Are you wondering how the ASBOG® official prep course stacks up against this? Here is the full, uncut (except of the reviewer’s contact info) converstaion I had with her, start at the bottom and read up.
Hi Dennis
ok so here is my compare and contrast summary.
I honestly have no clue how to start this but here we go. out of the two study courses I felt more prepared with yours and here is why.
you kept your videos short and to the point with lots of resources to look over and plenty of practice quizzes. You didn't put any fillers in your videos that would take up space in your memory that could be used for stuff that actually is on the test. When I was taking the test I would read a question and I would remember the exact part of the video that held that knowledge so it helped me receive my memory bank a lot better. This year's test though was different, and I am not sure how to explain it. This year's test seemed easier and I don't know if it was because I used your study course with asbogs, or it was just one of the easier tests. there wasn't very much on geologic time scale, math, or even historical events. The last map of the test, the one with multiple questions on it, was a geologic map with colored units and asked questions like which unit came first, what type of fault is the " so and so fault' ( I forgot what that faults where called). thats where geologic time came into play but it was pretty easy to follow with the key. it also asked questions like what kind of fossils would you find in unit 6 and so on. your course really prepared me for that part of the test, which is huge because the last part can make or break you. If it were my first time taking the test, I would feel more prepared with your course.
asbogs study course:
There wasn't a lot of information on the slides but a lot of information that was talked about on the slide, or it would be the opposite and there would be too much information on the slide and not enough talking about that information. it was a little hard to follow and I had to start and stop so many times just to get all the information. Their course is much like their books, lots of information given but hard to know what is actually needed for the test and whats not. I found that if I did your videos and made sure to get all the info there, then went to their videos and just listen through, it would help me to connect what is actually on the test in their videos; if that makes any sense. if it were my first time, asbogs study course wouldn't have helped me personally.
So in conclusion,
Your study course coupled with theirs really helped me to feel more prepared because it was my third time taking it. I kind of already had an idea what was on the test so it was easier for me to pick out the information that I needed. If it were my first time taking the test and the first time looking at the material, your study course would have helped me feel way more prepared then asbogs. If it were my first time looking at the materials for the test I would have felt way to overwhelmed with the information on asbogs course and more calm with yours. like I mentioned above, I really loved how yours was simple and straight forward and how it didn't throw a bunch of unnecessary information at me that I didn't need on the test. your price point is very fair and I actually feel like you can maybe even up it. Asbogs study course for all 8 domains is $800, $100 for each domain.
On Mon, Oct 9, 2023 at 7:57 PM Dennis Leikam <dennis@pgexamprep.com> wrote:
Hi XXXXXX,
Wanted to check in and see how you think it all went? No super rush but when you have a chance to get your thoughts organized, can you shoot me your “compare and contrast” summary? And let me know if you are ok with me sharing it publicly.
Hope you feel good about the exam and all of your prep!
Dennis
On Aug 29, 2023, at 9:23 AM, Dennis Leikam <dennis@pgexamprep.com> wrote:
Good feedback, thank you!
On Aug 29, 2023, at 8:28 AM, XXXXXXXXXX> wrote:
Ok first module didn’t touch base on historical events or the geologic time scale. I feel like your has more info and easy to follow. Asbogs module, you have to pay attention and write notes because he says things I know are on the test that is not on the slide. This first module focused on the calculations, finding thickness, types of geophysical testing and what it’s good for. Their modules you have to listen through first and then go back and write your notes. I feel like if it was my first time taking this test I wouldn’t be prepared enough based off what was discussed in the module and what is actually in the test for this section. Yours definitely makes me feel more prepared if it were my first time taking the test.
On Tue, Aug 15, 2023 at 1:55 PM Dennis Leikam <dennis@pgexamprep.com> wrote:
Awesome!
On Aug 15, 2023, at 2:37 PM, XXXXXXX wrote:
It’s working now!
On Tue, Aug 15, 2023 at 12:06 PM Dennis Leikam <dennis@pgexamprep.com> wrote:
Is that still a problem? I just checked and it’s loading fine for me…let me know either way, hopefully it was a fluke thing.
Dennis
On Aug 15, 2023, at 12:06 PM, XXXXXXX wrote:
Just a heads up! The video Manuel freezes at 1:13:40. It won’t play past that.
On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 7:31 AM Dennis Leikam <dennis@pgexamprep.com> wrote
Thank you!
On Aug 14, 2023, at 7:33 AM, XXXXXXXX wrote:
Sounds great! Thanks so much! I will be enrolling into the asbog course today! I will give you first impressions for both once that happens. Looking forward to this.
