Books for Prep | |
 - Border Patrol Exam, 3rd edition.This is a great product if you are interested in joining the border patrol. It gives good advice and offers a couple of practice test. The only problem is that it offers the same sample questions as the ones in the Border Patrol study guide that you actual get from the Border Patrol agency so it is a little repititous. It gives you good background info and on the hiring process and offers plenty of tips on how to do well for the written exam. I would recommend this to anyone interested in a career with Border Patrol. Rating:  - Helped Me Do Well! Others should have utilized!I just took the compressed BPA in Chicago last Saturday (02AUG08)- the 3rd Edition exam guide was instrumental in helping me get an 85 (70 was the minimum for passing). Out of around 110 applicants, probably 50 passed. When we got to the ALT, you could hear people in the room deflating from the unplanned difficulty- DO NOT underestimate the Alternate Language section, for that matter, the entire test is long and not easy. (As a comparison, I recently got an 86 on the TEA which is supposed to be more difficult). Also, a LOT of the Spanish speakers did not make the cut either- DO NOT take the Spanish section unless you can teach it (or at least make sure you have a good handle on English for the verbal reasoning). THE STAR RATING: I gave the study guide 4 stars because of some typos and errors. I can think of 5-8 instances where the correct answer as indicated by the book was, in fact, not correct. Other typos were when the editors were using the Homeland Security Border Patrol Prep Manual as a template and did not change the prefix/suffix to match their rules. There are no other guides out there, so at least we have this one. FREE ONLINE TEST: I could have done without this freebee. I was coming off an excellent practice test of 92% on both sections and took the online test the night before my real exam. When the online exam was graded, I got a 76, but after looking at the explanations, the answer key was rife with errors. I was closer to 84% as far as I could tell. Not a great confidence booster before the test. I see no excuse for this. HOW I USED THE GUIDE: I started studying about 2 weeks out, focusing on the ALT section (there are 2 different tests in the guide, and the Border Patrol sends you a prep manual that has an ALT test). My biggest recommendation is to translate ALL words, not just those requested, and in the section where you indicate if each of the three words is RIGHT or WRONG, if it is wrong, figure out the CORRECT word. You will have a better understanding of the formation of words. If you aren't right, you'll see what you were thinking at the time and make a note of it. (My biggest issue was remembering adverbs DID NOT always end in "LY"- it was reflexive because of the examples in the guide). I took each practice test 2 times (1st x test 1: 65%, 1st x test 2: 72%, 1st x BPA manual 68%, 2nd x test 1: 90%, 2nd x test 2: 92%, 2nd x BPA manual 2nd: 89%). I was averaging 65 minutes per section. I was really amazed that by the end of two weeks, I could read the Alternate Language without using the translation sheet- it was funny. After you get the hang of the ALT, practice answering the questions without writing in the booklet- you won't be able to on test day either. RECAP: I guess some who did not prepare for the Border Patrol test felt like they were trying out for the minor leagues or something. This is to be a Border Patrol AGENT, a federal agent of the United States. Study the ALT and work on your verbal reasoning- put the time in and get the reward. Rating:  - DisappointedTo be honest, when you sign up for the border patrol exam they send you a study guide. The practice tests in both books are the same test and most of the information are in both books as well. The study guide comes through the mail free also. One ok thing about the book was that it gave a little more insight into what the job is about where the study guide didnt have any info about the job at all. Rating: - GREAT BOOK PASSED EXAMTHANKS TO THIS BOOK FINALY PASSED THE BORDER PATROL EXAM AND LEAVE FOR TRAINING NEXT MONTH. YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND Rating: - Fleecing those attempting to get hired as an Agent for Border Patrol I bought this review guide 2 weeks prior to the Border Patrol Exam for the sole purpose of "fine tuning" my speed and accuracy with the Practice Exams, and, unfortunately, I was very disappointed to find that it had too many errors. Explanations for the correct and wrong answers were vague. Many times they didnt make sense. Also, the spanish review was terribly written. Wrong use of verbs, sentence structure, etc. Its unbelievable that this "updated" edition is being sold as is. Save your money. Heck, for all I know I shouldve just reviewd LSAT Logical Reasoning questions. But I'm still glad that I passed with a high score without the help of this study guide. Good luck on your test! :) In association with Amazon.com | |