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48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gets Right to the Point; Highly Recommended!, December 26, 2006
This review is from: Praxis II: Mathematics Content Knowledge Test, 0061 (CliffsTestPrep) (Paperback)
I used this book as my only study aid in preparing for the November 2006 PRAXIS II Math Exam (0061). This book is very thorough and gets right to the point, providing all the definitions, theorems, formulas, etc. that you need to know. I only completed one of the practice tests, but glanced through the others. My only complaint is that the practice tests are easier than what I saw on the actual exam. As a matter of fact, one of the practice test questions was the exact same question I saw on the **MIDDLE SCHOOL** Math PRAXIS II (0069) that I took the same day. However, if you take time to go through each section (and don't wait until the last minute to cram), you should do fine on the High School Math PRAXIS II (0061). I have never had any discrete math, but as a result of studying that section in this book, I got every discrete math question right on the test. As a matter of fact, I got a 190 (the test is scored on a 100-200 scale, 128-157 was the middle 50% on this edition, and 165 is always the 85th percentile) on my first attempt as a result of using this book, so if I can pull that off using this guide, I'm sure others can have the same success. The only thing that I could see as a potential turn off to some people is the fact that the topic sections do not contain any examples (only definitions, theorems, and formulas). The only examples you'll see are what is on the practice tests (each question has an explained solution in the answer key section).
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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sample Tests NOT Difficult Enough!, August 5, 2006
This review is from: Praxis II: Mathematics Content Knowledge Test, 0061 (CliffsTestPrep) (Paperback)
While this text does provide a good, albeit condensed, overview of the content covered on the exam, the practice tests were NOT NEARLY as difficult as the actual Praxis exam. I easily answered 45+ answers correctly in the allotted 2 hours on each practice test, sometimes with time to spare. I left my actual test session today wondering if I even passed! I think the lack of difficulty I had with these practice tests made me overconfident when I began my test session. To be fair, a number of the questions I was able to answer quickly as a direct consequence of studying this book, but the wording of many of the actual test questions is much more lengthy and convoluted than the questions in the practice tests. In a pressure situation, it is difficult to be calm enough to get through the question and decipher what it is even really asking. I wish I had been prepared to expect this so I would have been calmer when I encountered these questions. Also, some of the types of questions on each practice test were repetitious, covering some topics very thoroughly, but leaving others unaddressed. Also, as with any newly published math book, there are some significant typographical errors that could lead someone in the wrong direction, but I guess this is normal.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Okay review, too easy practice tests, August 4, 2007
This review is from: Praxis II: Mathematics Content Knowledge Test, 0061 (CliffsTestPrep) (Paperback)
As the previous poster stated (and I wonder if we were at the same exam today and you were the one I spoke to afterwards!), the difficulty level of the practice exams in this book are not even close to the difficulty level of the actual exam. This book is a good refresher, and may help you figure out what areas you need to brush up on, but by no means is it complete as to the type of questions you may be asked. There are no exercise questions to help you practice, either, just the practice exam questions which, again, are overly easy. Lots of typos in the book, too. The [[ASIN:0738603309 Praxis II Mathematics Content Knowledge Test (Test Code 0061): The Best Teachers' Test Preparation book isn't very good if you are contemplating that one over this one. It has somewhat good content coverage (though not as good as this one) and it does have practice exercises, but it is filled with typos and its exams are also too easy. I'm not sure what the best way is to study for this exam. You need a good background knowledge, which this book can help with, but the actual exam questions require you to take this knowledge and extend it - reminded me a lot of the type of knowledge you need on an IQ test. Use every review book you can, and study up as much as you can in areas you are shaky in. I found [[ASIN:0471751413 Probability For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science))]] and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geometry, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to) excellent if you need help in those areas. Also, the review tests at [...] are outstanding. Good luck!
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