Customer Reviews

Cracking the SAT II: Biology & Biology E/M 1999-2000 (Princeton Review Series)

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

 

 

I am a biology teacher who was looking for a book to help another teacher's student prepare for the SAT II's in Biology. I was attracted to this book because it seemed to have a lot of helpful test taking strategies and because it was a fairly easy read. The student I worked with, who had done very well in a competitive high honors biology class, did the entire book, and the two practice tests, yet she only scored a 650 on the real exam. In looking over other materials, I can now see that the Princeton Review manual is a lot less thorough, although it is clearer and more readable. Since many courses do not cover all the material on the exam, lack of thoroughness can mean the student does not get any exposure to several topics. If you are looking for an above average score, this book is certainly easier to follow, as well as more enjoyable. However, it is not for the person loking for the highest possible score. In addition, the amount of mistakes the book has is pathetic- for example, they left out how to score one of the tests!

The Princeton Review has a good reputation, but I am beginning to believe they are for the average to slightly above average level student. This is not the only book by them in which I have had a negative experience- I doubt I'll buy something from them again.

It's a shame they didn't proofread the book. The number of mistakes in the 1999-2000 edition which we bought in Spring 1999 rendered it totally unacceptable. [Just two examples of the types of careless mistakes found throughout: on page 27 the drawing of a peptide leaves out a double-bonded oxygen. In the first test there are two errors in the answer section: in one case the answer key gives the wrong letter for the answer (the explanation section is correct) and in another, the explanation section gives one letter for the answer but proceeds to explain why another one is correct. My son even found two mistakes on one page of the text; I wish I could remember which page.] These sorts of mistakes made it impossible to trust anything else in the book.

If they would remove all the mistakes it would be a very helpful, easy-to-read book for those who need quick help in order to score decently. For those striving to score in the top brackets (above 700), a "meatier" book like the Barron's is essential; this one is rather minimalist in its coverage of the material.

This book really teaches you the stuff you need to know on the SAT II Biology test. It uses simple English to make it much more easy to digest. You will definitely understand what is going on. However, this book doesn't cover some of the stuff that is on most Biology tests. Princeton Review should include more topics and more diagrams of cells, organisms, etc.

This book is good for people aiming for a score around 600 - 650. But if you want a higher score, get another book.

I enjoyed studying with this book for the SAT II: Biology exam. It's very well written, and is a vast improvement over last year's edition. However, the book made the test seem easier than it really was...so for all you test takers out there: be prepared for the real thing to be quite a bit more difficult and involved.

I recomend this SAT II Biology E/M test preparation book to those taking Biology in 9th or 10th grade. It is very helpful for getting a high grade on the SAT II: Biology E/M. I liked it better than the Barron's one that is also sold here at Amazon.com.

The material in this book is easy to read (easier than Barrons). It doesn't get into the nitty gritty details but the important concepts were covered. It's good to read before you go to the textbook; it gives a general idea of the topic. Barrons went into a lot of details and for me their explanations were not that clear.

It was a pretty good preparation. Though the review of Biology was pretty skimpy, the techniques for getting a higher score is Great! I am taking AP Biology right now, so I understand all of the info, but I am a bad test-taker, but this will give me the edge I need!

In preparation for the SAT Biology I encountered many trepidations in covering the topic completely. This book was a great aide in doing this effectively.

This book covers the basics of Biology. It really prepares you for the SAT II. It covers each area and explains it in ENGLISH!!! =) Plus it includes exercises along the way to help remember all the concepts.

This book took me about 10 seconds to read. When I finished, I thought I knew everything. Nope. I got a lousy 690 (about 10 points were becuase of this book and the other 680 because of my teacher). If thats what you want go for this book, if not get another one (still looking for a good one) Plus there are about 5000 mistakes