The world is a different place these days, but one thing hasn’t changed — textbooks. If you’re studying for your firefighter promotional exam, you’re going to need them. You should absolutely supplement those books with firefighter promotion study software, but there’s no getting around those books. Maybe it’s been a while since you had to crack open a textbook, and they’re looking a little intimidating. Don’t worry — if you have questions about your firefighter promotional exam textbooks, we have answers.
1. Do I Really Need The Books?
In a word — yes. To fully understand and succeed at your future job, you need to read those books. This isn’t something you need so you can pass high school biology. And passing your firefighter promotional exam is really just the beginning. The material in those textbooks will help you for the rest of your career by keeping you and the people around you safe. This is not the time or the place to cut corners.
2. Where Do I The Books?
Textbooks usually come with a pretty hefty price tag, especially if you buy them brand new. You can buy new textbooks pretty much anywhere online, but if you don’t want to pay full retail, here’s a pro tip — a used version of the same book has all the same info at half the price (or less). Crazy, right?
Start with your department. See if any recently promoted co-workers would be willing to let you buy their books off of them. Even better, see if you can borrow them for free. You can also check Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist for used books — you never know what you’ll find. If you can’t find anything locally, check out Amazon or Ebay for used books for sale. Many textbooks can be found used and discounted online. And here’s a fun fact — you can also rent books from websites like Chegg or even Amazon as another money-saving tactic.
3. Can I Use Digital Textbooks or E-books Instead?
Absolutely! Digital books are a great option if you have to study in multiple locations and don’t want to lug a giant textbook around or you just want to save some money. There are a few cons to e-books, though. Sometimes, there’s no e-version of the particular textbook you need. And on some platforms, you aren’t able to make notes to online books. Still, it’s an option worth investigating. E-books are available on websites like Amazon, Chegg, and many more all over the internet.
4. How Many Times Do I Need to Read My Textbook?
There’s no single answer here. If you read your textbook in manageable chunks and you were able to absorb a lot of the content, you may get away with a single read-through. Some people can read a textbook once and comprehend the material fully. If that’s not you, don’t stress. Instead of tackling the whole thing in one sitting, take it chapter by chapter. And if you understood most of the book, but you’re struggling to grasp a concept here and there, don’t dive into the whole book — just brush up on the hard stuff. You’ll learn pretty quickly on this firefighter promotion study journey that much of this is trial and error. Take the time to figure out strategies that work best for you. If that means reading that textbook more than once, well, at least you know!
What Now?
Get your books and get to work — it’s as simple (and as challenging) as that. I’ve written extensively about how to find success with you firefighter promotion, and you might find some of this info helpful: