Customer Reviews

Math Smart, 2nd Edition (Smart Guides)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought Math Smart to review all of the math that had gotten rusty from disuse in my brain. In just a couple of days, I was most of the way through the book, remembering how easy math can be.
Others have complained about this book and the sequel, Math Smart II, saying that they do not cover things in very much depth. I would disagree. Math Smart is not a comprehensive math text--nor does it pretend to be. It provides quick coverage of the basics.
Yes, there are a few incorrect answers to test questions. This is not a huge problem, as checking your work can ferret them out easily enough.
The only negative comment that I do agree with is that there is not very good explanation of the answers to the test questions. However, this has not stopped it from being a useful and effective book. And for the price, it is hard to beat.

I was preparing for the GRE, but I had one big problem. I had not taken a math class in 5 years. I had made it through calculus, but after a 5 year hiatus, it had all left my brain. Even the basic stuff, such as rules about exponents was out of my memory.

This book takes you back to the very beginning (we're talking, "Here are the positive numbers, and the negative numbers"), and reteaches you math step-by-step in a very easy-to-understand way. It is also fun to read, as the author keeps the book interesting by using jokes and quips. This was the most helpful math review that I had (and I even took the Kaplan GRE course!). Teaches you how to solve math problems quickly by also giving tips and shortcuts. You won't regret buying this book.

i am an nontraditional college student who knew she would need refresher math courses after being out of school for 20 years.
i paid the local bookstore a visit and spent an hour pouring over
which 'cliffnote type'of math help book would i buy while my 13 year old kept bugging us to leave...i chose 'math smart' because the first chapter had me understanding math terms and formulas that i was never taught in high school. i could grasp the material easily and the humour made me relate the mathematical
problems in real examples of math that i actually have to
perform in my everyday life...something that most of us did not
have to experience while under mom and dad's roof...i was impressed because outside of the basics adding, subtracting, multiplication and division i had not one clue what 'exponent'
means because i let math terrify me as a youngster...i am no
longer intimidated by the imaginary 'math dragon' and 'math smart' really helped me to decode quite a few items in my basic
college math book that were not clear to me and i would have to
hire my math instructor on a private basis to help me with a lot
of the questions that 'math smart' just not only explained but
helped me to understand boosting my self esteem and zoom along
to the next math challenge...i would strongly recommend this book
as an excellent supplement/tutorial math guide for younger students as well as the young at heart like myself. make the extra effort and buy this easy to read help guide!!!!

I've counted three typos in this book so far, an indication of the poor editing that typifies this and other P.R. books. Some of the quiz questions test skills that haven't even been presented yet; clearly some pages were moved around and updates not carried through the text. Don't expect detailed answers to the test questions either -- many are given without any explanation. If you get the answer wrong, you're on your own to figure out why. And for some reason, the author absolutely INSISTS that estimation is the sine qua non of being a good mathemetician. Most people know how to estimate, but she assumes you don't and loads the book with statement after statement after statement about how useful it is to estimate (this never actually comes into practice in any of the questions, however). In fact, she goes so far as to devote good portions of every chapter to silly little things to estimate, like the distance from your nose to your elbow. That space would have been so much more useful if given to further examples. How's this gonna help me on the GRE?

This isn't the book you need to review your algebra skills. Estimate the distance between this book and another one on the shelf and look elsewhere.

I always am the best math person in the whole class.

I just can't remember each formula, rule, and specific

step to do so. So when we went to Border's we saw this and Math Smart 2. I picked it up and scanned some of the pages. To my amazement, they had everything I was currently doing in my school. Integers, Fractions, Decimals. I was so good I finally found books with precise facts and easy-to-understand step-by-step guide. So I showed my mom and she said she would by it. Since then, I take Math Smart everywhere I go. It a perfect reference tool for math terms and the best studying guide I have ever seen. If you have a kid at home or want to brush up on math skills yourself, this is the book. Trust me your purchase will be worth it.

I found this book very useful for my GMAT math prep. It covers a lot of information and includes exercises for every topic. It also offeres a lot of valuable hints.

I wanted to confirm on the website that this book was as good as it appears. Overall, I got so much from the book - from basic algebra to complicated fractions and all of those polynomials.

However, I did find a small handful of answers - like one out of a hundred, when I got all of the answers right - just one would be wrong according to the key. I would rework the problem over and over, and even substituted the book's answer and it still came off wrong. Did anyone else notice that? So I'm a little trepid in totally recommending this book.

It would have been better, I agree had the authors explain how they got their answers.

If you are having trouble in math, this is the book to purchase. It goes Step by steps very easy to understand.

i needed this book for my college algebra class and was so pleased to find it at such a great price...thanks!

This is a great book to use when you need to dust off the ole math skills. I was never all that great at math and I needed to brush up on mostly all of my math concepts for the GRE exam. This book was a great help to me in that process.