CBIC Exam Book: Study Guide and Practice Test Questions for the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology Exam

I bought this before I became an IP, because I thought it would help me learn more about the profession and help me interview well. Luckily, I never did read it at the time. I finally got it out when I started studying for my certification exam. I discovered lots of typos, so I was not terribly impressed. I read the APIC Text, and studied notes from two different review courses for each section. I noticed that the information in this book was *very* basic, and often unrelated to the other sources I was using to study. I didn't find it to be helpful, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to skim it when time allowed. Wrong! I came across information that was flat out wrong! It was a concept that I was familiar with, so I was able to spot the mistake. I decided to quit reading this all together at that point. I was afraid that I would read something else that was wrong and not know it, and I did not want to hurt my chances of passing. (I did pass, without this book!) Save your money. This book is not worth the paper it is printed on. Shell out the $100 for the APIC book. It is much better, and has *far* more practice questions. (I did not look at the questions in this book, so I can't speak to their quality, or lack thereof. There is one practice exam in the back of the book.)

This is a question from the quiz in the back of the book:Select the phase of bacterial growth accurately paired with its characteristic.A. The Attachment Stage: the virus enters the host's cell.B. The Penetration Stage: the virus attaches to the receptor on the host cells surface.C. The Uncoating Stage: the viral capsid is removed, which allows it's nucleic acid material to enter the bodily cellsD. The Uncoating stage: the viral capsid is hardened, which allows ts nucleic material to enter the bodily cells.For a $45 book I would expect the authors not to have mixed up bacteria and viruses....this is one of many typos.

This came in perfect condition. No marks, scuffs, or tears. Thank you!

Lots of editing errors and some content errors here and there. The answers to some questions in the multiple choice quiz were wrong. Not bad but not my top choice!

It is very good and can help in studying ..making it so easy ...

I bought this for my daughter. She says it is a comprehensive study guide and very thorough.

Good test prep.

Overall, I like the idea of this book: a concise, no-nonsense whirlwind through all the various subjects that are fair game for the CIC exam. In practice, this book doesn't quite get there. As others have pointed out, there are numerous elementary mistakes. These confound the practice questions and distract from the reading, in addition to undermining trust in the product. The cover claims "Tips from the CBIC Experts" and "Real Test Secrets Revealed," but the tips and secrets are nowhere to be found in the volume. There is an answer key for the 150-question practice test, but unlike other guides, there are no explanations given for the correct answers. The book simply ends immediately after the key. That might be acceptable if the material itself contained a basis for the correct answers, so the reader could refer back to a section and figure it out, but in many cases the information simply isn't there. Several times I went back over a topic tediously, to find the information I sought, only to realize that it only existed in the heading. That's immensely frustrating. Added to the fact that this volume contains no index or glossary, searching for specific concepts becomes an exercise in frustration.I've attached a photograph of the "How to Use this Guide" section, so you can see the claims they make about the product. Virtually none of these claims is true: There are no worked-through solutions to the problems, merely an answer key; Nowhere in the book is there any discussion of test-taking tactics, nor are there any tips, tricks, or secrets -- the whole thing reads like a simplified, standard text with material ripped from primary sources like the CDC; Ditto for the "simulated one-on-one tutor experience," whatever that means, as again, this book just reads like a standard text and there is no real narrative interaction to speak of. The only claim here that is legitimate is that they've written detailed explanations in organized concepts (but even that is arguable; see first paragraph above). This page is gross misrepresentation at best and outright fraud at worst.This book could be a great resource, but is fairly poor as-is. It desperately needs expert reviewers and editors. The publisher should remove the claims from the cover and page five, unless they actually plan to incorporate those aspects into the writing. I'd stick to the APIC certification guide until Trivium releases an improved version of this book.

A good supplement to help prepare for the CIC exam. Find the chapters slim on content but useful to identify areas that might need more work before the exam.