Sciences: Content Knowledge Study Guide (Praxis Study Guides)

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I bought this book because I was really scared about the Praxis II Chemistry test (0245) and thought that this book from the test makers will help alleviate my anxiety. I was wrong. It didn't help me at all. It was not worth the money and I would really like a refund. :-(

Since I only took the Praxis II Chemistry, I can't really help with the other test but I would like to help you with Chemistry 0245 so that you wouldn't have to waste money on this book too!

The main pro for the book is that it provides information about the test that you would not otherwise know. But if you want to buy this book for that reason alone, save your money. I will tell you.

*** It gives you the "Answer Sheet" that you will see on the test. Nothing out of the ordinary, you must provide name, candidate id (that is on your admission ticket which you can bring with you), birthday, social security, and test form codes which you will get from your proctor. There is also a certification statement that you need to write, sign and date. It reads, "I hereby agree to the condition set forth in the Registration Bulletin and certify that I am the person whose name and address appear on this answer sheet." That is it.

*** It gives you the "Periodic Table" that you will see on the exam. It is a standard periodic table with Hydrogen over Lithium if that is a quirk for anybody. :-D The only thing to note is that the the names of the elements are NOT provided on the exam only the symbol.

*** It gives you the same "Table of Information" provided on the exam. I understand the urge to know what is provided because I had the same urge. I provide it for you now. The information provided is the electron, proton, and neutron rest mass, magnitude of the electron charge, Bohr radius, Avogadro's number, Universal gas constant (in atm and joules), Boltzmann constant, Planck constant, speed of light, Vacuum permittivity and permeability, Coulomb constant, universal gravitational constant, acceleration due to gravity, 1 atmosphere pressure, Faraday constant, 1 atomic mass unit, 1 electron volt, Heat of fusion, vaporization and mean specific heat for H2O, and Volume of 1 mole of ideal gas at 0 degree C, 1 atmosphere (which is 22.4 liters). NO FORMULAS are provided, but from my experience, it seems only the simple, basic formulas such as ideal gas law is needed.

*** Lastly, it provides 75 sample questions for the exam. Now, I personally found these questions to be easier than the questions on the actual exam. When I took the exam, simple questions such as which of the following formula represent a ketone was not on the exam but is a "sample question" in the book. My advise is to go to any AP Chemistry, your textbook, or SAT Chemistry book and use those questions. AVOID questions that involve lengthy calculations. My exam did not contain a single one (it makes sense because you can NOT use a calculator). Practice balancing equations and understand pH and pKa (my personal advice to you, take it or leave it). Conceptual things are more likely to be asked.

Now, of the 19 chapters in the book, only chapter 4, 11 and 12 relate to chemistry.

Chapter 4 is an outline very similar to the .pdf file provided for free on the ets website. (http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/PRAXIS/pdf/0245.pdf) It is an outline of the topics that could be covered on the test. However, the book does elaborate on it (a little). I did not find it very helpful, because it is very broad. Look at a chapter outline of any general chemistry textbook and you will see the same outline provided here.

Chapter 11 is the sample test and 12 is the solutions.

Chapter 8 sort of relates to the test because it attempts to help you learn to take multiple choice test with suggestions such as, there is no penalty for guessing and it is OK to write in your test booklet. The same suggestion in any prep guide.

Chapter 19 is an useless chapter. It provides "last minute tips" to the test takers such as "be well rested." :-/

And that is it.

This is the information that I would have liked to know about the test without having to buy the book. But it is too late for me, so I hoped I have helped you. Good Luck.

Biology: I found the practice biology test to be very helpful for taking the 0231 test. The one in the book was harder. My mouse button must have slipped as I meant to give it 4 stars instead of 5. The section on Study Topics was overwhelming, and suggests you should know ALLLL of the topics at great depth. The real test was nothing of the sort. What I did to study was to get the Cliffs Quick Review called Biology and just read it. The topics are exactly the same, and those explain the material adequately and in a little more depth than the test asks you to know it.


General Science: My other gripe is that the general science practice test was not helpful for preparing me for 0435. It was only half the length and the questions were harder on the real test. The study topics were generally accurate, but I was completely unprepared for the vast barrage of weather-related questions the real test asked me.

Do not get this book if you are looking for a science review. It only provides an outline of topics covered on the test. However, it does include actual tests by the ETS so those are good for studying.

This book was an excellent review for the Biology Praxis II. I am a career changer. I am in the process of changing from a career as a Scientist to a Biology Teacher. I need something to direct my preparation efforts for the Praxis II. I read over the topics and then took the practice exam just before taking the actual exam and I'm so glad I did. There were questions exactly like those on the exam. I was able to review topics from areas that aren't my expertise, plant biology, ecology, etc.

