Reddit mentions: The best professional test guides

I wasn't intending for this to turn into a giant wall of text, but it kind of got away from me. So... sorry.

I'm starting a SPED credential program in a few weeks, so this process is fairly fresh in my mind. This is all assuming you don't have a credential from another state (I think the process is a bit different). Your BA doesn't really matter (mine's in history) it's just important that you have one. Each university has different requirements, but one thing they ALL have in common is that you will need to take and pass the CBEST and the CSET.

The CBEST is pretty easy, as I'm sure you've learned from your practice test.


The CSET is a different story and definitely requires studying. There is no SPED CSET, so it's recommended that you take the multi-subject, which is actually 3 separate tests (or 4 if you decide to add on the writing test, but it is not necessary). I used the Princeton Review guidebook and passed each one the first try, but I've heard of a lot of people who needed to take it 3 or more times to pass.


You will also probably also be required to get your Certificate of Clearance from the CTC. I think some programs let you do this after you've been admitted, but I'm not sure.

Most universities make it pretty easy to add on your Masters to your credential. AFIK it's not a requirement to get hired in most districts, but it certainly won't hurt you. It also adds a pretty significant pay bump over time. There's a lot of good reasons to get it, and it's pretty easy to add on, so why not?


The rest is really just finding a program that suits you. Some programs allow you to get your credential in 4 quarters, some take 2 years. You could do it all online, aside from your student teaching. A lot of programs will let you do a teaching internship in lieu of student teaching, which allows you to work as a teacher while getting your credential. Keep in mind though that finding an internship position can be hard. My district usually has 1-2 a year and gets flooded with applications.

As for working as a para, I highly recommend it. Again, I can only talk about my district, since that's what I know, but the very few para jobs they have are usually only open to union members. They also frequently hire subs for the year instead of opening up a new position. I've been a sub for the last 3 years and haven't had much trouble finding work. I usually manage to get a long term position for at least half the year (I believe as a substitute teacher you can only be in one classroom for 30 days, or 20 days in a sped class).


As a sub (either para or teacher) you get to work in all kinds of different classrooms and with different age groups, which, if you don't know it already, might help you narrow down which age group you want to work. Working as a substitute para could also help you figure out which type of special ed credential you want to get, if you don't already know. You work in all kinds of different classrooms, and you'll find the kinds of classrooms you like (I was terrified to work BI and I ended up loving it... but middle school+ mod/severe is not a setting I enjoy).

I think it's a great way to get a feel for what your day-to-day in a classroom will be. Depending on the position, you may be dealing with parents to some degree (like, if you end up as a 1:1), and you'll work closely with the teacher so you'll get at least a small understanding of the amount of work that she has to do.

TL;DR: Take the CBEST, the CSET, and get your CTC thing. Find out the rest from the university. And definitely work as an aide, or a sub!

Hi! You were me a year and a half ago. I took all of these tests.

There are practice tests available on the [OAE website] (http://www.oh.nesinc.com/PageView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/GENRB_OAEPractice.html). Unfortunately, they are $30 each, but the Foundations of Reading one is free. There are also some sample multiple choice questions (ten) for each test, as well as sample extended response questions. Just select the test you are taking from the list and it will show you that info.

For 001 and 012, I felt pretty confident so I didn't purchase the practice assessments. I just quizzed myself using the sample questions. I got a 250 on both of those (need 220 to pass...not sure what the maximum is?)

I didn't feel as confident for the 090, so I bought the practice assessment. I found it pretty helpful. There are also books called OAE Secrets Study Guides for each assessment. Bless these things. I was able to check out the Foundations of Reading one from my local library so I didn't have to spend $$$. It has a whole bunch of information on what you need to know, as well as a practice assessment with answers and explanations. I actually still have the word document I typed up summarizing the "what you need to know" aspect of that book. If you want it, PM me and I will send it to you. It is definitely overkill (it's 23 pages long, you definitely don't need to memorize it all), I just typed out the main ideas as a way to study. I got a 268 on that test.

I hope this helps!

It really depends on the district. Yes, some schools in Texas will just want you to get certified, you can really have any degree. Some schools will want specific majors.

