problems involving standard deviation (which is not on the test as I have taken it 3 times and finally passed today!), which is not fully explained in the book.

In the other hand, this book would be good for students who needs the extra challenge (gift or talented), but if you are looking for something more specific and close to the actual test, pick the Cliff and Xam--They are the best guides in my opinion.

I found this book helpful in providing a review of the types of questions similar to those found on the actual FTCE General Knowledge Exam. The book covers question types and detailed answers for all four areas of the exam; Reading, Math, English Language Skills and the Essay. There are 3 full-length practice exams at the end with detailed answers.

After being out of school for several years, I found the book useful in providing a review of general knowledge questions, especially the entire math section. The book contains a lot of pages and for those who don't have a lot of time to examine the book, you may want to skim through the sections and problems, then concentrate on the areas that you need more help in understanding/remembering; for me, that was the math section. The actual test includes a page listing some of the formulas you might use, but you still need an understanding of general math principles and problem solving to realize which formula/equation to use to answer the questions, not to mention how to solve the equation once you pick a formula to use. I felt that this book provides that understanding.

I also purchased a Test Preparation Guide issued by the Florida Department of Education which can be downloaded from the FTCE Testing website for a small fee. It is a smaller guide, but I used this side by side with REA's book.

Overall, I found the REA General Knowledge book helpful. I passed the FTCE General Knowledge Exam after taking it for the first time.

I will be a transition teacher...I have a BS in Anthropology. So, I didn't have the 4 years of training that would help with this. I thought this looks like a great book. The book really doesn't help. They really don't apply what is in the book to what will be on the test other than in the practice test. I sat there taking the test and shaking my head....thinking that book didn't help me at all. So if you do use it, make sure you use other things to supplement.