New Astronomy DSST

[djl5554]

I'm going to be taking this in about a week or two and was wondering if anyone had some solid feedback on the new test? I understand it recently changed and that a lot of the study material on it is obsolete so needless to say I am a bit nervous about it. If anyone has taken it and can state what resources they utilized in addition to InstantCert I'd greatly appreciate it. I've read Astronomy for Dummy's, bought and printed out an info chart, read up on Wikipedia, as well as studied from InstantCert. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Gooberman11]

I have no solid information. I just know the "normal" astronomy stuff isn't on the test at all. So even though it is an Astronomy test-it isn't about Astronomy anymore. I would broaden your study to include Physics that might be related to Astronomy. I've heard quite a bit of math is now on the test. We'd love to hear your feed-back when you are done. I think the recent test takers have been in too much shock to remember what was actually on the test. They just know it doesn't have any Astronomy! We are rooting for you!

[scribbles311]

I have no solid information. I just know the "normal" astronomy stuff isn't on the test at all. So even though it is an Astronomy test-it isn't about Astronomy anymore. I would broaden your study to include Physics that might be related to Astronomy. I've heard quite a bit of math is now on the test. We'd love to hear your feed-back when you are done. I think the recent test takers have been in too much shock to remember what was actually on the test. They just know it doesn't have any Astronomy! We are rooting for you!

Can confirm, took this test today using InstantCert's Astronomy flashcards. 90% of the test questions were not covered at all. It's mostly applied astronomy now - questions like, "If the sun vanished describe the motion the Earth would take?" and "How does one massive moon affect the development of moons with a tighter orbit?" If I didn't have a pretty strong grasp of physics I would definitely have failed. None of the astronomy history covered before Einstein was on the test. InstantCert needs to update the flashcards - judging by this post, it's been almost a year since the test was changed.

Edit: The questions above are EXAMPLES. They did not appear on the test, but the concepts crucial to answering them did.

[ilektranik]

Made 455. Would not have been surprised if result was failed but I did OK. As stated previously, flashcards are not really representative. No history to speak of. One question had Herschel and Hubble as possible answers. No Greeks.

Be ready to infer a lot about radiation, phases of the moon, gaseous planets, colors of stars, orbits, possible extraterrestrial life, etc. Very simple math about gravity, PV/T=k and light.

My general interest and lifetime of reading books and news did as much as anything.

Still, I utilized only Instant Cert and a bit of Googling for study.

[CTeener]

With this new test, would you recommend the following as study material, or will none of this come in handy?

CliffNotes
Idiot's Guide to Astronomy
Free-clep-prep.com's Quick DSST Prep Sheet