I'm looking to apply to schools for fall because I'm graduating in May. And a lot of them make you promise to get your masters in 6 years. It depends on the principle and district policy.

My advice if you want to really be marketable is to get certified in art! There are books available to study but honestly if you've taken studio art classes most of the questions shouldn't be too difficult I'd brush up on classroom management and logistic material. This is the book I used for the Texas certification.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1610728947/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_qP-zybNE8R9ZF

ALSO. GET ESL CERTIFIED. most districts require it here in Texas!! There's a test just like for art!! It wasn't required to be taken for my major but I wish it was because it's super important if you want to get hired. So I'm studying and going to take it!

Best of luck!!

If you worked hard on your homework and paid attention in class and have a thorough understanding of the basics across the different subdisciplines of EE (power, microelectronics, and communications), then the FE is really easy. If you are an A-B student then it shouldn’t be a problem for you at all. You can buy practice tests on amazon. This is the exact practice test I took before taking the official test and it has pretty much everything that you can expect to see on the official test.

My advice, is to take the practice test as though you were taking the actual test (setting aside time to focus only on it in a quiet room), then use your results to see what you need to improve. Also become familiar with the FE reference handbook. They will give you a pdf version of the handbook to search through during the test, so familiarizing yourself with it will be beneficial.

I would recommend taking it now while you are fresh in college. $175 isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things, especially since it could potentially open up more opportunities (especially if you get your PE down the road).

I know it's a little... something, but Series 7 For Dummies actually does a really good job of covering the basics of what is traded and how.

I say this as an amateur economics nerd who just likes learning for the sake of it, you may well get better advice from the pros/students on here.

I saw another comment that you wanted to know how the trading floors were set up... that is really dependent on the firms. So long as you have a basic understanding of what the various desks do you should be fine.

I took the test last year. There isn't much out there on it. I did buy this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Praxis-Business-Education-Knowledge-Assessments/dp/1627331530/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420764138&sr=8-1&keywords=praxis+business
To be honest, it is kind of shittily written, but it was good enough. Helps you brush up on things like accounting practice and business law, at least. I passed with a 193/200, and I basically know jack about business. I only took the test because that accreditation is linked to teaching computer courses in a lot of states.

1. Treat it like a job. Do 9am-5pm at your desk, every week day, working productively. No facebook, no newspaper. No extra long lunches. Do not work late nights/weekends unless ABSOLUTELY necessary.
   
   
2. Keep yourself accountable for progress. Each week send an email to your supervisor, "this is what I did, this is what I plan to do". Before you send your email, check against last week to see how you did.
   
   
3. This is a good book. It's UK centric which seems like it will help you: https://www.amazon.com/How-get-PhD-handbook-supervisors/dp/0335242022
   
   
4. This is another good book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/PhD-Not-Enough-Survival-Science/dp/0465022227/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485777868&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=a+phd+isnot+enough
   

For me, it wasn't so much needing to learn the material on the test, but to know how the test was organized and what it was asking on each question.

I took a prep course (cost maybe $200 bucks) and it went over the test structure and gave some really helpful information about the Dx piece and testing instruments (which wasn't really covered in my MA program). I also got this book (http://www.amazon.com/NCMHCE-Secrets-Study-Guide-Examination/dp/1614032378/ref=pd_sim_b_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0WHADZNZVR7GJWWNQDNH) and it came with a bunch of full length practice exams. This combo worked really well for me - especially considering I have pretty significant test anxiety and was fully convinced I wasn't going to pass the test.

Upvote for Series 7 for Dummies. I was skeptical at first, but I think it's the best book for supporting study material.

I am studying for that currently. A friend recommended the NCMHCE Secrets book, and I feel like that is useful. It has a lot of practice tests in it. https://www.amazon.com/NCMHCE-Secrets-Study-Guide-Examination/dp/1610722434

Yep, I keep getting comments from people asking the same thing.

Linderburg's book is pretty good, but sometimes it's too hard I think.

I used the EIT/FE Exam "How to Pass on your first try" book. It's more similar to the real exam problems. The problems are good to practice for any exam.

The ebook is cheap like $14.95. It’s on www.eitfasttrack.com

Amazon has the paperback.
https://www.amazon.com/EIT-Exam-PASS-YOUR-FIRST/dp/1493706136/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1525375669&sr=8-17&keywords=FE+exam

Just work as many f$cking problems as you can. Like I told others, it’s ALL problem recognition!

