Customer Reviews

Cracking the SAT, 2009 Edition (College Test Preparation)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I prepared to take my first SAT, I relied on this book to prepare. Let me first talk about the good aspects of the book:

It demystifies the SAT and takes a "student friendly" approach. That is, it helps convince the reader that the SAT doesn't measure intelligence, self-worth, etc. While this may or may not be true, it relieves one of a significant burden by believing that the test doesn't test anything innate, which prevents the formation of artificial mental barriers or blocks.

The vocabulary list is quite good, as it consists of a short, but sweet list of 200 words that are likely to show up on the SAT (either in passages or in the sentence completions). For such a short list, it sure does get a good number of "hits" on the real thing.

The math refresher is good -- it's not a math textbook in the sense that it will, in vivid detail, teach you the fundamentals of mathematics beginning with "2 + 2 = 4", but it does give you a great refresher of all the topics you (should) have learned. If you're shaky about performing basic algebra, then you don't need an SAT prep book -- you need a basic mathematics book. It also shows how these basic math tools can be applied to the SAT, by showing how to solve several "famous" or "representative" problems to give you a feel of the kinds of problems you'll likely encounter.

The grammar/essay sections are good, too. It goes over the fundamental errror that you'll likely encounter without attempting to write the next great treatise in English grammar. So with the rules in here, you'll feel comfortable answering the questions on the real test.

The best part, by far, of this book is the set of three very accurate, very SAT-ish practice tests. They're slightly more difficult than what you'll encounter on the SAT, but not by any significant margin. The math questions are sufficiently convoluted in wording and the content is great. The passages are of SAT level and the questions are very much in the flavor of the test. The writing/grammar questions are also superb -- any error that you can find on the real test, you'll find in this book on these practice tests. So, all in all, good practice that will demystify the content/format/questions on the test.

Now, for the bad:

Firstly, the reading comprehensions "tips and strategies" are just god-awful. This book explicitly states to "not read the passage and just skim it for the gist". Are you kidding me? That's how you miss out on big points on the reading comprehensions, especially the tone/overall meaning/theme questions. In fact, I was so naive as to follow their advice and got a lower score than I'd deserved (the first time I tried their method and scored 680CR, but when I retook and read through the passages without skimming, I scored a 760.) It's for this that I dock a star -- the section's called "critical reading", not "skim through and hunt for factoids which will invariably be out of context".

The book also doesn't have enough practice tests. The SAT is very much like any intellectual or artistic pursuit -- one's skill is directly proportional to the amount of practice that one has. And if you're using this book as your sole source of preparation, the three tests, while well designed, will run out quickly, and you'll very soon need to buy some more. For this, you can either buy PR's 11 practice tests or the Official SAT Study Guide which has 8 tests created by the ETS (guys who write the SAT). In this case, I'd go with the Official Guide -- no test can be as accurate as one written by the guys at the ETS. Not a huge downfall, especially since most people won't take that many tests, but it's nonetheless a caveat for those aiming for relatively high scores.

All in all, a very light and fairly entertaining read that will get you familiar with the SAT and help you raise your score. But if you're really serious, you're going to need to pair this with another book to provide an alternate perspective (I'd reccomend Barron's), as well as with the Official Guide for practice tests.

The Princeton Review gets inside the heads of the test writers and teaches you how to succeed on the SAT, not how to be a math or English wizard. At first, this seemed like a dishonest approach to me, but then I considered that the test writers deliberately mess with your mind to make you screw up, and I decided that turnabout is fair play. I'm definitely not fantastic at math, but this book helped me raise my score 120 points! Unless you know you're going to score straight 800s, I would highly recommend this book and others in the Princeton Review series, like the math drill and the vocabulary review. I tried a bunch of other study aids, and this one was really the best. Thanks, Princeton Review!

