The most useful portions of this book are the test questions and answer explanations -- I've browsed through all and have benefited from reviewing them. Please note that there are MANY typos in the practice tests -- some answers they give are just plain wrong. It's not you -- it's the book! The review sections are of mixed quality -- overall, they're helpful but as other reviewers in this area noticed it's hard to cram overviews of so much info in one book. This book is recommended but I intend to also purchase another (probably Barron's) to review prior to sitting for the test in three weeks.

I read and re-read the reviews. You need too. Many of the actual test questions were very similar to the practice tests in this book. The CSET is not easy - you will need a book like this to get through it.

I bought this book to study for the CSET, opting for it instead of Barron's or other prep guides. I only took sections 1 and 3; passed section 1 and missed section 3 by two points. The reason I hold this book accountable is that it makes no mention whatsoever, in its section 3 study guide, about reading sheet music. However, on the exam I took there were several multiple choice questions and one short-answer response that relied on reading music. Without any idea this would be on the test, I was a bit dumbfounded, having no previous knowledge of reading music. Had this been covered, and given the tiny margin by which I did not pass the test, I regret using this book, and will opt for Barron's in the future, who, I later checked, does cover reading sheet music. Do yourself a favor, and go with Barron's as well.