Customer Reviews

WEST-B (REA) with CD- The Best Test Prep for the Washington Educator Skills Test

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

 

 

Here's the deal...

1. The book is a bit harder then the actual test, especially the Math section. Over half the stuff you will find in the Math section is way too advanced for the actual test.

2. The writing section is also a little harder than the actual West-B test.

3. The reading section on the other hand I felt was fairly accurate to the difficulty of West-B test.

Here's how I did on West-B Study Guide Tests:

Reading: 76% correct (need 63%)
Writing: 65% correct (need 62%)
Math: 56% correct (need 63%)

Here's how I did on actual West-B test:

Reading: 82%
Writing: 89%
Math: 92%

As you can see my scores were ridiculously higher on the actual exam. My point is don't get discouraged if you find some of the stuff in practice guide difficult, the actual test is easier. Which is good, better prepares you for the real test. That's why I recommend getting this guide and spending a day or two preparing yourself for the test. Just keep in mind actual test will be a little bit easier.

Hope this information is helpful to someone.

I usually never feel compelled to write a book review, but this one has certainly motivated me to do so. It's an admirable book, especially since the West B is a specialized test. However, buyers should be aware that the included CD is rather shoddy. It contains only one full length practice exam, which isn't bad in itself, but it's the whole application that is poor. The answer check feature frequently shows explanations for questions that never appeared on the test, is out of sync, and also has some obvious proofreading errors. It's disconcerting to know I selected a correct answer, but the explanation chose an obviously incorrect one. I was rather appalled by this. But, to give it credit, I feel a little bit more prepared to take the exam now.

I was pretty happy with this study guide. Just be aware that the math portion is quite a bit more difficult than the actual test. The math study guide section on the westb website is a very accurate sampling of what the real test is like. I got a score of 58% on the study test in the book and got an actual score of 94%- quite a difference. The reading and writing sections were pretty similar to the test. Overall it is a decent study guide. I have been out of school for 10 years and I believe this study guide helped me do much better on the test than I would have otherwise.

I agree with Jimmy's 2006 review. Unbelievable that REA hasn't yet revised this edition, especially the CD with the sample test (it is now 2010). If the CD is only going to contain one sample test, it had better be a good and well-edited test. There were numerous errors, especially with the Writing multiple choice answers and associated explanations (and presumably the related "scores"). The book itself seems a passable prep tool.

Although I did find this helpful to study for the West-B, there were several instances where the answers were wrong. If you check the answer explanations, sometimes it will say answer C is correct, but they're explaining why answer A is correct. So really if you marked A you are correct. Also, sometimes the explanations do not match the question. For instance, in the writing, the explanation was discussing sentences that were not in the paragraph to use. One story was about television, but the explanation had to do with the Anasazi and Mesa Verde. Explanations for #49-50 on the writing multiple choice section are for different paragraphs, earlier in the test. Therefore, I'm not sure how accurate my practice scores were, given that the answers and explanations were sometimes wrong. I do feel the math study guide and practice test helped me refresh math skills I haven't used in years. I was disapointed to realize the CD has the same exact questions as the written study guide. After studying and taking the practice exams in the book, I then found out the CD questions were the same, so there wasn't much of a point in me using the CD. I would have liked additional questions on the CD for extra practice. Overall, I think the test was easier than the study guide and I passed easily. Just be aware of the mistakes and realize you'll probably do just fine having had some review.

This is a helpful study guide as far as going through the content and rules that the test is looking for. There are some errors in the practice test though. There were some places where the error that it was asking you to find was already corrected. Also, there were a couple of questions that the answers and explanations did not match up with the question asked and/or text you were to read and apply the question to. I feel confident in my ability to take this test.

This book, while providing the information needed to study, does not do a good job of accurately recording your scores. Often, the questions and answers don't match up and it's impossible to know if you did a good job or not on the practice test. It appears the same problems have been in effect since 2006 showing that the product support on this book is non-existent.

I have been out of school for a long time, so I have been using this guide to take the practice tests. I attempted to use the math review, but found better books out there to help me with that specific subject. Still, I thought the book would be worth it for the practice tests. When I was correcting my answers from the writing portion, however, I found that the answers didn't correspond with the practice test! This book is poorly edited!

I am so happy with this book. It has been really great for brushing up for the West B and showing me how to be a better test taker. I love the CD it comes with to take the practice test. I know I am really prepared for test day.