Initially, I purchased some of the Kaplan issued SAT prep books and borrowed my boyfriend's 2 or 3 year old study books to get down and study for this test. When I got down to them, I had scarce interest in the material, so I turned to a close relative (who happens to get paid hundreds of dollars an hour to tutor) for help, and she turned me over to the Princeton Review books.
With this one, and the Practice Test book, I found that the language was stress-friendly, the concepts were, though sometimes controversial or unorthodox, very on target, and the book was less a book, and more a guide. I love reading, but under so much stress, I was very pleased with the lack of wordiness I got from this book, while maintaining language that doesn't have me bolting for the dictionary every passage.
In reference to the discontent from the Reading Comprehension section of the guide referenced by another reviewer, I'd have to disagree. Standardized tests are better viewed as how well you can take the test, not how well you understand the context. With the reading comprehension passages, reading the entire passage is completely unnecessary...it's more important to get from the blurb, straight to the questions, without skimming or reading the material. The test is about the questions, not the material.
I also enjoyed the fact that this book branched out into a DVD segment, the included written tests, and some online material. It helped me get familiar with concepts and strategies, and completely altered my test taking for the better. It was a fun and interesting read that didn't assume you understood, but instead motivated you to get down to the core of the problem at hand. In short, this is a great book, highly recommended to anyone going through the SATs in hope of a more enjoyable, yet highly intellectual, experience.

This 2009 SAT book that i bought about a month ago, has been exteremely helpful! I'm a freshman high school, but wanted a head start on studying for the SAT, thus my parents purchased this latest edition SAT book. I honestly thought it would be boring, but the makers of the book make it very fun! They explain everything with easy step-by-step instructions without the use of big words, and they have coordinating pictures. The pages are perfect for you to write on them. Overall, you won't find this latest SAT book that is out for this low of a price. I wuold suggest buying ASAP because it's going to really give you a big start on your future.

The new SAT exam is geared toward the student who has
a good command of the English language, one who reads
details and excels in basic algebra, geometry and the
elements of pre-calculus. Rudimentary probability is tested
fairly.

This is a practical exam because college students must know
how to do all of the above. The better curricula emphasize
critical thinking and case study approaches that are data
driven.

Today's students are at somewhat of a disadvantage because
the high schools tend to assign "junk reading" rather than
high quality literature. "Junk reading" is laden with
colloquial language and is devoid of superior vocabulary
development and grammatical structure.

There are a few bad questions in the reading comprehension
section; however, the presentation tests fairly the ability
of students to "research details". Researching details is
a huge practical problem in today's economy because few
policy wonks actually read the details sufficiently prior to
executing decisions.

This book develops the various techniques fairly so that
students can pass the test with a good grade. The volume
will not make up for years of neglect in reading quality
literature. Today's youth tend to watch too much TV and
many are glued to video games and other endeavors that
do not do a good job of developing vocabulary skills
to the extent required on this exam.

In addition, some high school students are better prepared
than others. Students who have taken algebra with a fair
amount of applied geometry, 3 years of English and foreign
language, 3 years of Global/American history and a good
science sequence will be at an advantage. Students who have
avoided the more challenging courses may have a disadvantage
on the SAT and a similar difficulty with college material.

Nevertheless, this volume will provide the student with
some practical guidance on how and where to focus the
study effort. A discriminating student will concentrate on
identifying and strengthening weak areas early in the
preparation regimen.

Good luck and follow the presentation faithfully.

Our daughter, 17, who is not a book learner, is excited about this book and the information she is getting from it. It gives a wealth of info about how the questions are asked and how to come to the right answer. It has many practice questions and give the explanations for the right and wrong answers. She takes the test this Sat for the first time, we will see....

Cracking the SAT is written in a way that high schoolers will be willing to read it to help them prepare for the test. It is a very large book - and is best used in small portions. I highly recommend this as a great way to get comfortable with taking the SAT, especially for those taking it for the first time.

My son just took the SAT for the first time and used this book to prepare... I chose different sections for him to focus on, each week leading up to his test date, and my son read and completed the drills... I then checked his answers and we went over what he missed and discussed the correct answers... This is a must-have for any student preparing for the SAT!

I got this book for my daughter. She took the SAT 4 times
She had taken the SAT 2 previous times and reached a 1250.
On her 3rd SAT, using this book, she got a 1270
she chose to not study the 1st time, wanting to find out how she'd do.
she had mono the 2nd time.
she had the flu the 3rd time.

Finally for her 4th SAT she was healthy.
On her 4th SAT, she got a 1380... that was after using this, plus 2 other books... (Barron's SAT 2400: Aiming for the Perfect Score, and The Official SAT Study Guide)

This score has made a huge difference! She is now accepted to the Honors College of USF.

I'm an Advanced Algebra teacher and even though it's only 9th grade, it's never too soon to start preparing students for the SAT. Great book.