The files are posted in "Elmer's English Resources," here: http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com/showthread.php?t=31052. You might want to rummage through the various posts on CSET English as well: there's some useful information tucked here and there.
hey guys! if anyone wants to buy some study guides off of me, let me know. i bought them from the orange county department of education. also, i'll throw in some other handouts that were VERY useful to me. i'm a sociology major... i haven't taken one english class in college...just some basic writing courses during my first year and i was able to pass all 4 subtests with these guides. honestly, if you have the right study materials, i think these tests are totally fine. all you need is the right study materials, some logic to make some educated guesses and adequate writing skills. i think this test seems overwhelming, maybe, because there's so much information and it's hard to figure out what to study or where to start. let me know! mij728 at yahoo dot com.
Hi Elmer369. I tried to email you privately so that I could get the information you offered, but since I am a new member they gave me an error message saying I needed to post first. I am hoping that this will do the trick, as I have been unsuccessful at finding good study tools for this test.
Open this link and you'll find my study guides: http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com/showthread.php?t=31052
hi, for some reason, i cant send elmer369 a private message...but if its possible, could you please send me your English CSET study guide ASAP?? (suzieq330@aol.com) i'm cramming for the test on saturday and im screwed!! thanks so much!!
Hey all- I am have a BA in Journalism and am needing to pass ONE of the CSET: English subtests for entrance in three weeks in order to be accepted into a credential/masters program. After I am accepted I can work on the other tests during the school year. Am I better off studying for all of them or focusing on one? Which is the easiest? Thanks!
"Easiest" depends entirely on the test taker. One component of Subtest IV is journalism/media, so that would be a fairly logical choice. You have five hours of testing time no matter how many subtests you take; since credential programs have a way of keeping people busy, you might want to try to get two subtests out of the way in September. Did you take a survey of English or American literature as an undergrad, or do AP work in either area in high school? Or have you taken linguistics? And how are you generally as a test taker?
I'm not a very great test taker-- I am a pretty good writer, though. I did take a Brit Lit class during my undergrad (though it was confined to early modern era) and am reading books about English and Brit lit currently.
Okay, so you have an idea how literature works. That's a good foundation. One can certainly attempt all four subtests in one heroic go, and there are people who pass. Time management is crucial in that case. Or one can divide the subtests up by similar type (multiple choice subtests I and II vs. constructed response subtests III and IV) or by similar material covered (literary and nonliterary analysis subtests I and III vs. subtests II (language, linguistics, reading, etc.) and IV (journalism, speech, drama, creative writing).
I would appreciate help.... TWO years later!!!! You probably don't come on here anymore but I'm taking my CSET in English next month and need all the help I can get...I took and passed my multiple (3 subs) in one sitting)...You mentioned you had WORD attachments? I'm hoping you're a hoarder and still have them...if not...any suggestions would be appreciated...thank you for your time...
Wait, imjustcan04: whose Word attachments? If it's Elmer, please see this "sticky thread": "elmer's English resources", http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com/showthread.php?t=31052. Whereabouts in the state are you located?
(chuckling) Your user info tells me you're in California, imjustcan04. And it's a pretty big state... Well. There may be classes or tutors that can help you - check with your local county office of education or your local school of education. If you passed CSET-MS in one go, you're probably a reasonably proficient test taker. CSET English operates on a somewhat different rhythm, of course - it's the only CSET that DOESN'T combine multiple choice and constructed response questions in one subtestand you could be better set for Subtest II than are most literature majors who haven't looked at linguistics, grammar, or reading acquisition. Are you taking all four subtests in one go?
LOL...sorry about that...I guess I misunderstood you...I'm in southern Calif. Rancho Cucamunga area...I attend California Polytechnic University, in Pomona...in Credential Program...and YES...taking all in one shot...NOV 3rd... :help:
Hey Yes...for the most part...what kind of questions are asked on the RESPONSE SECTIONS...I can study for multiple...response might be a problem...
