Customer Reviews

How to Prepare for the SAT: 2007-2008 (Barron's How to Prepare for the Sat I (Book Only))

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have prepared students for the PSAT, SAT, ACT and have used Barron preparation all the way back to the 1980s. I use various other manuals and software, but my students tell me that the Barron is the quality preparation they need. It is more difficult than many of the resources and better enables them to score well. There is abundant testing material, answers well explained, the built-in flash cards, dictionary of vocabulary likely seen on the actual test, and available useer friendly software with imediate feedback. In other words, the Barron has it all. I always know that when my students treat this manual as another text book, completing everything offered, their expectations will be fulfilled. My students tell me they know they have had the material that is more difficult than that of the actualtests which gives them a sense of being well prepared in the testing environment.

It has a very extensive vocabulary list with almost every SAT word possible! (I would say about 99% of all words are listed). They also provide sentences with word which helps tremendously in understanding the word in context. I would highly recommend this book if you need to improve your vocabulary.

This is the first SAT prep book with a sense of humor that I've ever run into. The grammar section is full of silly examples that add life to what is far too often a dry subject, and some of the wrong answers in the multiple choice sections are pretty funny, though you have to pay close attention to notice those.

The verbal sections are great. The book provides clear, specific explanations for each answer. The glossary in the middle of the book also defines EVERY word used in the sentence completion practice tests.

I used the mathematics portion of this book for my SAT prep class students. It is pretty good even with detail solutions. However, it did have a few mistakes due to typo errors. Overall, it is a good study material for SAT I.

comprehensive and helpful study guide, very complete because it has strategies and many practice tests too.

The vocab list was really long and seemed impossible to undertake. However, I did about 2-3 lists per day for a couple weeks before the test, memorizing unfamiliar words, and I saw a lot of them on the test itself. It also improved my vocab for REAL LIFE situations! If you're willing to sit down and try to memorize close to 3500 words, then why not?

The practice tests were rather inaccurate. The math portion was a lot harder than other publishers' math parts. I took 3 of the 4 practice tests in Barron's and received scores lower than 650 each time. But when I took the College Board test, my math score was above 700. The actual SAT math questions were more similar to the big blue book questions than they were to Barron's questions.

I never bothered reading through the whole book.

This book's "high frequency" and "probably"
vocab lists are AMAZING! They really helped
me on the SATs. However, the practice questions
are not so great. For practice, I reccmend
the Collegeboard. However, for prep, I reccomend
this book!

This book has many practice exercises that are hard enough to be good prep for the test.

It's major flaw is the lack of explanation for why a given answer is correct.

If you need a book that explains how to arrive at the correct answers I suggest buying Rocket Review as the book actually teaches you basic principles that explain how the test works and how to beat it.

As far as SAT prep books go, Barrons is usually the best bet after the Collegeboard's Official SAT Study Guide, of course.

Barrons tend to overprepare students, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on how you like to study. The questions in Barrons can be harder than the actual SAT. However, the SAT tests students on things that they should already know even without test prep, and Barrons help you master the concept to score high on the SAT. Barrons' books also is more textbook-like than the other prep books. Honestly, you will STILL find this book useful even after the SAT.

As usual, the book starts off with an introduction of the SAT, how it's scored, and what you'll be tested on. You then take a diagnostic test to figure out what you need to work on. After that, the book splits into sections, so you can practice your skills.

I actually found the strategies pretty useful. They're not really test-taking strategies in that they try to teach you how to "beat the SAT", but they really try to explain everything clearly so you understand what you're learning. This is especially helpful in the math section.

I liked the critical reading section as well. The questions may be a bit challenging, but they do help you think. The writing and essay sections are great as well.

The end of the book includes practice tests and answer explanations, and practice is ultimately the most important thing in preparing for the SAT.

The vocabulary flash cards are also pretty useful as well. There is a 3,500 basic word list, and I actually did study every single word before the SAT, though I wouldn't worry that much about vocabulary if I were you, since it is only one aspect of the test.

Yes, this is an old edition of Barrons, but the SAT hasn't changed that much. Test-taking skills and strategies also don't change much. I actually compared this book with a newer version and with an older version, and the three books weren't that different in terms of questions. I would still highly recommend this book. You will still find this useful AND you would save money if you decide to buy it.

Although most of the glaring errors found in the previous edition (Barron's How to Prepare for the New SAT) have been rectified, this book is only marginally recommendable.

Anyone well versed in SAT preparation will first note that practice tests in this book are not very SAT-like. The SAT features some very convoluted questions. While the material tested on the SAT is not that difficult, the questions are difficult due to their convoluted phrasing. Hence, to provide accurate test questions, the practice tests must feature questions that are similarly convoluted. Barron's book, however, features questions that test the same material as the SAT, but the questions themselves are not very SAT-like.

The other major point is that this book is written like in a textbook or reference book. Some may prefer this presentation, but most students will prefer the more approachable format found in Princeton Review, Kaplan, or Up Your Score (there are others but we decided to only name a few). The books mentioned in the previous sentence are formatted like a conversation between student and tutor, rather than blocks of text-based material. If you prefer the textbook-like presentation of material, we recommend McGraw-Hill's SAT I over Barron's.

On the positive side, Barron's book has an excellent and comprehensive review of all relevant material for the SAT, and a plethora of reinforcement problems. Also, this book comes with detachable vocabulary flashcards at the end of the book.

Note: This book as well as more than 20 other SAT prep books are reviewed and ranked on CEEAE dot org Every book review has a direct link to its page on Amazon, so you can read the reviews, view the rankings and then return to Amazon to purchase your selections.