Customer Reviews

Cracking the SAT, 2010 Edition (College Test Preparation)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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 errrors 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. I went from a 650 (62 MC, 10E) to an 800 (80 MC, 12 E) simply by learning the rules given in this book's grammar section.

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 (New) Official Guide for practice tests.

I borrowed this book from the library just for the practice tests. Unfortunately, the Princeton Review's idea of what the SAT should cover bears little resemblance to the actual SAT. The reading comprehension on the test I did had the reference line numbers in the questions consistently off by 5. The math section tested for memorization of facts, such as the definition of a function and specific rules of triangles, in a way that one might expect to see on a subject test but is completely out of tune with the pure logic-based approach of the general SAT. The essay prompts were questionable at best and nonsensical at worst. Some of the answers for reading comprehension and grammar were just objectively wrong.

This book is misleading, poorly edited, and just frustrating. If you've never studied for a standardized test before, you might find the test-taking tips useful. If you're a bit more advanced or are looking for realistic practice tests, give this book a pass.

The first time I took the SAT in January (with no reviewing), I received a score of 1660 (1140). I was not content with this score, so I decided to take it again in an attempt to earn some merit scholarship money. I bought the Princeton Review book and studied (not just looked over, but actually took the time to do the activities) it rigorously throughout each chapter. I focused primarily on the Critical Reading/Vocabulary sections since that score was 100 points lower than my Math score. I brought the book to class with me and in my free time, I would crack it open and continue to work. I did not even get a chance to work on the practice sections because of time constraints (I bought the book two weeks before I was supposed to take the test). I guess you could consider it cramming, but with solid time put into the practice activities, my confidence and abilities increased immensely. I only got a chance to skim over the math sections, though. I just received my test scores a few days ago from the November test date and they are a true tribute to this Princeton Review SAT book. My math score went up 100 points, my critical reading score went up 70 points, and my writing score went up 80 points, making it a total point increase of 250. My final score turned out to be a 1910 (1310).

Thank you Princeton Review SAT Prep Book.

Usi is exactly right about the Princeton Review for the SAT. It's terrible. The exercises are not carefully developed or vetted, as they are in the College Board's Study Guide. The multiple choice exercises contain many errors and ambiguities and would never qualify for inclusion on the actual SAT. This is a book put out by business entrepreneurs, not by skilled teachers or academics. Anyone with an advanced degree in English will recognize that the Princeton Review is a scandalously poor SAT study guide. I sometimes wonder how Random House would have allowed this to be published.

Almost all the information a student needs to get a much higher SAT score is in this book. The included practice tests are very faithful to the actual SATs and are tremendously helpful. Remember: the actual test is FOUR HOURS LONG. Sitting through at least a couple of practice tests (accurately timed) will prepare you for this mental endurance test.

This book is excellent for an above average to very good student. Lower scoring students may find the book intimidating without an instructor or coach to help them get through it. Many students benefit from repetition, which is a bit lacking, as text has expanded at the expense of practice problems and exercises. There is a lot of material to cover and it's mostly well covered, but the emphasis seems to be a shotgun approach to covering the whole gamut of the test and techniques. Sometimes the details that enable a student to more easily grasp the concepts are glossed over or omitted.

Don't buy this a week before the test. For best results, buy it 8 to 10 weeks (or at least 6 weeks) before the test and spend at least 2 to 4 hours a week studying. Make sure to take at least two of the practice tests (remember to time them or even better, get someone to do it for you) and use the sections in the other test as drills. If you're short on time, the easiest way to get a lot of score improvement is to concentrate on the grammar and vocabulary. Memorizing the dozen grammar rules that are tested most and learning how to recognize them in test problems will maximize your grammar score. Break up the vocabulary into manageable chunks and get familiar with as many of the words as possible; it will help your reading score a lot.

Of the available choices, this remains the best general guide to the SAT. The annual updates keep the material fresh and relevant. The vocabulary section is a great resource, and the techniques presented throughout the book are effective.

This book is great for strategy and shortcuts. I recommend studying it alongside the Offical Guide to the SAT. The offical guide is heavy on content but low on strategy. Together these books make the best study guide for the SAT.

But remember, you do have STUDY to make them work for you.

I raised my score in all three sections after using this book.

I consider the Princeton Review SAT books to be the best and most accessible SAT books available. I used them myself in high school to score in the 99+ percentile for the SAT, PSAT, and ACT, and I currently use them as the basis for lessons with my SAT students. The Barron's books have a much more thorough vocabulary, which I think is beneficial for anyone aiming for a perfect score. However, the Princeton review is perfect for most students, and it's written in friendly and entertaining manner.

While I would never encourage last minute cramming, this is also the book that you want for quick preparation. Not only does it cover all of the material, you will be able to work through it for hours on end with out feeling compelled to nap.

This book was indeed very helpful. I took my SATs the first time cold without studying or even looking at a SAT question and I scored a 1470. Pretty horrible. Anyways, after purchasing this book, I skimmed and read a bit of the information and continuously took practice tests for two weeks straight prior to my test. I then scored a 1740. That's a 270 point increase without paying for classes and studying at my own convenience. Spectacular book, but even then I wished it had more practice tests than the 4 in book one.

I've been a private tutor preparing students for the SAT since 2003. While the best approach is to use several sources, and take authentic SAT tests that are released by ETS, if you're only going to buy one book this is the one to buy. The strategies in this book are the best I've seen.

If you already have a good test taking strategy and are just looking for something supplement, the College Board website has what you need to know for the math section, and the most painless way to build vocabulary is through SAT vocabulary books or online at the Logophile's Library.

My son used this book and feels better prepared for his tests. He said that the way it was written it was far more engaging than some of the other materials that he had used. We will see how well it works in a few months!