Cracking the CBEST, 2nd Edition (College Test Prep)

I purchased the book in hopes that it would help me improve my math score. (I had previously passed the Reading and Writing sections of the CBEST).

Not only did I pass the Math portion of the CBEST but I scored very HIGH on the exam. I studied the Math section approximately 2 hours per day for seven days. When I took the test exactly one week after purchasing "Cracking the CBEST," I was elated. I was more than familiar with the math questions once I entered the test situation. This book deserves 10+ STARS! There are two practice tests in the math section of the book too which was very helpful. There are also practice tests for the Reading and Writing section to help prepare one for the exam.

By the way ...my math skills were somewhat rusty. I hadn't used my math skills in over three years since graduating from college. I passed with flying colors.

Now it is on to the MSAT! Thank you Amazon.com!

Ruby M. Abram Aspiring Teacher


Before buying CBEST books, read this...   June 17, 2007
W. Rosenthal
29 out of 29 found this review helpful

I took the CBEST yesterday morning (06/16/07)and have several observations and suggestions which not only do I hope you'll find helpful but with any luck can save you some time and grief. I purchased four review books. The Princeton Review's Cracking the CBEST (2002)," Cliff's Testprep "CBEST, 6th Edition,(2000)" Learning Express' "The Complete Preparation Guide CBEST (2006)," and Barron's "How to Prepare for the CBEST (2001)." Additionally, I purchased one on-line guide and began receiving emails with "tips of the day" from another. Neither on-line guide was helpful in the least and I would caution you to stay away from them no matter how luring their websites are.

Now onto the test (and then I'll come back to the guidebooks). The test, as I'm sure you're aware is divided into three sections: Reading, math and a writing portion in which you're asked to write two essays.

Let's start with the math. If you go to the official CBEST website they will tell you specifically what you need to know in order to pass this part of the exam. There is no geometry (apparently there was a law suit several years ago and the math portion was made easier) and the algebra on the test is beginner stuff. About the most difficult algebra question went something like this: 10y - 36 + 4y - 6 + y = 3. What's the value of y? Most of the questions are basic math and if I can do them, so can you!

With the exception of The Princeton Review's "Cracking the CBEST," all the guidebooks, when it came to math, were significantly more difficult than you need to know. The biggest offender of this was Learning Express' "The Complete Preparation Guide CBEST" which included very high level math and was poorly written and filled with mistakes. The book also comes with a CD of practice tests but the tests on the CD are nothing more than the same questions from the text in a different order. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK -- YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. In fact we should all stay away from Learning Express' books; after all, as consumers all we can do to send a message to those who try and rip us off is to boycott their products. Enough said...

Barron's "How to Prepare for the CBEST" math sections was also more difficult than it needed to be. Additionally they do something that never seems to appear on the actual test. Very often their "choice E" will be "none of the above." I still haven't run into none of the above on any actual CBEST test. I also had an older version of this text and when I compared the two I found almost no difference which I felt odd since between the two publications the test has changed.

Cliff's TestPrep's "CBEST (6th Edition) should be the best of the bunch based on the entire line of Cliff's books but while this one is pretty good it's not great. Again, they're not up to date on what's really necessary to learn with regard to the math section, also taking the reader deeper into math than the test taker will ever need to pass the CBEST. But as one of your guides, I do recommend this one but do your own editing with too complex math problems.

The best of the bunch (for math) was The Princeton Review's "Cracking the CBEST." In fact on page 7 the authors explain how the CBEST has changed recently. For math, this book is excellent. Enough said.

A suggestion to make this experience a bit easier is first go to the CBEST site, read about the specifications but DON'T TAKE THE PRACTICE TEST YET. Use this guide (Princeton's) first and take their practice tests. When you feel you're ready take the official CBEST Practice Test (which you'll find is very close to the actual test), see how you do and what you still need to review. Sadly, CBEST only offers one practice test.

READING: First of all, the CBEST passages are reading comprehension and they're short. Think about it, you only have four hours to answer 50 math questions, 50 reading questions and write two essays. There's simply not enough time for long reading passages. The CBEST Reading practice test is a realistic example of the length of the passages.

Barron's "How to Prepare for the CBEST" was pretty good (not great) with their reading section prep. Cliff's TestPrep was also good and I thought some of their suggestions and study strategies were very good. Princeton Review's "Cracking the CBEST" reading section was very good and they have a section called "How to Crack It" which was very helpful in their breaking down of the different types of reading questions.

Learning Express' "The Complete Preparation Guide CBEST" was sloppy. One of the questions asked about something that wasn't mentioned and there were several mistakes.

For the Writing portion I recommend both Cliff's TestPrep and The Princeton Review's "Cracking the CBEST." They both give some good tips and sample essays. Princeton has a template you can follow for your essay which was helpful. The one frustrating aspect of their writing section was they only had the opening paragraph of their sample essay when it would have been helpful to have the entire sample essay to review.

One suggestion is to practice writing essays in short periods of time. By the way most of the sample questions I've run into in these guides are pretty close to what's actually asked on the exam. Yesterday's questions were something like, "if you could change one thing about schools what would it be?" and people can find happiness in the little things -- do you agree (something like that).

I guess this has been a long winded way of saying there are two guidebooks that are worth buying: The Princeton Review's "Cracking the CBEST," and CliffsTestPrep (although it's out of date for math.)

Good Luck.




The Only CBEST Prep Book You Will Need   September 5, 2000
27 out of 27 found this review helpful

Today was a great day, because TODAY I received my passing CBEST scores in the mail. I owe this passing grade to my parents, who instilled in me a great work and study ethic...but next in line for gratitude is the CRACKING THE CBEST book. I looked at other books, and, in fact, a week before the test, succumbed to pressure and went out and bought the CLIFFS NOTES CBEST prep guide. What a waste of money and time! It was an outdated book which hypothesized that the test was much more difficult than it was. The Princeton Review's CRACKING THE CBEST book is the only book you will need. I read through it twice, took the practice exams, and sailed through the CBEST itself, confident that I had passed. It was practical, in that it only told you what you needed to know. Actually, the CBEST was even easier than what was in this book, but it was pretty close. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Princeton Review!


Great Prep   February 10, 2000
Karen Gerstein (Berkeley, CA)
22 out of 23 found this review helpful

This book was key to my passing the CBEST the first time. The example and practice test questions were very similar to the ones on the test - there were no surprises. The book not only reviewed important skills in math and reading, it also helped my learn how to take this kind of test, which reduced my anxiety greatly! It provides strategies for different kinds of questions, so you don't spend a lot of time with unnecessary calculations. I highly recommend it for anyone taking the CBEST.


Great Preparation Tool   August 28, 2002
Monica Martin (Pleasanton, California USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

With the help of "Cracking the CBEST," I was able to pass the first time. I truly believe that this book was key. It not only offers practical strategies for taking the test, it also breaks down the Reading, Mathematics, and Writing sections so one is well-prepared on test day. It is the only preparation book that I bought, and it was the only one that I needed.