Good luck.

Yes, I was referring to the FE reference manual. I typed my previous comment on my phone and its always easier to type with a computer. But yea, the Lindberg manual does 10 problems at the beginning of each major section and then throughout the section they have questions that go over a specific lesson they tried to teach you, if that makes sense. I bought mine new, but I wish I bought it used, simply because it was a good review manual, but I learn more with practice problems.

The two books I used were:
https://www.amazon.com/Study-Fundamentals-Engineering-Electrical-Computer/dp/1517777925/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=W33Q3N8S9A25YRK8RWGD

https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Engineering-Electrical-Computer-Specification/dp/1534759492/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=W33Q3N8S9A25YRK8RWGD

It is the same author for both. Just as a warning, both of these books do have some errors, but they are easily caught. The first book has almost 400 problems, which may seem like overkill, but in my opinion, I liked it. For example, you get like 6 problems on two port theory. While on an exam you may see 1 or 0 of this problem, it was nice to see where you struggled. So if you went through all 400ish problems and noticed alot of incorrects in a particular section, you would know exactly what to review.

And yes, the problems are a bit harder than the exam. The FE exam is here to test if you know the fundamentals, not be an expert. My biggest piece of advice is this: Buy the TI-36X Pro, learn all its functions (can solve polynomials, do matrices, convert binary to hex, etc) and only use the fe handbook when working problems. I only say this because if you use the Lindberg review, he goes into great detail on how to transpose a matrix, but your calculator can do that for you. No sense in bogging down in all these "tricks" when the calculator can solve you loads of time.

Found a great deal for you! 97% off!!
http://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Toon-Machine-pc/dp/1581942419

https://www.amazon.com/Social-Science-Flashcard-Study-System/dp/1609715802

Hopefully that link works. Like I said, a tad pricey, but I swear it was the only thing that worked to get me to pass that test. Good luck, I know the test is daunting, and such a pain, but it is so worth all of that once you are in your own classroom.

I ordered Flash Cards similar to these to help me study it helped, I passed both my LSW and LCSW exams with ease on the first shot

I loved this game. Just thought about downloading the incredible toon machine until i saw how much it cost.
http://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Toon-Machine-pc/dp/1581942419

The Robert Walker book worked well Pass The 66: A Plain English Explanation To Help You Pass The Series 66 Exam https://www.amazon.com/dp/0983141185/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_INcGxb7AKDRK2

I just picked up the Mometrix prep book. You can get it off amazon or at barnes and noble.

https://www.amazon.com/Praxis-General-Science-Knowledge-Assessments/dp/161072657X

I used these:

https://www.amazon.com/Study-Fundamentals-Engineering-Electrical-Computer/dp/1985699710

https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Engineering-Electrical-Computer-Specification/dp/1534759492

and they really helped a lot to prepare for the test. hint: you can buy and return on amazon when you're done :)

I would buy the study book in the link below. I used the same one but for integrated science when I took my mttc test. A bit expensive but worth it considering how important it is to pass the test. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00WJ4YKVA/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1467868365&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=mttc+physics&dpPl=1&dpID=51YntSe-j-L&ref=plSrch

I really liked these flash cards:http://www.amazon.com/ASBOG-Exam-Flashcard-Study-System/dp/1609712064

Also, check out Reg Review. http://www.regreview.com/studyaids/

Not too many other options that I'm aware of.

FTCE Social Science 6-12 (037)... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738612154?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share


I ordered this book off amazon. It really helped me, especially the practice test (I only used the first one, it is 120 questions). I also took two other practice tests online. Any questions I didn’t know, I made sure to take notes on and do more research until I understood the concepts.

Yes, part of this series, but specifically it was the Incredible Toon Machine

Just to point out, there is a "handbook" on "How to get a PhD" if you want such a thing. Title is: "How to get a PhD: a handbook for students and their supervisors" by Estelle Philips and Derek Pugh. Book

Maybe it can answer a few of your qustion.

If you're looking for a cheap source of accounting problems, Gleim is a good one to use. Amazon Link.