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Using old texts for ECE, TECEP and straighterline
#1
Hello,

All of these have recommended texts and some still are a bit dear in price. Would getting an edition 1 or two before the recommended text editions be sufficient to use as the main text?

I realize that there are updates between revisions and editions, but are they really worth the extra $50 to $60 dollars if I wont be using them for as required texts for a full length course?

Thanks
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#2
I can't speak to your specific classes, but I didn't buy a brand new text for any of my SL classes or my ECE. (Didn't take a TECEP, but I imagine that would be the same thing)

New editions don't update a lot, so your page numbers may not match and you may see a few minor discrepancies, but unless you're taking a class where there are significant changes from year to year, don't worry about it. You're looking at mastering concepts and understanding the important ideas, not memorizing minute details. So... a medical course might be different, but in my cases with Accounting I and II, and Macroecon from SL and Labor Relations from EC, it was not a problem.

HTH
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#3
I have not done any Straighterline but I have done 2 TECEP and 1 ECE. For the 1st TECEP I bought the recommended addition of the text ( I hadn't found IC yet.) I would never do that again it was a waste of time and money and any old edition or a similiar text would have done the job. For my second TECEP there were no recommended text just any text for a similar course so I used old cheap textbooks on the subject.

For the one ECE I took there were several Expensive text and reading books recommended. I bought older copies and cheaper like text, instead of $350-$400 for books I spent less than $100. I still pulled an A on the test.
Linda

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#4
I know for CLEPs/etc an older text will usually work just fine. I have a 20 year old textbook for the management CLEP. That is stretching it a bit, but it seems to work.

The reason texts change is to keep up with the times, and to change a few assignment questions. This becomes important when you are taking a class and have to have the same page numbers and assignments so you turn in the right answers. But for studying a test, something that is a few versions/years old with the same concepts will apply. TECEPs are just tests so the same rule should apply.

Now for SL, do you have assignments taken from the book? If so then that's a problem and you may well need the specific book.
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#5
I did EC's entire ASN program from start to finish without a new text. Got all of my study materials off eBay...some of it was 4 years old and I still passed each exam on the first attempt using it. So far, (I'm only speaking for EC), they appear to change the names of their exams but the information remains the same. I used information from the old Nursing Concepts series even though I was under the new curriculum in effect now, without the math requirement, of course.
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#6
Thanks everyone. This is all good to know. Considering I can get an older edition for penny's on the dollar compared to the new edition, I think this is the way to go. I really can see that many concepts changing from year to year and would think anything less then 10 years old would fit the bill nicely. I have a shopping cart filled with an online bookstore with over 15 books, many are only 2 editions old (less then 5 years old) and it costs more for shipping then the books themselves. so 15 college level books for less then $70 dollars I think is a steal.
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#7
fretbrner Wrote:Hello,

All of these have recommended texts and some still are a bit dear in price. Would getting an edition 1 or two before the recommended text editions be sufficient to use as the main text?

I realize that there are updates between revisions and editions, but are they really worth the extra $50 to $60 dollars if I wont be using them for as required texts for a full length course?

Thanks

I can't comment on the specific tests you're taking because I'm working solely on CLEP's for now, but have you checked out Amazon's used books? I purchased literally $50 - $100 textbooks in good to very good condition for as little as $5 - $10.
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