What is the difference between an examination copy and a student copy textbook?

Question

I bought a textbook through a vendor online and found out after recieving it that it was an examination copy. It's so tiny and I'm not even sure if it had all the necessary information. Can I still be able to use this through my course or do I have to purchase another book? I spent a fair amount on this book and felt like I was scam.....

I double check the official websites and all the chapters seemed to be there. I don't know if the picture sizes are what makes a difference. This exam. copy is pretty tiny, about 6 1/2 by 9 1/2.

Answer 1

You should contact the seller AND the website you bought it from and let them know that it was an examination copy. You should be able to get a refund and get that person banned because those sites usually have rules against that.

Next time you're in the market for textbooks, try Bigwords.com. They have a search engine that allows you to filter out the copy you want. Good luck!

Answer 2

Usually an "examination" copy is a copy of a book given to a teacher/professor by the publisher, in hopes that the teacher/professor will choose to use that book in her/his class. The material in both types of books will probably be the same, although depending upon the subject matter, the "examination" copy may have answers to questions and/or information about additional resources that can be used in teaching the class.

Answer 3

Examination copies are those given to professors who are trying to decide whether or not to adopt a book. There may be pages or chapters missing from it, or it may just have some things printed across it in an effort to stop those receiving it from reselling it. I would look to see that all the pages are there. If they are, you can use it (and if you are only missing one chapter or a few pages, you can probably copy those from a friend).