NYSTCE Mathematics Content Specialty Test (004)

I took the CST 4 times from June 13, 2009 to Feb 22, 2010 and got 205, 215, 218, and 211 respectively. Then my college advisor suggested this book. I read the reviews and was reluctant to purchase it because others wrote that the book has several errors. There ARE wrong answers and information in this book. However, it's not a lot. I purchased it anyway and it did the trick. I just got my score from the April 10th test and I passed, with a 230. There are things in this book that you will feel are over kill, but study it anyway. The last question of the exam required you to use the quotient rule from calc. The example of the last question in the review book is no good. Use the review question from the CST practice exam on line. The test seemed easier and I felt better prepared this time around.

In classic REA fashion, this book is a thorough review with practice exams well above the level of the test. I skimmed through most of the book and ran out of time on the practice exam, on which I scored a 240. When I took the actual exam, I had about 30-40 minutes to spare to go over my answers, and scored a 291. If you are a strong math student with coursework at least through linear algebra and multivariable calculus, the CST is not a challenging exam. That being said, if you have been out of school for a while, it will be valuable to review many of the concepts in probability, statistics, and calculus. Still, these "more advanced" topics are only a small portion of the exam. I would echo one of the other reviewer's comments that the free response question is always basically the same. Just review the practice exam on the NYSTCE web site and you will be fine.

This book provides many examples and problems to prepare you for the CST in Math to get your N.Y.S. teacher's certification. It is worth it.

the book is thorough and covers a lot of material. some people say that it covered too much of calculus and i agree. the mst cst test is really broad and general so its better for the book to be more exhaustive than not. good book overall (i passed the test) but there are a lot of spelling and even mathematical errors in the book just to warn you.

I just received my Math CST scores back. I passed. I received a score of 241. For a guy who last took HS math 20 years ago, I'm pretty happy. If I can offer any advice to future test takers of the Math CST: - memorize the long answer question in the sample provided by the NYSTCE. It's almost identical. It's going to be a Volume/Area question. They simply change the focus. The sample test was a cylinder. My exam was an aquarium. I bet you can change that to anything from a sphere, to a cone, to a pyramid, to a block, to a cup, to a cone with a half sphere (ice cream cone), etc, etc. - the calculator saved my life. Know how to use it intimately. It was tricky for me cause I never used it in HS. But know how to graph, change screen views, find roots, list numbers to find equations, etc, etc. I bet the calculator saved me close to 100 points. - I over studied. Spent alot of time on complex mathematics. This probably cost me a higher score. There were only 3 Calculus based questions ... two on differentiation and 1 on integration. They were very simple also ... so don't OD on studying Calculus like I did. - the first 5 or 6 questions were gimme's. Very simple definitions. Unfortunately, I spent so much time on complex Calculus, I ignored the simple definitions. Anyway, know how to spot Induction, Deduction, Pascal's Triangle, a Fibonacci number, Rational/Irrational numbers, complement/supplements, and other basic algebra definitions. - know the difference between permutation and combinations, and when to use either one. There were probably 5 questions on permutations/combinations. - focus on algebra, geometry, and trig. This is the majority of the exam. The trickiest thing about the Math CST is there really isn't any good study material for it. REA makes a CST study guide, and I also studied out of the Barrons Math B guides. The bad thing about the REA study guide was that it tried to cover everything 100% with equal weight. It should have given a stronger focus on the areas which have higher emphasis, and not worry about complex integration. Overall the REA study guide covered everything which was on the exam. I just wished it gave more emphasis to areas of focus, instead of hitting everything equally. The REA practice exams were much harder than the real CST ... which makes it a bit frustrating but helps to overly prepare when it really counts. Ignore the long answer in the REA practice exams, and follow the sample long answer in the sample NYSTCE website. Ok, good luck to any future test takers. Hope this helps.