On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 5:48 AM Dennis Leikam <dennis@pgexamprep.com> wrote:
Super awesome - you’re enrolled, so you should be able to log on and see all of the content for the FG. Let me think about this just a little bit more but immediate things that I’d like to know are:
- the platform where the school is hosted: both ASBOG and I found third party hosting websites. General impressions on user friendliness, ease of navigation, and professional look/feel. Teachable has an app also, so you can download that if you want to listen to lectures in the car or whatever.
- Quality of the videos: how does quality of the videos compare? Including graphics, voice quality.
- Quality of the supplementary materials, same as above - do they feel/look professional (ASBOG vs. ours)
- Any significant knowledge gaps between pgexamprep and ASBOG? We both followed the exam plan but that is so general that it’s hard to make a study guide out of that.
- Overall impression of pre-test value: the rubber meets the road when you take the test but after you finish both sets of videos, how prepared do you feel?
- after the ASBOG exam - if your brain isn’t too fried and you can differentiate, which course do you feel better prepared you for the exam? From a “I feel confident” standpoint AND from a knowledge standpoint?
- anything else you think that I should know between the two?
I might have some more but that’s off the top of my head. And seriously, please be honest. I’m not looking for someone to affirm that what we put together is great, I’d really like to have the two honestly compared and contrasted - just like you said below, I couldn’t have said it better.
Thanks and let me know if you have any questions!
Have a great week,
Dennis
On Aug 13, 2023, at 10:08 PM, XXXXXXXXX> wrote:
I would very much like that and would have so much fun comparing and contrasting for you. Let me know what those specifics are and I will keep an eye out for them. I am so excited to do this!
On Sun, Aug 13, 2023 at 7:17 PM Dennis Leikam <dennis@pgexamprep.com> wrote:
Holy moly, that’s a lot! I’ve been thinking about this all day and what if I just give you free access to the whole FG course and in return you give me feedback on how mine compares to the ASBOG course? There are a few specific things I’m looking for and would trade for a one page summary of the things I’m interested in and MAYBE a 20-30 minute phone call. How does that sound to you? And totally understand if you’re just too busy to do that just let me know. Since you already registered on the site, I’ll just hop on and automatically register you for it, pretty easy.
Dennis
On Aug 12, 2023, at 10:20 PM, XXXXXXXX> wrote:
Hi Dennis! Thank you so much I will be looking forward to the module! Thank you for letting me know that the course is now available! My company is paying for it that is why I am most likely still going to take it since that was what we agreed on. But that doesn’t mean I can’t sign up for yours as well with my own money if I choose to take it. I like that you say exactly what you don’t need because I feel as if that is my problem when it comes to studying for this exam. It will be my third time taking it and every time I study things I don’t need to spend the energy studying. I am determined to pass the test this time around, and take my PG and California specific in march. Then next October take my CHG.
On Sat, Aug 12, 2023 at 6:27 PM Dennis Leikam <dennis@pgexamprep.com> wrote:
Hi XXXXXXXX,
I should have a sample up by tomorrow for you and I’ll send you a link if you’re interested. It’ll be an entire module. Also - since I was chatting on Facebook with you about it, I feel obligated to make sure you know that ASBOG just released their course. I can’t believe it, it was the same day (or next, maybe?) that we were talking about it. I’m sure their course will be great, like I said I talked at length with them about it. I think the big difference is that since it’s THEIR official course, they can’t say things like, “now this is something you MUST know for the exam….), which is something Horacio and I regularly say. We give more direct advice, where they can’t because it would be a conflict of interest - the best example I can think of is this: do you know if you should memorize the geologic time scale and the corresponding MYA for each designation? We will directly tell you not to worry about memorizing the “million years ago” for the different time periods, ASBOG can’t be that direct. (and whatever you chose, don’t memorize the absolute years, just the order).
Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Dennis
> On Aug 9, 2023, at 5:17 PM, XXXXXXX> wrote:
> Sending you this email now so I don’t forget! This email is in regards to sending g over a sample video to know what I would be buying since everyone studies differently.
“You won’t find a more focused yet comprehensive prep course. Dennis hones in on the elements of the exam you need to know so you don’t need to sweat the small stuff.”
“The CA specific exam covers an impossible amount of material. This prep course does a great job of focusing your studying and giving you a digestible amount of material. Don’t expect all topics to be covered, that would be impossible. However, with the focused material in this course, sound judgement, good fundamentals, and some test taking strategies you’re all but guaranteed to pass.”
“The idea of the exam only holding ideas specific of CA is really important. It’s something XXX (redacted, other prep source) doesn’t state. Knowing that the exam holds true to that idea.”
