Barron's SAT I: How to Prepare for the SAT I [Paperback]

Sharon Weiner Green (Author), Ira K. Wolf (Author)

Book Description

Series: Barron's SAT | Publication Date: January 1, 2001

Students preparing to take the SAT I exams that are being given in November and December 2004, as well as in January 2005, will find in-depth preparation in this, Barron’s 21st Edition of the SAT I manual. Students who plan to wait and take the all-new SAT in March 2005 or later should order Barron’s How to Prepare for the NEW SAT (22nd Edition), which will become available on this web site in November 04. Reflecting the SAT I exams, as they’re being given now through January 05, this current 21st Edition presents a diagnostic test and seven full-length SAT I tests, all with answer keys, explanations, and solutions. Descriptions of the test’s various question types will help students understand and master all SAT I special question formats, including the Student-Produced Response (Grid-in) questions in math. Seventeen math review sections cover all math topics that appear on the test, each section followed by SAT-type questions. Verbal skills review material includes vocabulary-building exercises, reading comprehension exercises, and vocabulary flashcards on perforated card stock, which can be removed from the book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 824 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 21st edition (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764113909
• ISBN-13: 978-0764113901
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.9 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #551,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the SAT-prep book crop, June 6, 2001

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barron's SAT I: How to Prepare for the SAT I (Paperback)

I looked at the Princeton Review and Kaplan books, but ended up using this one instead. It doesn't appear any larger on the outside, in terms of book size and paper weight, but there's about three times as much material here as in the Kaplan book. With more practice tests, more extensive discussion and review of math concepts and more vocabulary words and flashcards, this book gives you far and away the most value for your money. After taking the practice tests in this book, and in 10 Real SATs, I got a 1520 on the actual test (V: 800, M: 720). I'm taking the test again this fall, and I'm going to try for that 800 on the math section. This book will certainly be the cornerstone of my continued studies for the test.

The only circumstance under which I would recommend primarily using the Kaplan book instead is if you are scoring below 1100 on your initial practice tests... In this case, the Kaplan book will probably help you more, as it covers some general strategies that will help you get your score up into the 1300 range, strategies which this book neglects in favor of more sophisticated material.

As always, you'll only get as much out of it as you put in: so use the book regularly, supplement it with outside reading if you have trouble with the verbal section and with extensive problem solving if you have trouble with the math section. But that said, this book provides an excellent foundation for your studies and I highly recommend it.

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful but has a few weaknesses, January 26, 2002

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Barron's SAT I: How to Prepare for the SAT I (Paperback)

Barron's HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE SAT I is a fairly decent all-in-one guide for tackling the USA's standard college-entrance examination. It discusses what the SAT I is and how best to study for it, gives test-taking strategies to exploit the test's grading system, and spends several hundred pages giving the student the verbal and mathematical skills necessary to face the test. At the end are seven full-length model exams. I used this guide to take the SAT I and scored 600 on the math section and 780 on the verbal, for a combined score of 1380.

I've always been pretty good at verbal concepts so I didn't make use of that section of the book, but as math has always been difficult for me, I spend several weeks on the mathematics section. The Barron's guide breaks down the SAT I's math expectations into 12 units, each concentrating on a different mathematical concept. Each section of each unit is followed by a short test involving the concept. I am happy this guide gave me the refresher on mathematics necessary to succeed in the test, but I do have my complaints. One is that the mini-tests at the end of the section are too short and don't give adequate practice. Another complaint is that for a person like myself who had been out of high school for a couple of years when he took the SAT I and had already forgotten most of high school math, the Barron's guide makes assumptions on what you already know, as I suppose most purchaser of this guide are in high school. I would have been much happier if the guide had truly started from the basics in the math section.

I was dissatisfied with the model exams. Although they are very close to the actual test, Barron's uses a different grading system, meaning that with a score for the model exams there's still no ballpark figure for how one will do on the SAT I. I would like to see the next edition of this guide use the same grading system as the actual test. If a student is shooting for, let's say, 1250, he should know how close he is to his goal.

In spite of its flaws, this is still one of the best SAT I preparation guides out there. It certainly saved this adult student who had forgotten quite a bit, and I believe that it can be trusted to raise one's score, as long as one puts in the necessary time and effort into using the guide.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't have to buy many SAT books, June 26, 2002

By 

carlos (La Paz, La Paz Bolivia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barron's SAT I: How to Prepare for the SAT I (Paperback)

If you are going to take the Sat I would only recomend you two books:
1. How to Prepare for the Sat I (Barron's How to Prepare for the Sat I, 21st Ed)
2. 10 Real Sat's from College Board (2nd Edition)

The first book will help you too much with vocabulary even though I think that 3000 words are too much too memorize but you'll be able to study from the most important words selection if you don't have enough time. It also have flashcards to play if you want.

It is a good book to prepare you for the math section (with every topic you'll have to cover), so I don't think you will have problems with that in the exam if you take a carefully review of the explanation and do all the math problems to practice, It's definitely good at this, the best I think.

The problem is the reading part of the test, this book won't help you, thats why you have to study from the 10 real sat's book it will give some important advices and it have more difficult tests in this section.

The second book is good but not enough, the 10 real SAT's will help you very much, but in my opinion it's the only good thing it has besides the reading part explanations.

The first book has 7 test to improve yourself, I recomend to do one every week, it also have an answer sheet that will explain how to solve every problem and will tell you which chapter you have to study harder.

Please don't buy every book you find, you wont cover all of them. These are the only two books you need, I guarantee you a good score.