Customer Reviews

Kaplan SAT 2011: Strategies, Practice, and Review

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Firstly, I am a college student, who has (clearly) already taken the SAT. However, I ordered this preparation book as part of the Amazon.com Vine Program. As an aspiring English teacher, I found the Kaplan SAT Strategies, Practice, and Review to be far more helpful than the Official SAT study guide, particularly because this 2011 edition of Kaplan's SAT Strategies, Practice, and Review presents many of the little tricks I learned on my own to score 800 on the writing section of the SAT.

Writing Section:

Kaplan 2011 presents a large number of sample essays. Kaplan really focuses upon the 4 P strategy of "Prompt (read and understand it), Plan (collect and organize your ideas and examples), Produce (write your essay), Proofread (check for consistency and errors)." Kaplan 2010 also demonstrates/explores certain characteristics of what makes an excellent 6 essay, including underscoring that essays of 300 to 400 words that are written legible, with often a few corrected mistakes, during a proofread, are far more likely than essays that are less than 300 words, appear hurriedly written, and contain to corrected mistakes. The College Board's Official SAT study, at least the edition I own, does not explore these issues.

As for the multiple choice questions (ex: improving sentence questions), Kaplan 2011 is slightly less thorough than I would have ideally liked. Also, I feel that occasionally some of the sentences contained more than one error, which would not have occurred if one had purchased the Official SAT preparation guide. However, I think that two errors in a Kaplan sentence makes one think even harder about what constitutes a grammatically-correct sentence.

Critical Reading Section:

I felt this section was average and not very different from the Official SAT Study Guide. Of courses, strategies were presented for how to take notes while critically reading a passage, but I did not find the strategies to be particularly helpful considering the time limitations.

However, after the 4 practices, at the end of the book, is a Root Word List and a Vocabulary Word List that defines vocabulary words that may appear on the Critical Reading section of the test. This may assist one in improving one's performance on the vocabulary portion of the Critical Reading section.

Math Section:

Kaplan spends a lot of time focusing on math, (i.e. from p. 178 to 287). The math chapters are entitled, "SAT Math Basics and Strategies," "Basic Math Concepts," "Advanced Math Concepts," and "SAT Math Traps." Overall, the math sections appeared quite helpful, since I must admit that math was never my favorite subject in high school.


Finally:

To each of the 4 complete practice tests, Kaplan provides clear explanations for each problem. While this has become the norm for test preparation guides, I think it is helpful to know that Kaplan's explanations to problems were frequently helpful.


OVERALL ASSESSMENT:

I would recommend this test preparation book in place of the Official SAT Study Guide.

I've worked with inner-city kids on SAT prep for a couple years now, so I'm always looking for new resources to help them prepare. While I've used the Kaplan SAT in a Box flashcards, I've been kind of a purest in using the College Board's The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd edition. But I'm now a convert.

This book is amazingly detailed and includes great tips from professional tutors and past perfect-score students. I love that the concepts are addressed with clear explanations, step-by-step examples and multiple sample questions. It's well organized, and though the thickness of the book makes it look overwhelming, the majority of the content is sample tests. This book is designed to make students feel at ease about the SAT and confident in the concepts they will face. It even takes time to explain to parents how the test has changed since they took it and why their students might feel more pressure than they did twenty years ago.

As for each individual section, the writing section is extraordinarily helpful when used in conjunction with the vocabulary lists in the back of the book. It could have used a lot more practice essays as that is what my students always struggle to understand. The reading section is adequate, but I wish it would have provided a new way of looking at critical reading. Although I do admit I really like their annotated reading passages than encourage students to mark up their tests. The math section is pure gold--there's really not much more I can say about it. It helps build knowledge of common mathematical concepts students will see on the test and offers practical problem-solving advice.

However, I do have a couple of concerns. The first is that the book spends so much time discussing tips and tricks that it losses sight of what the SAT is supposed to be testing. This is not a test you are supposed to BEAT but an indication that you KNOW what you need to succeed on the college level. My second concern is that this isn't produced by the organization that actually writes the SAT. So while the sample tests and preparation material is based on pervious tests and information released from College Board, there's no way to know how accurate it all is.

Overall, this is a great guide and far less intimidating than any other I have used. I'll see how well my students receive it and if it helps them in the coming year.

The book was divided up nicely amoung test, a good self assessment with timed sections and 5 actuat tests at the back of the book. The answers sheet gave full explanations whay the correct answers were chosen. My son preferred Kaplan over Barrons. He said Batton's works book had antiquaited paragraphs and vocabulary. Kaplan gave lots of test tips and SAT test traps, 'what to look out for' clues. He is very happy with this book and also ordered the Educational Testins Service their own SAT 10 test booklet.

From the Mom perspective, this is an intimidating book. Apparently, things have changed quite bit since I had to think about the SAT's 30 years ago. 730 pages of information would be intimidating to anyone, but with Kaplan's plan of attack and not leaving the studying to the last minutes, your child could be able to handle the information and with the side Tutor Tips and Perfect Score Tips, the learning should flow in a way that will not frighten even the most intimidated student and parent.

Did you know that less than .0001 percent of test takers get a perfect SAT score? That alone should ease the burden. Did you know that many colleges are not relying as heavily on the SAT score alone as they did in the past? Colleges are looking for well rounded students, not just those kids that test well and can afford special test prep classes.

This is a good book; it introduces the student to what they might expect to see on the test and how to look at in a well thought out way. Studying for the SAT is not about jamming in as much information as you can; it's about knowing how to approach the test and to work out the best possible solution.

