Study Aids For Cset Social Science 1-3

Passed CSET SOCIAL SCIENCE 1-3 on first try. Here is what I used:

Economics: Cliffs Quick Review Economics (helpful crash course) Also, the U.S. government has a crash economics website as well.

California History: www.californiahistory.net (helpful and quick)

U.S. Government: Cliffs Quick Review U.S. Government (helpful crash course)

U.S. History: A standard high school U.S. history text book. (Be sure to study heavily on Civil War/ Reconstruction Era, Jackson/Jefferson, and the New Deal Era.

World History: A standard high school World History text book. (Be sure to study Feudalism,Age of Exploration, Religions, the plague and its effect on Europe, Population growth, and the World Wars.

Geography: The history text books will help you here as well. Note: this is the smallest portion of the test.

Final Note: I studied heavily for a month. This test is 50% studying as it is 50% luck. So with that being said, go in confident and well prepared and you'll do just fine!

Good Luck!

 

Thanks a lot! This really helps! By the way...where do u find these Cliff's quick reviews?

 

Hey! I just wanted to say thank you for all the helpful insight. I really appreciate it!

 

Ace12580 were you a history major in college?

 

Cliff's Quick Reviews are usually in with the test-prep and study-guide books. Barnes & Noble's SparkCharts are good choices too. If you have a choice, look for materials that work well with your learning style or things you find engaging that you think would work well in your future classroom. Barnes & Noble advertised THE TIMES COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE WORLD around Christmastime - huge historical atlas with maps on double-page spreads and explanations of what the maps show. If it's in your local B&N, it's probably been marked down to $20 and it would be a steal at twice the price.

Bear in mind that the scoring scale is 100 to 300, with passing at 220 - you don't have to ace this thing to pass - and that each subtest is scored holistically, so shaky constructed response skills can be compensated for by a strong multiple choice performance or vice versa.

 

What helped me

I took and passed the CSET: SS in March. I found it helpful to READ extensively. There were a couple of questions from left-field, but I found that what the CSET website had was helpful.

If you're a grad student (as I am again), a word of caution: be sure you can cover the material in a broad manner. I like to "go deep" but this didn't help me -- except for one or two essay questions. Make sure you a comfortable with all the domains/subsections.

Good luck to all of you taking this one!

-M

 

I have been trying to find the US government website referred to here. Does anybody know the link? Thanks!

 

There have been some posts on economics for kids elsewhere on the A to Z site that might be helpful - try doing a search with "economics".

 

:thanks:
I passed all 3 on the first try too!

I studied heavily for 7 days and used a standard Middle School American History text, Cliffs Quick Review Economics (excellent for me because I had absolutely NO background in this area), and a library book called "History of the World".

 

Well done, enseigner!

 

Thank you for helpful and concise info. Do you think covering U.S. Revolutionary period in more detail is important?
Michael

 

Let me clarify: is this for single subject or for multiple subjects? (There are some differences in approach and emphasis.)

 

Hi,
Thanks for your prompt reply. I'm studying for a Single subject.
Another question: is there any emphasis on chronology of events, i.e. remembering the dates?
Michael

 

If you're asking whether you are expected to know the day and month of the battle of Vicksburg (to take an example), I would expect not. But a high school history teacher should know why Vicksburg was important, and part of the reason has to do with it coming after a long string of bad news for the North.

The SMR is well worth a look.

 

cset social science help needed

I'm taking the CSET, Social Science Subset 3 on 1-20-07.

Do you know what type of Civics question are on the test? Which subject, of the three, should I study the most? California history is concerning me also.

Thanks in Advance!

 

The Subject Matter Requirements document - or, if you prefer, the subtest description for Subtest III - should shed some light.

According to the general information document for CSET Social Science, you'll see 18 multiple choice questions in civics, 15 in economics, and just seven in California history.

I'd expect that most of the civics questions will have to do with American government - the Constitution, checks and balances, branches of government, major Supreme Court decisions, voting and the history of the extension of suffrage, and the like. There could be questions about other forms of government, but I'd bet against there being very many. Though of course you might see some questions about California's constitution or about more local issues in government.

 

Thanks!

 

Took the test back in 2004, although I was a social science major (idiots at the office told me I had to take this test) and I didn't, I studied only one book...Don't know much about history...it tells you all the major events, including the constitution, etc...this book was the way to go if you ask me

 

I am planning on taking the CSET single subject social science tests in March 2007. I was looking at some online study guides and found a website that guarantees a passing score on the first try or you get your money back. Has anyone purchased the following study guides by "A Teaching Solutions Test Success Systems"? If so please tell me if it is worth the 60 bucks.

 

I can't imagine guaranteeing a passing score on the first try for any CSET exam without meeting the test taker first.

 

It took everything out of me, I was there for about 5 1/2 hours writing straight through, I passed on the first try...it wasn't easy though...would recommend you breaking it up and only take 2 tests...I could barely drive home at the end of it....

 

I have looked at some of the CSET study guides for multiple subject (just because they don't have a study guide for single subject) to see what strategies they give. They have even broken up each subtest to show how many multiple choice questions have to answered correctly to pass. Does anyone know how many questions per subtest there are and how many have to be answered correctly for a passing score? Also, does anyone know the passing rate for this single subject CSET?

 

The breakdown of the subtest by question type and domain is on the CSET Web site: go to http://www.cset.nesinc.com/CS_testguide_SSopener.asp and look at the Social Science General Examination Information document. A quick rundown of the material covered on each subtest is in the Subtest Description document for that subtest, and sample questions are in - duh! - the Sample Questions document for each subtest.

Be wary of statements about the number of questions one needs to get correct, because there's not a straightforward correspondence between raw scores and scaled scores. What's more, each subtest is scored holistically: a stellar performance in multiple choice can cover a less than impressive job on constructed response. That said, a passing score per subtest is 220 on a scale from 100 to 300, and if you get 2/3 of the available points overall, you should be fine. (It's worth pointing out over 70% of people attempting CSET Social Science as of July 2005 passed it on one or more attempts.)

 

Thank you for the info!

 

cset social science

i recommend using AP guides in geography, goverment/politics, economics, world history and us history. the cset study guides for multisubject are good for california history. also, the old praxis books can be helpful.

 

I am preparing early for the Cset SS in September 2007 and I am really nervous. I have been trying to collect all my study materials, and have been looking up a lot of the books that are recommended, but it seems that I can never find the exact edition they recommend, or they are horribly expensive. Anyone else had this in their experience?
Also, I am planning on buying World History and US History for Dummies... would you say this would sufficiently prepare me for subtest 1 and 2??
By the way this thread has been a lifesaver so far, I have been reading it long before I decided to join and post myself.

 

You don't need the exact editions in the Test Guide - and if you want them, see if they're available in your local public or university library. In fact, there's quite a variety in the resources that can be helpful with CSET exams. AP guides are good. For Subtest I, a comprehensive world historical atlas can be an excellent choice, as well as being useful in your future classroom.

 

Thanks for your quick reply, TeacherGroupie...
So with a world historical atlas, are you implying that the geographical section is rigorous? Or just that the atlas is useful in general?

 

Well, there's certainly a geography constructed response in each of Subtests I and II - but a historical atlas is helpful because it shows where various events happened and thereby gives another mental handle to the learner.

 

You can buy slightly older editions of AP books on several websites for just a few of dollars. I think I bought three for less than $15 (including shipping). I also checked out U.S. History for Dummies at a public library.

 

I'm taking this on Saturday!

 

Breathe, please, gang.

 

Wow! That was tougher than I thought!

 

Thanks! I am currently studying for the Social Science Single Subject CSET & that california history website has been a gr8 help! I am taking all three subsets on May 17th & i fell much more confident about taking the test (knowing that other people have passed all three subsets at one time). Thank God for this website... :up:

 

Look for connections: a good deal of US history is rooted in civics, and vice versa.

 

You can purchase the cliff's Quick Reviews at borders

 

what books to use for CSE subtest 3?

are the cliffs books enough for me to pass the third subtest of the Social Science CSET?

 

What background have you already got in US government and economics, adversary?

 

Taking all three subtests next week! I'm not counting on all 3 at the same time, but I might as well try!
Any advice for studying the economics section? It seems I need the most help with that.
I majored in history so I haven't looked into the US History subtest, I've been focusing on world history and civics.

 

Start with the content standards/Subject Matter Requirements doc; if it mentions a term, make sure you know it. The Internet is your friend here. I particularly like Answers.com.

SparkCharts has a fine little review sheet for macroeconomics and another for microeconomics. Friendly review books along the lines of the For Dummies series and the Complete Idiot's Guide series may also be helpful.

Do bear in mind, by the way, that there's more civics on the subtest than there is economics - and that passing is 220 on a scale from 100 to 300, so one needn't ace the subtest to pass it.