Customer Reviews

Franklin SAT-2400 Princeton Review Pocket Prep for the New SAT

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

 

 

When I first saw this product, I thought, what a great idea! My daughter could practice SAT questions in the car or while she's waiting for an appointment. However, this product is basically the contents of the book, "Cracking the New SAT," but is a lot less readable and usable than the book that costs about $20. The screen is too small to be able to read the whole question so you have to scroll back and forth several times before you can answer the question. There is no easy way to navigate through the sections--the book would have been easier. The practice drills seem to be almost nonexistent and I still haven't figured out how to access the word flash cards. There are only three practice tests: the book with the CD-rom has 7. Both the book and the pockt prep give you access to more online tests and support. I felt that the designers of this product missed the boat on how a teenage could use this product--it would have been a better product if it randomly gave you practice questions and if it had on the main menu immediate access to different types of questions and reference materials. I thought that this device would randomly give you a question, you answer it, then it would give you an immediate response and explanation. Instead you have to slog through an entire test before you get any results. It seems illogical that anyone would want to do an entire SAT test on a tiny screen that is so difficult to read. This is a portable device but its designers don't seem to realize what portability means in terms of content and design.

I was excited about this product. Kids are so used to hand-held gadgets (PSP2, MP3 players, etc.) that I thought this was a great idea. I envisioned my kid "playing" with it while traveling to sports events and in study hall at school, to supplement books and Kaplan software. My kid liked using it, for about 2 weeks.

That's how long it took for the LCD screen to develop a huge blob which made the screen completely unreadable. And you guessed it, the screen is not covered by the warranty so Franklin won't replace the unit. The case is semi-soft, which is not enough to protect the unit in the average backpack. If you do decide to get this unit, be warned that it's fragile despite the fact that it's evidently designed to be carried around by teenagers. I won't waste my money again buying another unit for my younger kid.

I would have to pretty much contradict everything the previous reviewer said. First of all, this product is GREAT for active students, for those times when you cannot work from a large book or a computer with CD ROM is not readily available. My son has only words of praise for it. He says it is a lot better and useful than he expected. Never complained of the screen being to small or hard to read. He has been using ONLY this gadget for the past 2-3 weeks to practice/prepare for his second SAT test and although the results are not yet out he feels like he did a whole lot better this time around (2010 on first SAT and now he feels he is probably around 2200, more inline with his other academic scores). Let me emphasize this once more, this item is great for busy/active/on the move students ( right now my son is doing cross-country: daily practice and a couple of meets/week, karate, flying lessons, Orchestra practice, Honor Society Meetings, etc) and this gadget is wonderful because it allows him to practice for the SAT on the go, even when he's only got a few minutes, or on the bus/car or anytime he can not sit at his desk. If your child has enough time to sit at his/her desk and prefers books, by all means get him/her the books. It is less expensive too. Otherwise and if you can afford it, give this little gadget a test drive. I believe your child will be pleased and thank you. Hope this helps. Good luck to you all on the SATs and elsewhere!

I was really pretty excited about this when I first got it. As a very busy student this was a great way to get a couple questions in when I had the time. In general I liked the idea, but its lacking in several points

- It takes forever to read anything. You have to scroll up and down to read a question and go back down to the answers.

-The drills are useless. More like games than test prep, which is not what I need.

-After 3 months of fairly light use, the down key broke. This made it impossible to do anything.

I liked the concept, but in retrospect I wish I had just bought the book.

This is our first foray into SAT preparation and so far it is a good adventure. My daughter says that the system is easy to learn and use. The screen and the buttons are comfortable for the eyes and hands. The content of the multichoice questions is good. Admitedly it is not the coolest looking handheld product in the world. However, the portability of the unit was a big inducement for us -- she carries it around in her backpack and uses it in her free time. Shop around online because prices vary widely.

My daughter is studying for the SAT and has wanted to use this as a resource to help her study. She is finding it very useful!

This is a great tool for preparing for the SAT. It is like a handheld video game so kids can utilize it and understand how to use it quickly and easily. The size is great as they can take it with them to school or on trips without lugging a heavy book. I highly recommend it!

This is a very nice product that my daughter will be using. She said it is very intuitive to use and that it will be very helpful in studying for the SAT.