Great buy for Biology Praxis II Prep.

Did not reflect subject material for Biology 0235 exam accurately. Topics were also too general as well.
My advice use a Bio.1 study guide rather than this book.

I purchased this thinking that I could use it to review the sciences. THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR REVIEWING THE SCIENCES! All it gives are topics that should be studied and practice tests for the various areas. I was disappointed. So instead I checked out a book called 'Chemistry the Easy Way' from the library and used it to review the chemistry material. That book was much better for reviewing the material and it had 5 practice tests that were a little more difficult than the Praxis. They also have the same books in the different science areas.

This book does exactly what it claims to do. It summarizes the topics that will be covered on the tests, and provides practice tests. It is not a review text and does not claim to be. I found this book to be extremely helpful. I used college texts and Wikipedia to review those topics I needed to brush up on and did very well on the tests themselves. Thanks to this book the tests had no surprises (including the Biology 0235 exam.)

For the chemistry & physics exams, this book was an acceptable review of content knowledge. If you can answer each of the 75 questions, you'll pass the exams. The review of middle school science was comprehensive (i.e., the review was harder than the actual test). Well worth the discount/wholesale price! js

I found this book to be very helpful as a prep for the Praxis exam. The practice exam questions point you directly to those topics covered on the test, so you won't waste time studying topics that won't be on the test. Also, the practice test is a little more difficult than the actual exam, so if you master these 75 questions,you will do well on the test. Now, if they only had a book for the chemistry essay test!!!

Ordered this book and it took numerous emails before they admitted that the order never left the warehouse. It took six weeks to get it!!! I needed it desperately to study for a test. No one at customer service seemed to care. Be very careful ordering anything "free super saver shipping" it pretty much means it can come pony express and amazon doesn't care!!!

I just took the Praxis II for Physics and used this book's practice test to check my readiness. Though I was more or less ready for the test without much studying, the practice test questions were noticeably easier than the real questions. The practice test gives you a pretty good idea of the subject matter that will be tested. However, to answer the questions in the practice test you need only remember the general relationships between quantities, like 'goes as 1/r^2' to calculate the quantity. For the real exam you should have a firm grasp on the whole formula. I'm glad I had the book as it gave me some piece of mind, but for those that are easily rattled in a test situation, the detail required for the real exam could be quite a shock. For how much this study guide cost, I expected a more representative practice test. (One more reason I think ETS is a rip off.)

I bought this product primarily to see sample test questions and to get a feel for the level of difficulty of the test.
I also bought the Cliffs Notes Quick Review books for Chemistry, Biology and Earth Science to help me focus on areas where I need review.
The Praxis Study Guide is a good starting place and I would recommend buying it, however it is not enough of a review by itself to prepare you for the Praxis test.

I was excited to get this book because it is from ETS which is affiliated with the Praxis Series tests and I assumed it would be the best study guide to use for testing. However, I was disappointed to find that the book's layout is more of a list of the types of things you will need to know for the tests rather than what I would consider a study guide: a review of the principles of the various science topics, as well as equations, and explanations of processes. If you purchase this book, you should have many other resources available to use for review. I am using this book for the General Science test and as I said before, it does tell you what types of things you should study. As a biologist, I am more current on the biology portion, but I have had to review my old chemistry book (almost entirely) and will be checking out a physics textbook for review of that subject.

I thought I was purchasing a book that only covered the General Science Content Knowledge information. I wasn't aware that this book covered all of the following: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, General Science, and Physics. I will say that because this book comes from ETS, I assume that the tests are representative of what the actual tests will cover. In that respect, I find the practice test for General Science quite useful. However, there is only one practice test per subject as opposed to three tests as you would usually find in a subject-specific study guide.

I really expected this to contain more "review information". I recently took the Biology and Chemistry Content Knowledge Praxis exams as well as the General Science (Part 2) exam. I only had this book for the Chemistry portion, so that is what I'm focusing on. I'll assume that it is the same for the other subject tests covered. What you get is an expanded list of topics to review, a mid-length practice test (90 minutes; standard Praxis tests are either 60 or 120 minutes), and answer key with explanations. There is also a section that has general information about the test, but something very similar can be downloaded free from the ETS website. Also, the list of review topics is simply an expanded version of the list provided on the ETS website. For some people, it may be more of a stressor than helpful, because there is no way that all the topics presented could appear on the same test.

I did find it useful in reminding me of some topics I had forgotten about, which actually did show up on the real test. But, there was plenty that I reviewed that didn't. If your looking for more detailed information about what might show up on the test, this is a good book. However, if you're looking for a thorough review of science concepts prior to taking this test, this book does not have them.

