Customer Reviews

A Preparation Guide for the Assessment Center Method

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have had the opportunity to do a lot of assessing, and have also been a candidate for promotion. I think this book is the best I've seen for helping a candidate get inside the process, really understand it and prepare for it. It would also be useful for assessors and those who are developing an assessment center without professional help. I'm going to use it as a general reference.

This is not a book to skim, because it is jam-packed with information, without the excess white space and big margins so many of these kind of books seem to have. I would suggest reading it one time for an overview, then slowly re-reading it from the very beginning. You will miss out on a lot of good material if you skip chapters or don't read them in order.

One of the things that stands out about this book is that the author uses many footnotes, quotations, and real-life examples, which always increases the credibility of a book for me. Not only did I find useful information, I found the titles of many other books I can use. It was obviously well researched, which I thought was impressive considering that you're lucky if you find even one or two validating footnotes in most of the other books on the subject. And the behind-the-scenes stories were so true, there is no doubt she has been there and done that.

This book is not only interesting to read...it would be worth reading even if you aren't taking a test...but I thought it was inspirational. Most books on promotional processes only talk about how to get promoted. This one talks about how to be your best after you are promoted, or even if you don't make it to the top of a list. I would like to read more books by this author.

Excellent book for preparation for an assessment center for a Captain's position. Well written with useful insights and information. Much better than a previous book I purchased. Pretty much had it all except it would have been helpful to have an exercise to practice on. Otherwise it was worth every penny I spent on it.

I bought this book after looking for something to assist me in a police lieutenant's exam. I picked this one over the other books after reading the positive reviews.
This book was well written and easy to follow. The way it is laid out makes it easy to skip around later after it has been read. The author was careful to keep the text in chronological order leading up to the day of the assessment center. The author gives the reader several easy to remember tools to assist on the day of the assessment center. I feel fortunate to have purchased this book because I think it was the main factor in my own successful assessment center. I would not buy anything else and I have recommended it to several people so far.
Just a side note; after finishing the book, i e-mailed the author with a few follow up questions. She replied the following day with a personal e-mail and a lot of additional examples. I doubt she will be able to do this for everybody, but it shows her dedication to her product.

This book gives you what you need. I made the first spot on my assessment center after scoring mid range in two previous ones.

Study it and know it!!

A Preparation Guide for the Assessment Center Method
This book is a great tool for not only preparing for promotional exams but also for becoming a better supevisor or manager. The examples and guidelines given are helpful in addressing every day situations. The acronym PACTSFID assists in ensuring every step in the process has been addressed. The author has an amazing writing style that makes this book an easy read. I refer back to it again and again.

I recently had to go thru my first Assessment center. Without this book I would have been lost. I only had 2 weeks to prepare and this book saved me.
The book states you should read this book a year in advance and practice. I did not have that kinda time or just didn't think about ordering this book until I passed my written portion of the test.
The book has great information and should be used in everyday life.
BUY THIS BOOK. IT WILL HELP YOU

I bought Ms. Rowe's book with only a couple weeks to prepare. With 28 years in Law Enforcement I had good job knowledge, but pretty substantial competition with good qualifications as well. This book helped me take my test taking ability to the next level. It's not enough to just know the job well, you need to be able to present what the assessors are looking for. If you read this book, you will do better - period. It's a small investment with a great potential payout. I highly recommend it. Oh yeah - I came out number one on my assessment center!

A lot of talk about how assessments are done but every little help in preparing you for answers assessors are looking for.

First, let me give full disclosure. I have been friends with the author since High School and she dedicated this book to me. You may decide to stop reading this review now, but I think you want to hear what I say for reasons you may not suspect. If you are interested in this book there's a good chance you are in law enforcement. I'm not, but I want to offer an academic review as an outsider, and I think you just might find it helpful.

If you check my other reviews you'll see my interests lie in missiology and biblical exposition. There is no way I would have picked up a book like this off the shelf of a bookstore! But, what the heck, I felt obligated to look it over since my name was on the dedication page and Ms. Rowe had sent me a free copy. Even then, I wasn't sure I would be able to wade through such a technical topic in which I have no training. Instead, I found myself immediately absorbed. The excellent historical explanation of the assessment center concept drew me in, and then I saw how she made the history and concepts live in the context of contemporary law enforcement.

Even though I have no training in law enforcement, her writing style and logic are so clear I had no trouble following along. By the time I finished the book I was convinced that this concept has potentially powerful applications to missiology in the training and preparation of missionaries! In fact, other researchers have expressed interest in helping with this application.

Incidentally, my wife had a similar experience with Ms. Rowe's unique training style when she was invited to sit in on one of her training classes in preparation for assessment centers offered in our area. She came home absolutely enthralled with the experience. Thinking she would be completely out of place as the only non-law enforcement participant, the training style drew her in, engaged her in the role-playing, and she clearly understood both the content and the application. She not only enjoyed the experience, she found principles she could apply to her personal life and activities.

As an academic, here's what I appreciated about this work: Ms. Rowe has done her homework, providing ample and appropriate documentation as well as a very useful bibliography. Her writing style is professional, yet personally engaging and even entertaining at times. She was a 33 year law enforcement veteran. Her personal experiences in both local law enforcement and as US Marshal for Colorado, responsible for the custody of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols during their federal trials, provide for interesting illustrative material that demonstrate her ability to live out the principles she teaches. Academically, this is sound research, well-written, well-reasoned, easily accessible and applicable.

So, if you are a new officer, thinking ahead--as you should be--about your career development, if you are preparing for your next assessment center, or if you were just promoted and want to continue your professional development in law enforcement, this book will provide you with what you need. After all, if I can understand this and find ways to apply it to my totally unrelated field, imagine what it can do for you!

Very helpfull!!! made the assessment center understandable for fire officer testing as well. Thank you!!