Fuck you so much, MSAT prep book

[algeh]

I'm studying for the MSAT, and I have apparently chosen a really cruddy book to do it from. (This test sucks to start with, as it's basically a poorly-conceived breadth requirement but wants such specific kinds of breadth that it's just dumb.) So far, I've answered about 12 literature questions, and have one where the book is out and out wrong and several where I think my answer was better but could see it their way. (Bear in mind that I consistently score highly on tests asking questions of this nature, receiving, for example, an 800 on the verbal SAT and a 670 on the verbal GRE, where I was mostly hurt by having spent a year doing math instead of reading, and in general tending to get all of the "reading from a passage" questions correctly whenever I get a break down by score area.)

So anyway, I'm not that worried about this specific section (which I did more as a warm-up, to get a feel for the book), but I'm now seriously considering ditching this book and getting a different one to try to relearn all of high school history and science out of in the next week or so. It doesn't help that this book spent about 40 pages going over a bunch of crap about literature that didn't actually have a damn thing to do with answering the questions.

Grumpy Nea.

Did I mention that I fucking hate standardized tests?

Comments

:o

[lucca1.livejournal.com]

MSAT? You're aiming for a teaching credential? I only have a few weeks and then I have mine after a year of working my head off.

California has the equivilent called the CSET. I didn't get a book for that one -- I ended up taking 2 all day courses. They really helped with the Drama/PE/Child Behavior sections...they only sort of helped with the other two sections. I ended up passing the last two sections of the test after I took a math and a History class.

I'm pretty sure that you have to take the MSAT in one go though. :/ Good luck

And hi after a really long time! :) (It's Niki Dinner, btw)

Re: :o

[algeh]

I'm in the process of applying to grad schools for teaching - in Oregon they want you to have passed the MSAT, the Praxis II in your intended certification area, and the Praxis I before applying, at least at the state schools (I want to go to University of Oregon, since Chris is getting his PhD. in math there).

I am soooo screwed on the MSAT. ^_^; I went to alternative schools, so I haven't had the "normal" curriculum in history, science, PE, or probably a bunch of other things since 6th grade. ^_^;;

(I want to teach middle or high school math, and my undergrad degree says "communication" and is from a liberal arts school, so can't I just be broad enough already? *sigh*.)

The MSAT is in two parts, a multiple-choice part and an essay part, and those parts can be done separately, but not subject-by-subject as far as I know. I'm really hoping to pass the first time, though. ^_^;

Yeah, hi after a really long time! I've been so bad about keeping in touch with people...the only people from college I've seen this year have probably been Chris Phan (who I'm still dating), Jeff, and Sean, although I keep up with Sarah Budd's journal and have vague contact information for Chris D. and, I think, Nick since they live with Jeff (which is probably still true).