If you want to study for a Praxis science test, and you don't know what to study, get this book. This book LISTS all of the topics that you need to study. They are laid out nicely, and organized.

I passed with an EXCELLENT SCORE simply by going through the list and using the internet to read up on the topic. I even watched a few cartoons on youtube which demonstrated some concepts I had not heard of.

The practice test is VERY similar to the real thing.

This book is exactly what you need to find out what to study. Those who are complaining that it contains no science content are correct; did they actually expect a 300 page book to contain the entire scientific curriculum for every science subject (for under 30 clams)?

Only use this book if you remember all formulas and fundamentals of subjects you studied while you were in high school. There are test questions for each subject you are interested in. For me question answers did not help untill I read some other books to refresh my basic fundamentals...

What can I say? It's a study guide for a test all Bio teacher wanna-bes gotta take. Not all that stimulating, unless you're really into the sciences. Still, it's useful for the praxis...and that's what it was made for.

I received my order ahead of the estimated dates. It arrived in excellent condition; the book looks fresh from the book store!

This product arrived in very good condition- I will use it to prepare for the Praxis Exam.

The item was received promptly after being ordered, but the picture that was displayed with the item was incorrect and therefore I received a different item than the picture indicated. I tried to contact the owner and no one ever returned my emails even after trying about four times. I received a 2002 product and should have gotten a new 2010 product. I was very upset with my purchase!

This is not a study guide, but merely a list of topics for the various tests. These lists can also be obtained online from the ets website, so this book isn't really doing you much help.

This product came in nice shape. It has been very beneficial in helping me to prepare to take Praxis II in General Science.

I found this study guide to be fairly helpful. I was a little disappointed by the price verses how much of the book is actually based on my content area. While it doesn't review the topic areas at all, it does give a really detailed list of what will be covered. The book lists the topics and explains the percentages of the exam that will be covered in that area. It then goes into subcaptions. I found the practice exam, as with most study guides, to be more difficult than the actual exam. But the explanations in the correct answer portion were very helpful. Overall, I was happy with my purchase. However, I wish I had some friends taking other portions of the science sections to share the cost of the book with.

If you don't expect it to be more than a study guide- i.e. a list of topics and main ideas to focus your studying on- then you will probably be satisfied. It is NOT an in depth explanation of the major topics. The practice tests are very useful and actually some (or at least very similar) questions appeared on the general science Praxis I took. I would buy it to steer your studying because the whole field of science is kind of an overwhelming thing to study!

The Praxis Study guide for sciences was helpful in preparation for GACE biology exam. The outline is aptly named. It outlines the information but does not provide study material. You'll need a biology text book and/or Google to obtain specific information on each concept.

The test questions are extremely helpful for pinpointing areas where you need to study further. I found XAM Biology better for GACE preparation specifically; however, the Praxis Science Study guide was a great companion text. I really liked having the extra test questions. I was better prepared for the June 2009 test because I was able to identify areas where I needed more study.

I didn't received my book even after a month. I contacted customer service twice. The second woman was nice and refunded my money while the original one refused to. I had sent several emails and continued to follow up on the product and no one knew where it was. It was shipped two days after I ordered it, supposedly. Finally, the nice customer rep that I did speak to indicated that I had a former address listed. I haven't ordered anything on Amazon except the last 3-4 months which I have lived at my for last 2 years. Not sure how they obtained my mother's address when I personally checked my account and as mentioned hadn't listed it.

The material in the book definitely is not study material. But it does have good information on what to study and helpful for taking tests. I have not taken the test yet, but I hope this study guide will help bump my score up.

Book is ok. Study questions are unlike praxis test. It gives you information that you can study from. You must do more work than this book.

The only good to this book is that it provides sample tests. Other than that, it only lists topics that could be covered on the Praxis test. It is also very general, so you cannot get a real feel for what could be on the test. I would not recommend it to study with.

I only used this book for the Biology Content Knowledge test. There are only 75 questions in this book and the actual test had 150. Good book to help you get some reality of the types of questions they might ask. It helped me discover some weaknesses.

By the way I obtained my Biology B.S. in 1987, so I had to dust off quite a bit of knowledge and terms. Overall, this book is worth getting to help you focus, buying it used is a plus. I also used Cliffs Biology to review as well.

I meant to rate it less, I would probably give it a four. It's good for what it is, a study guide. You'll have to have science text books to help you study. The practice tests are helpful but some are shorter than the actual length of the real test.
There are not many praxis II study guides out there so I'd definitely recommend this one.

This book is exactly what I need to prepare for the Praxis II. The practice tests point out my weaknesses.