2010-01-24 Disappointing (2 of 5)
I was disappointed in this book and especially with the software. Over half the book is practice test with answers, if you don't use the software I guess this would be ok. Of the three remaining chapters, one is about the test structure and strategy (worthwhile read); the second is an introduction to college composition (not a study guide). Only the third chapter, containing about 50 pages or 25% of the book, is an actual study guide. The study material is ok, but not great.

The software is another story. The UI is a kludge, the program is buggy, and tech support is non-responsive. There is a known issue with Windows XP and later that requires you to download and register a custom DLL. To make matters worse, the instructions they give are wrong. Good luck if you're not computer savvy. I could never get mine to print the results and have yet to receive a response from tech support. Also, there is no analysis of your results to help you focus study. Rather, you can manually review the explanations for each question in the test.

I did pass the test, but would not give much credit to this guide beyond familiarizing me with the format. If you want a quick check to see if you are ready for the test, this will help. If you don't pass the practice exam, I'd suggest taking the course rather than relying on this guide to help you study.

2009-06-28 Excellent Prep CLEP Review (5 of 5)
My fifteen year old daughter used this CLEP book and passed with a 59; the college she is interested in attending required a 54. She felt that the "teaching notes" were very informative and and helped her focus on what would be on the test. She studied for three weeks. The greatest help was re-taking the exam after she had studied the incorrect answers. On the initial practice exams, she received a 52, 53, and 64. She improved greatly the second time around. We felt that these exams were representative of what she saw on the real test. Hope this helps!

2009-02-28 GREAT BOOK! Glad I had it! Passed with a 65 today! YAHOO! (5 of 5)
This book was great and if I hadnt had the CD practice tests I never would have passes so handily. The test CDs help tremendously with learning the style of the tests, how to pace yourself, and the types of content to expect on the test. Every single thing in the test - except a few questions that were a little different - were in these practice tests. I passed with a 65 today - and you need a score of 50 to get credit. I will receive 6 college credits for spending the time to review these tests, and take the two practice tests AND will not have to bother taking English 101 and 102 at my school. Its the best use of a textbook I have ever had and I never would have passed without it. It is the same online format as the test.

Dont take any of these CLEP tests without having one of these books. The ones that have the CDs are the most useful. As I was leaving the testing center today, a young guy had just taken the Algebra test and he failed it. He didnt know the format of the tests, he didnt know to answer as many as possible since only the correct answers count, and he hadnt had Algebra since 8th grade. Now he cant take this again for 6 months! Bad move.

2008-10-31 This book was all I needed for Freshman Comp. CLEP (5 of 5)
I studied from this book and took the practice tests on the included CD. My scores on the practice test were decent but I certainly got several wrong. Then I went and took both the English Comp with Essay, and the Freshman College Composition CLEPs. Out of a perfect score of 80 on the actual tests I got a 79 on each!

2008-10-10 CLEP Freshman College Composition (5 of 5)
This book has everything I need to study for the CLEP exam. The CD for my computer also has more practice test just like the exam will have. The only thing it does not have is an essay part.