I see the remarks of others complaining that there aren't enough tests in the book, what they aren't seeing is that at the end of the book, the student is given a personal serial number to go to the Kaplan site to gain access to additional tests, discussion boards and a word of the day that will continue their preparation.

There are additional resources out there, take advantage of them and for goodness sake, take the pressure off your child when it comes to this test. It's only one indicator of their college success. Being well rounded and having participated in additional school and community programs is more important than being in the top .0001 of test takers.

Besides, even Kaplan doesn't take themselves seriously. On page xvii they refer to this book as 2010 edition of Kaplan SAT: Strategies, Practice and Review when clearly the front cover says 2011. Guess they wouldn't be in the top .0001

This book has 4 practice tests in it. Four. It is 756 pages long (2.5 times the size of your average paperback novel, and the book is 8.5x11 inch size, not novel size), and it has 4 practice tests in it.

Why not more practice tests? Because they are cramming the following stuff into the book as well:
- Tips from Kaplan's SAT expert instructors and tutors
- Advice and strategy callouts[sic] from Kaplan's SAT perfectscorer[sic]
- Helpful parents' guide explaining how they can help their children use the book and prepare for the exam
- Student study group guide

If you have read ANY of these test preparation books before, from any publisher, you and your student already KNOW all of that stuff. Frankly, most students actively studying for the SAT would know that stuff before they ever open the books. I know my girls did.

I have gotten well over 15 of the Kaplan series of PSAT/SAT books for my girls to use to study as they approach their own SAT exams. (I received this one through the Amazon Vine program though) The practice tests themselves are valuable, make no mistake. And my girls are scoring better on the practice tests every semester.

However, only 4 tests for an almost 800 page book I feel is not a good value, or use of space. Putting the tests online is also a move I don't agree with. Why not put that other filler, such as test taking strategies, online, and have the students able to access THAT with a special code in the book, and instead include 10 practice tests per book? I CAN say that they are being honest about the number of tests actually IN the books in their cover claims now -- they didn't used to be up front about that -- and I am happy about that.

My girls seem to prefer the Kaplan books to study from, over McGraw Hill, or other publishers, so I will continue to get them books to study from, I just wish each book offered more in the way of practice tests, and less in the way of filler.

Upon initial inspection, this book appears to be practically identical to Kaplan SAT 2011 Premier with CD-ROM (Kaplan Sat Premier Live). The table of contents match nearly word-for-word and each contain 4 sample exams and a CD-ROM. To that effect, I would suggest not buying both of these texts if you are shopping for multiple SAT guides.

Spanning a whopping 733 pages, this all-in-one reference contains everything you could possibly need to know about the SAT along with strategies, tips and practice questions to hone your skills before test day. The format of the text is "workbook" style. It's probably best to write in the margins, highlight, and jot notes directly in the book as you go along. I would also suggest keeping a running list of "SAT Words" in the blank pages at the back of the book.

Most students will find it easy to work through the book alone. It's quite straightforward although, given its size, it can sometimes feel a little cluttered and unorganized. I would suggest using a practice test to get a feel for your skills after reading through chapters 1 and 2. From there, I would work through each section (Writing, Critical Reading, Math) and perhaps take an additional practice test each week until you've worked through the entire book.

If you find Kaplan's book too "fluffy" and would like a more serious reference try Barron's SAT with CD-ROM which contains less fluff, more vocabulary words and a strong math chapter.

I bought this (as well as the PSAT/NMSQT guide) for my daughter, who is in high school and generally has a lot of test anxiety and needs help with test taking strategy. The sample tests are good practice, and there are a large number of tips and strategies for attacking the test that she is finding very helpful. I like the fact that it includes some graded essays and explanations of the answers on other sections, so you can easily learn more from the practice tests than just which questions you missed. I think for students who are really sweating these standardized tests, a book like this is a good part of an overall strategy for improving performance. For students who expect to do well, a book like this to get a better feel for how the test is constructed and graded may be all you need in terms of prep.

I ordered this for my son (a junior in high school) before he took the SAT last month. I waited until his scores came back before posting my review. He scored 590 on reading, 710 on math, and most surprisingly, 700 on the writing portion - pretty good for a high school junior who hates writing.
For the reading section, Kaplan presents the standard tips for how to critically read a passage and a vocabulary word list which is very helpful. The math section is extensive and covers basic strategies and concepts and also "traps" that test-takers might encounter. In the writing section there are sample essays, tips for how to go about constructing and proofreading your essay, and, best of all, explanations of how essays are scored.
There are also practice SAT exams with answers and explanations. This is particularly helpful for test takers to feel confident taking the test. A note for parents explains how the SAT is different from when they took it.

If you have this book, I think there's no reason to take a Kaplan class (which costs hundreds of dollars). You will have to stay motivated, though, to actually use the book and study what's in it.

I received this product as a part of the Vine Review Program. I reviewed it from a parent's perspective and also had my two sons, a college Freshman and a high school Sophomore look the book over. The book contains a helpful parent's guide which addresses many of the major concerns and points out new developments in the testing process. Other highlights include the general test taking strategies, practice tests with good answer explanations and online resources including "word of the day" and discussion boards. Our family experience has been that practice testing does have a high yield on test results, so this book will definitely be a part of my current high schooler's preparations for the SAT.

My daughter found that this incredible volume with disc included helped her raise her scores.The volume of support this book provides is an excellent investment. Kaplan has a long excellent SAT history.