Customer Reviews

10 Real Sats

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this book because I needed to practice from *real* SAT's, and that's *all* I bought this book for. It does everything that it says (Title itself says 95% of this book's purpose). I wasn't expecting that College Board or ETS would be giving away their tricks that they so much try to "protect" from students. And I was right, they didn't.

This book has the ten real SAT's from around 1994 to 1997 and answers and how to score them and all. It also has test taking stuff, a _little_ bit indepth than what they say on the test booklet itself. Tricks mainly include stuff like Guess if you can eliminate at least one choice, Pick numbers in Math problems, etc. Basic stuff, nothing big.

GET THIS BOOK *IF*... you're looking for practice, this is a *great* book to get. And that's the *only* reason to get this book--practice.

DO *NOT* GET THIS BOOK IF... you're looking for a full-blown prep for the SAT. I find "Complete Preperation for the New SAT" by Dr. Gary R. Gruber to be the best, and I've tried many "popular" books from the library like Kaplan, Princeton Rewiew, and Arco (a lot better than Kaplan and Prineton Rewiew). Gruber's book has no "quick" fixing, instead a sure way. Thats what I think is important--a sure way than a trick or something that might get you the answer...

In conclusion, get this if you need practice, don't get it if you need full blown SAT Prep.

This book is the real deal. Before taking the SAT in May 1999, I studies with the Princeton Review book. I got a 1290, 60 points below my goal. I decided to try out the 10 Real SAT book while prepping the November 1999 test. I got a 1390 (720 Math, 670 Verbal). The book familiarized me with the type of questions, how to attack each section, etc. Instead of using gimmicks (like recommended in the Princeton Review book), I practiced 10 real SATs and got a feel of how to work the SAT. It paid off, as my scores show. Having used 2 different books, I can say with confidence that the 10 Real SATs book is THE way to prep for the SAT.

Taking the tests in 10 Real SAT's is by far the best thing you can do to raise your score. Really. Becoming familiar with the test, seeing the types of questions and just getting in the SAT taking mindset will help you more than any vocabulary flashcards, math worksheets, tutors, or SAT programs ever will (and the book is a lot less expensive!).

Though I did not score poorly on my PSAT's, I did want to score significantly better. After doing those flash cards and math sheets and visiting a few tutors, my score had gone up, but not as much as I had wanted it to. So, for the two months before the big test day, I took one full test every Saturday (it sounds like I lot, I know, but it's not that bad!). With each test, my score went up 10-30 points, and on test day, I did even better than I had been doing on the practice tests, raising my score to the level I had wanted.

My advice: buy this book, and take at least three or four tests. It WILL raise your score! (Unless you're consistently getting 1600's, of course...)

I've upped my score from 1400 to 1580 in the space of one year thanks to this book. I'm ordering this book for my little sis as well.

If you can also go to a public library and find old copies of 10 SATs, it would be even great, more practice for you. Sure, they're older and have slightly different format, but the vocabulary and the verbal reading passages questions have always been the same since the antediluvian times (look that up :)). There are 4 editions of the older 10 SATs... I was lucky my local public library had all 4.

I've always gotten questions from juniors asking how I got such a high score. I asked them if they practiced at all before taking it. Most said no, or "Once or twice". So I just shot back, "Do you think it's a good idea to take the practical driving test with only two hours of driver's ed?"

Just my two cents from an old fart of a college senior.

If you want gimmicks and tricks to guess your way through the SAT, don't buy this book. If you're ready to actually do the work necessary to earn a score that reflects your true ability, then 10 Real SATs is for you. The book does give sound advice on strategies to use on each type of question, but its real strength lies in having just what its title says: real questions from actual tests. I have used this book to teach SAT prep with great results, by emphasizing that there are no magic bullets to earning a good SAT score: it comes from hard work and practice. 10 Real SATs gives students the ability to focus their energy on the right questions and under time pressure similar to what they would find in a test situation by timing themselves while taking a real SAT. No other book gives students that.

This is not a book to help you crack the SAT I. It gives you 10 real tests from the past, so you know exactly what to expect on your own SAT I. Many of the questions will probably show up again in future tests. But the real help comes from allowing you to be totally familiar with the SAT I.

Ten years ago I used this book to help me get a 680 on the verbal section - just a year after I came to America and started learning English. My advice: take all the tests, analyze what you missed, and you'll see the results!

If you are serious about college or a university, then this book is a must. You will learn the powers of practicing with real actual test. What you score on these test is what you will score when you actually take the test. Don't kid yourself. You need this material. I am a doctor and have taken my share of exams. This material I obtained for relatives near college entry level.

To do well in anything you need practise, and this book gives you all the practise you need for the SAT. Unlike other books in the market, this book's got REAL SAT questions.
Try to do all the tests in this book. Take the tests under real exam conditions. I first got a 1360 in the SAT, after studying this book I improved by 180 points.
This book gave me a lot of confidence which is the key to doing well in a test. I knew what exactly to expect on the day of the test. I knew that the questions were taken directly from real exams and if I could solve them here, I could solve them in the exam.
You would get to know in advance how you would in the SAT if you have taken the tests properly. In fact my performance on the SAT was better than on the tests.
However, this book lacks extensive practise for the individual sections and a vocabulary builder. I would suggest you to buy the Barron's book along with this one. Don't do the tests from Barron's. Only do the ones on this book and with a lot of practise and hard work you are sure to do well on the SAT.

No one.. i mean NO ONE... remotely likes the SATs. All we want is a good score! Well, schemes and tricks aside, this is the best way to do it. This book publishes 10 actual REAL SATs taken in the mid-90s. If you know how to do every math problem in this book, you will not run into anything surprising when you take the test. There are only so many words in the english language, and if you know all of the words in this book, chances are... they will show up on the day you take the test (REMEMBER? THE DAY THAT NEARLY DECIDES YOUR FUTURE! )... if you read enough of the boring passages in this book, you'll be able to do it a lot quicker (and without falling asleep) on the real day of your SAT. Practice makes perfect, and there's no better way to practice for the test than with the test itself. Get this book. Do every single problem.

I used this book just for the real practice exams (I used the Princeton Review computer program for actual learning type stuff.) Taking real tests was definately a self-esteem booster. The highest I got on a practice test was a 1350, but my actual SAT score was a 1430! It helped getting used to doing the tests, so that I didn't have to waste time filling out the answer sheet or reading the directions. Definately a good buy!