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Just got back from sitting CSET Science Subtests I and II. Overall, they are pretty much what one would expect from the Subtest Descriptions and Content Standards.
Subtest I was easy. I have little doubt that I passed that one. You have to know some of the basic formulas, like Newton's second law, more complex formulas are given to you. The math involved didn't even require the calculator NES provided. Many of the questions were written in such a way as a careful reading of the questions and answers gave you clues about which answers to eliminate even if you knew nothing about the subject.
Subtest II was harder for me. The hard part for me was biology because that is something I have never had much of an interest in.
There were a few questions on lab health an safety. There was a single question on MSDSs that you could answer without knowing a thing about MSDSs if you read the section of one they provided and had a good command of the English language. You ought to be able to answer the other questions on lab safety if you are familiar with the contents of the relevant publication from the CDE. You might also want to be familiar with other common lab tasks like pH tests.
Good news about these subtests is that you can definitely pass without even a point from the CR section. Weighting is 80/20 and passing raw score is about 69%, so all you need is about 86% on MC for a pass. And you are sure to get some points on CR if you attempt them.
FWIW these are way easier than any of the CSET Math subtests, at least in terms of depth and breadth of a single subject. You just have to know a little about several subjects. You should be able to handle both of the first CSET Science subtests in one session. I would not recommend trying to do three. I pretty much zipped through the 58 MC questions, quickly roughed out, then finalized the CR questions, and made a quick second to look for mistakes, etc. It took me about 4 hours. If I had tried 3 subtests, I would have been pressed for time and have to make strategic decisions like not doing the review, or blowing off a CR question. And the third subtest tests you at a higher level in your selected field.
Sounds promising, Malcolm. I'd had the impression from the Test Guides that CSET Science was less rigorous than CSET Math. Chances are the Test Guides understate the difficulty in CSET Science somewhat, but it sounds like that isn't by much.
You mention "the relevant publication from the CDE" with respect to lab safety. I know there WAS a document on lab safety on the CDE Web site, around the time that CSET Science first came out, and then it seemed to disappear. Is it still there? Where?
Yeah, the general science subtests are much less rigorous than math. But I expect the third subtest for each subject is going to be just as rigorous as the math subtests.
I forgot one thing. Usborne's internet linked Science Encyclopedia doesn't go to enough depth for some of the questions in chemistry and biology. But if you follow the links in those areas, you should probably be OK for the general tests. If you feel that still isn't enough, almost everything seems to be covered at an adequate depth on Wikipedia.
Thanks for the link to the safety handbook. I'd wondered where that got off to; the last time I looked for it must have been in the middle of CDE revising the Web site, because it didn't seem to be accessible.
I wouldn't expect the Science Encyclopedia to be enough in depth in chem and biology - but were you looking at the Science Encyclopedia, or at Usborne's Dictionary of Science (which does go more in depth)?
And three cheers for Wikipedia! Answers.com is a great way to get there.
I used the Science Encyclopedia. With the internet links, it was OK for general science. I would expect to have to use something very different for Subtest III, though. For me, that will initially be Schaum's Outline of Physics.
Oh, that's cool to know - I'd figured it wasn't going to be up to snuff, though it's absolutely dandy for multiple subjects. If you get a chance and can snag a copy handily, I'd appreciate your feedback on the Dictionary of Science, too. It also is Internet-linked, though not as ambitiously. British publishers like Usborne and Dorling Kindersley (=Eyewitness books) and Kingfisher have half an eye on the market of British adolescents facing their GCSE's, which are hugely comprehensive exams that determine placement in college prep classes (and, for that matter, in college, or rather university) - one can take O-levels ("ordinary") at 16, I think, or A-levels ("advanced") for university. And in case you wondered what the joke is behind the "OWL" and "NEWT" exams in the Harry Potter books... well, "OWL" is Ordinary Wizarding Level, and "NEWT" is Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test".
Anyway...
Are you familiar with Larry Gonick's Cartoon Guide to Physics?
Last edited by TeacherGroupie; 03-19-2006 at 07:45 PM.
... I would expect to have to use something very different for Subtest III, though. For me, that will initially be Schaum's Outline of Physics.
FWIW I used Schaum's Outline of College Physics and that worked perfectly for me when I took physics subtest III in January. The (slight) problem with this book is that it is not calculus based, but since you have passed math subtest III the adjustment should be easy.
Had a chance to look at Usborne's Illustrated Dictionary of Science. You can get separate Physics, Chemistry and Biology versions of it, or a version with all three subjects.
First let me say that I like both the Dictionary and the Encyclopedia. They are both clearly written with lots of graphics.
The Dictionary goes into more detail in physics, chemistry and biology than the Internet-linked Science Encyclopedia. Some of that extra detail is useful, like the information of litmus strips, etc. But for the most part, the extra detail does not seem to be required for CSET Science Subtests I and II (general science). Note also that the first two subtests include subjects which are covered by the Encyclopedia and not covered by the Dictionary. So, I would say with the caveat that you need to follow the internet links in some areas, the Encyclopedia is a better resource for the first two subtests. Another approach might be to use the Encyclopedia as the primary resource and supplement it with the Dictionary.
For Subtest III, it looks the the Dictionary provides a good overview of the concepts. But it does little to present all the mathematics that goes along with physics. So, I would recommend it for getting back up to speed on the terminology and basic concepts as long as you use something equivalent to Schaum's College Physics to back it up. Cannot comment on chemistry and biology at this point. But my guess is that the situation would be similar to physics.