Subtest III poses two questions. There's one literary analysis task, in which typically you're reading through two passages (often one's a poem and the other is literary prose) and doing comparison and contrast: it helps to be able to deploy the sort of terminology that's key in an intro to literature class. And there's one composition-and-rhetoric question in which you're tackling a passage of nonliterary prose - here, you get to pick it apart and dissect the quality of the argumentation, evidence, appropriateness to the audience, and the like. These are the nearest thing to Real Live Essays that one will find anywhere in the CSETs. Subtest IV poses four short-answer constructed responses - these are about the size and shape of CSET-MS constructed responses. One will be on journalism/media, one on speech/oral communication, one on theatre, and one some poor kid's creative writing and what you as teacher would need to tell the kid to do better. If you haven't examined ALL the documents on the CSET English Test Guides page, please do so. And please feel free to keep posting questions here.
So I'm not sure if its always like this or not, but from my experience, the questions about the texts very, very similar to the ones posed in the sample tests given on the CSET website!
It would be interesting to take a group of people who scored really high on CSET English, and who self-identify as good test takers, and have them take all the versions of the subtests and report how similar to the sample tests they are. I wouldn't be surprised if they reported lots of similarity. If one had a group low-scoring test takers take all the versions - assuming one could get them to agree to - it wouldn't surprise me if they reported very little similarity.
HELP! I just found out today that I need to take the CSET 11 days from now. I know English well, but I do not have the foggiest notion about this CSET exam. What is the best test prep book? How can I get good study guides?
MisterJik, there isn't a single CSET English prep book that I know of that I can recommend wholeheartedly, but that doesn't mean there aren't ways to prepare. Have you downloaded the Test Guides information from the CSET Web site? And have you checked out the resources in the thread "Elmer's English resources"? Jarenko, what is it that you can't do?
english subtest two i need help... i have taken the test 3 times and improved but failed again each time....i try on saturday next and would take any common sense advice.
just google CSET and there should be practice tests there. If not, send me a PM with your email address and I will email you the PDF's that I downloaded!
Side 2 of the score report contains useful diagnostic information that can help test takers identify what to work on. Do you recall anything that was there?
CSET Tomorrow... Hey everyone, Two things: First of all I just wanted to say how helpful this forum has been in easing my worries regarding the English CSET. I have been reading posts for the past few months and I think you all really got me through (and pass!!) subtests II & IV, so thank you!! Now here comes the time when I need your help! I am taking subtests I & III tomorrow, and while I am an English major, a pretty good test taker and am pretty confident, I have procrastinated in studying and am kind of freaking out at this point. My main concern is that I have a terrible memory, and while I can drop literary buzzwords and am comfortable analyzing literature and the like, it's the periods I am stressing over... the dates, the authors, the works and putting them all together. I guess at this point there isn't much I can do, but if anyone happens to be on the forum tonight or has any words of encouragement I would greatly appreciate what you think! I have been studying this area like crazy, but with less than 24 hours to go, it's easy to lose confidence a little bit. Thanks for all the help!
Honestly, do not worry about the test. I studied everything that was suggested on this site (and more). NOTHING I studied was on the test. I was not an English major. And, I found the test to be quite simple. Many of the questions that were on the test were on the Multiple Subject CSET from a few years back. I would suggest: Don't stress about the test and study from the Cliffs Notes Multiple Subject CSET book. Anything else is a waste of time and energy. You could spend your time more wisely...revisit the classics or brush up on your cultural theory. I think the key to this test is knowing your cultural theory and movements. (Things, as an educated individual, you should already know).
static_starter, it could be that you're in better shape than you think you are. People who have good background knowledge and are reasonably comfortable taking tests generally come out fine. Take at least one break during the testing time, please.
I know that it is rather late, but for those of you who are taking the test in the future on of the books I studied out of was the new cliff notes book by Emily Hutchinson. I took subset 1 and 4 this past Saturday and I believe the book help me out significantly. Try it out!
Yet another study guide So, this obviously isn't useful for the many people in this thread who've already taken their tests. But, for those of you yet to take the English CSET, trolling this discussion for ideas, here's a great resource: http://bellaprintcompany.com/ They put out a study guide and a workbook for the English CSET, both of which are small enough to take with you EVERYWHERE, which I did. I have only a BA, and it's in pre- and early modern literature, not English. I took all the subsets at the same time, and passed with flying colors. I can't recommend these inexpensive little books too highly.
Different resources work for different people; the trouble with resources via Internet is that one can't examine them before committing money.
Bella print I bought the bella print packet and found them pretty useless compared to the info I got here. If I was doing it all again I wouldn't drop the 20 bucks on this text.
