In the United States, about one third of new teachers being hired are drawn from alternative certification programs. One way to address controversy about the differences among the training experiences of teachers in traditional certification programs, fast-track alternative programs, and residency alternative programs is to examine teacher reports of how well prepared they felt in their 1st year of teaching. Using data from the 2003-2004 Schools and Staffing Survey, this study addresses questions about 1st-year teachers' backgrounds and about their feelings of preparedness. Alternatively certified teachers are found to feel somewhat less well prepared than traditionally certified teachers. Results also show that 1st-year teachers who have fewer types of education coursework and shorter field experiences feel less well prepared than teachers whose pedagogical preparation is more complete. Finally, this study suggests important implications for program administration and policy and for methodologies used in teacher education research. (Contains 5 tables and 4 figures.)