Customer Reviews

Cracking the SAT II Chemistry Subject Test: 1997 Edition (Cracking the Sat II : Chemistry, 1997. Subject Test)

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

 

 

If you are looking for a quick, concise, and casually comprehensive overview of chemistry for the SAT II Subject test then I recommend this book. If you haven't taken a year of high school chemistry, then this book probably won't help. But if you have, or are enrolled in chem, going through this book will help you review important concepts and give you enough knowledge about the concepts you may not know yet to do well on those questions on the test. You don't need to know chemistry inside and out like the exhaustive Barron's SAT II book teaches you, just a concise and brief overview is what you need and this book gets the job done well!

A lot of people told me that this book will cover the most of the exam. Well, they were right in some ways, but not all. I bought both Barron's and PR's, but neither of them were like the real one. This book was certainly way too easy compared with the real Chem exam. If you're looking for a high score like 700+, then I recommend buying another one along with this one, because it helped me with the concept on the first part of the exam. If you're confident with the basic concepts, then don't buy this book. It's repetitious and time-consuming for more advanced students.

This book is written in an easy to understand manner and gives you just the stuff you need to know for the test. It is done in the fashion of a crash course on Introductory chemistry, topic by topic. However, if you know your stuff it isn't much help to you, because there are few practice questions to do. Use it as a review, or something to jog your memory. If you're looking for practice questions simulating the real SAT II, then I suggest you look for another book. Also this book is verbose and tedious at times. Beware of some minor typos.

I am taking the SAT II this Saturday, and, in a mad dash to study, bought this book and have been working through it like crazy. It is an excellent review. If you didn't already know the topic, however, go straight to your teacher, because this book tells you how to associate rather than dive in depth.

Also, the book has a couple of practice tests at the end. One of the only cons this book has is it is almost too easy... I have a funny feeling the real test will be harder. If you have a short attention span get this book: it is rather sarcastic occasionally and simplifies things so that a sixth grader could understand it. "Everything in the universe is happier when it's in a low-energy state" (p. 51)

I bought this book two weeks before the SAT II Chemistry exam so I could get a feeling for what would be on the test. I had already studied extensively for the AP exam and was already familiar with all of the concepts. I did get a 780 on the SAT II, but I wouldn't attribute it all to this book.

The tips and tricks provided were mediocre at best (ex. Don't let the BIG WORDS fool you!)

I felt the actual material was presented in a very "dumbed-down" manner that (like other Princeton Review Books) was targeted at a student looking for a 500+ score. If you weren't familiar with the concepts in the first place, this book isn't going to help you learn them. As a very light refresher for someone who took the AP three weeks before the SAT II, this will be sufficient.

Probably the best part of the whole book is the exam section. I felt the difficulty very closely mirrored that of the actual SAT II. My scores on the practice exams (780 and 790) very closely reflected that of my own actual score (780)

So if you're looking for a quick refresher and introduction to the test format, this book is for you. If you aren't familiar with basic chemistry concepts and want a book to teach you the material, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Princeton doesn't provide a good amount of information and will not improve your grade much. After using this book, I scored a 550, but after using Barron's, I scored 740. Barron's is the ultiate testbook. It may seem hard but it gives you every tiny detail necessary that may come on the actual exam. I would recommend Barron's for everyone taking the SAT II Biology or Kaplan as a second choice. I would only recommend Princeton if it was the only or last book left for the SAT II Biology.

This book is a great REVIEW book. But if you dont know a topic in this book go straight to your teacher because this book is hard to learn something out of.
Pro's: It does go fairly in depth and I even suggest buying this book for the regents. Updated it has little boxes that help you remember the key terms. It helps you go through the math problems toghther. After a section it gives you practice problems and completly explains each answer. 3 real SAT II practice tests in teh end make it one of the best SAT II Chem review books
Con: Not long enough discussing the topics. I can go through this book in a 2-3 weeks if I do just 1 topic a day. More practice questions should be given for the sections fot the book as well.

I took both practice tests the morning of the SAT2 and found the diversity of questions to be extremely well-correlated with the actual test. Barron's and Kaplan's test questions contain far greater discrepancies in style and format. It's true that the princeton review study guide is "dumbed-down", but it's effective for cramming purposes and utilizes nifty techniques for optimum memorization and fantastic conceptualization. I recieved an 800 on my first testing.

This book has a lot of typos and other mistakes. please think twice before buying it.

This is a great book because it is written in a conversational language.. not like a boring textbook.. the author makes this book interesting to read and makes chemistry much simpler.. however, the practice tests were a little simpler than the real SATII.. after reading this book i felt very confident about taking the test, but looking back, this book may have been a little TOO simple.. but great overall! a good read and review.