“There is so much material to cover that it can be difficult to organize material for studying. I recommend this course to anyone planning on taking the CSE, especially those that could benefit from a focused and straightforward guidance.”
“Dennis does a great job putting everything into 4 lectures and his practice problems orient you to understand what to expect.”
“The CSE prep course is by far the best exam prep course I’ve taken. The information provided is extremely relevant to the test and Dennis is always available to answer questions through email. I probably sent him 50 emails over the 5 weeks the course was going on and he responded quickly and answered the questions thoroughly. The course gives you the tools needed to feel confident when taking the exam.”
“Much better than the study book I was previously using. Dennis is a good lecturer who doesn’t rush and makes sure to cover most of the potential exam topics. I watched the lectures on video but also put them on to listen to the audio on slow field days. I highly recommend thoroughly reading the supplemental material that he includes with each lecture as it helped with a good chunk of the test. Don’t make the mistake of feeling like you’re prepared for the exam by simply answering the sample questions (from this course or others). The actual CSE reads like it was written in another language by an AI program that scanned several California geology textbooks and then translated the resulting exam into English - lots of strange wording and purposely irrelevant information. It wastes your testing time and makes it feel like some of test is meant to steer you in the wrong direction rather than assess your practical skills as a geologist. The best way to prepare for this is to have a thorough understanding of the content presented in Dennis’ lectures and reading material. I even saved a few of the readings for my reference folder at work. I don’t know if I passed (no one I’ve talked to does), but I can definitely say that the course prepared me for the test to a much greater degree than studying on my own would have.”
“The CSE study course was really helpful for learning the material in a structured manner. Dennis presents the material in a manner that makes it easy to tackle and he is readily available to answer questions (something that I found particularly helpful). The practice questions were great for getting a feel for the type of questions and how they might be formatted in the exam. Overall, I highly recommend the CSE study course”
“I’ve taken both this course and the (edited: the competition’s) course, and this course was way more useful in preparing for the CA specific exam. The guided preparation format, as opposed to a generic “you should know this” approach, left me feeling exam ready. I am not a good test taker and I left the exam feeling like I had done well, thanks to this prep course!”
“This is a worthwhile course to prepare for the California Specific Exam. Beyond this course, there exists little information on the actual content of the exam. The material is laid out in manageable, digestible portions and all is relevant for the exam. If another geologist asks me which material I would recommend to review, this course would be first on the list.”
“The CSE is not like the ASBOG, and this course is not like the others. I failed the CSE my first time because I failed to get through all of the study material, lecture notes, and reference material. I needed help focusing my study efforts to synthesize the most valuable information in what time I could afford. I feel the drip-content style worked well for me as I was able to digest the material easier. The content was delivered over a four-week period rather then in one four-hour cram session and we finished the course early enough to spend a few weeks diving deeper into the extended reading and subsequent rabbit holes. Dennis was always available for questions, quick to respond, and provided a professional, yet approachable, level of candid knowledge. I found the majority of the course material was relevant for the exam and there were only a couple surprises the day of. Overall, I would highly recommend adding this study course to any CSE study plan.”
“Far and away the best review course I’ve taken for the CSE! Topics are broken down into bite size pieces that you can re-watch for the sections you don’t feel comfortable with. It forces you to start thinking about the topics sooner than you might start studying on your own.”
“The CSE review Dennis has put together delivered on the promise of providing targeted review material to prepare for the exam. For those with similar learning styles to me, sometimes staring at text can make understanding the material difficult; the way the information is provided, through guided modules narrated by Dennis, recommended follow-up study items, and practice questions, allows you to digest the topics in an easier manner. Dennis actually cares about the students in his course and is extremely responsive to any questions that may come up while studying. I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone anticipating sitting for the CSE!”
“This course is worth taking for anybody who would like an introduction to California geology (even if you’re not taking the CSE yet). It covered the main California-specific topics and included a decent number of practice questions that were worded similarly to questions you might see on the California-Specific Exam. Dennis provided a lot of further reading sources to go more in depth to many of the topics, so you can get more out of it if you seek it out. He was also very responsive to student questions and clarified confusion points to the whole group.”
The reviews above are examples of the positive feedback following the 2020 and 2021 courses.
The review below is the closest example of a less than positive experience and for transparency, I share it below:
“I don’t have one (a review) just yet. The course seemed easy and built confidence. The test however is another beast designed to trick you. I don’t think any course can prepare for this sort of test.”
These testimonials are asked for and received only after the student has actually taken the California Specific Exam. That is the only way to receive a fair evaluation of the material in this course: after taking the CSE you have all the knowledge to accurately compare this course to the knowledge requirements of the test. Feedback is greatly appreciated!