Customer Reviews

The Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Everyone knows that you need this book to get "official" SATs to practice with, because the College Board doesn't seem to let any of the other books publish their tests. Stay away from the knock-off tests in Princeton Review or their kind (like Rocket)-they AREN'T real SATs and they're full of mistakes. Even the tests in the "Official Guide" are a bit quirky, though, because the answer key only gives score "ranges" like "640-720" for an SAT math score. If I spend 4 hours taking a practice test, I want to know EXACTLY how well I did, not approximately!! Two other big drawbacks to this books are that the answer key contains NO ANSWER EXPLANATIONS, and the lessons in the book are very weak.

So, if you're serious about improving your score, and you're willing to do some work (like I was), you'll need a good review guide to go along with it. The best one by far is "McGraw-Hill's SAT I", but be SURE to get the second edition. The great thing about it is that when you take a practice test, it gives very detailed explanations of each answer, as well as REFERENCES to CONCEPT LESSONS that are excellent. It teaches you with a very effective method and gives lots of practice. I particularly liked the lessons on percents and negative exponents, which I ALWAYS had trouble with, and the lessons on Reading Comp, which realy helped me. It also has GREAT vocab lessons.

Take the tests in the "McGraw-Hill" book (which aren't real SATs, that's the drawback, they're a little bit harder) about 2 months before your SAT, then use the answer key to point you to the lessons you need to review. Then take the tests in the "Official SAT Study Guide" to see how you're improving (except remember that you'll only get that annoying "score range" which can be pretty wide). I did this before the October SAT, and my scores improved by 420 points overall, and just found out that I was accepted at my top-choice college. To see improvements like that, you ABSOLUTELY NEED the combination of books. I hope this helps you little ones!! :))

I am a verbal SAT tutor for the past 26 years. Here is my formula for success, and it is the reason that people pay me an insane amount of money to work with their kids. Step #1 -- Get the Barron's SAT book first. Do every test. Read the answer explanations carefully. Step #2 -- Get this book. Take the 8 practice tests, sitting straight through for each exam, 4 hours with the break. This book is easier than Barrons, so you should feel an improvement when you take these real tests. Get the book HOT WORDS FOR THE SAT by Linda Carnevale, and learn a few chapters each week. Good luck on the exam!!

"The Official SAT Study Guide" is "10 Real SATs" in all but name. Created and published by the College Board--the creators and administrators of the actual SAT--this series has for years been the single most valuable resource for SAT preparation. The value does not necessarily derive from the instructional material that makes up the first portion of the book (which is instructive and adequate, but nothing spectacular), but from the actual SAT tests from which the series used to get its name. While the multipound test-prep tomes from Kaplan, Princeton Review, and others all have their strong points, nothing beats having *actual SAT questions and tests* at your disposal; yes, there is a distinct difference between questions actually vetted by ETS and those created by third-party companies. Simply put, 10 Real SATs was *the* tool for preparing for the most overemphasized-yet-necessary test on the block.

The recent advent of the "New" SAT (which, for the record, removes Quantitative Comparisons and analogies, adds some higher math content, introduces "short" reading comprehension passages, and features a watered-down version of the old SAT II writing with an additional 25 minute, blink-and-you'll-miss-it essay section that receives far too much press) meant that the Real SAT product line was due for an upgrade. As prior "new editions" of 10 Real SATs rarely featured changes that weren't of a we-swapped-out-two-tests-and-added-in-two-new-tests character, I was curious to see how the College Board would revamp its flagship line. Unfortunately, it's a mixed effort.

For starters, we now have *8* full-length tests. Granted, each test is a decent bit longer--the new SAT is an absolute marathon--but the net effect is still a bit detrimental; needless to say, it's unsurprising that the College Board elected to avoid calling this book "8 Real SATs!" (These also aren't "real" SATs, a problem I'll get to momentarily)

The writing section is generally well introduced in the instructional material. As mentioned before, the "new" writing section is in reality a watered-down version of the old SAT II writing, but it's presented well. My big criticism here involves the book's treatment of the essay. It presents "samples" of good essays, bad essays, and essays in between. Page 123 presents an essay that supposedly received a score of "6" (the highest score available), and I'm halfway convinced that this example of SAT perfection is the cause of at least some of the overemphasis of the essay by panicked parents; pedantic, long-winded, and full of jargon, it sounds decidedly unlike something a normal high-school Junior would create in 25 minutes. There's another example of an essay that received the top score on the preceding two pages, and it is MUCH more palatable, but it is written in handwriting (as opposed to "handwriting font") and is thus frequently ignored...which is quite unfortunate.

The real problem with this book, though, is that those celebrated "real" SATs...well, aren't anymore. Oh, to be sure, these are still real College Board questions, and the book is still valuable for that alone. But these SATs were *never given*, and as such the scoring data--a valuable part of prior editions--is next to useless.

For example, instead of the one-through-five difficulty scale, we get a three-stage "easy, medium, hard" scale for ranking questions, which is far less useful than the ranked-by-reaction scores in the old book. Worse, the difficulty rankings seem to have no real basis in reality, especially in the new Writing section; whole sections that all receive an "easy" ranking will demonstrate distinct fluctuations in difficulty.

It's the scoring information, though, that is really the book's biggest flaw. With older editions, after struggling through a timed practice test, you received the satisfaction of getting a distinct score; those "Real SATs" were actually given, and thus raw scores were accurately weighted to a corresponding score on the infamous out-of-1600 scale. For the new SAT, this immediately becomes somewhat problematic, as the inclusion of the essay makes scoring of the writing section difficult. But as these SATs were never given, there isn't a real scale for the conversion of raw scores to weighted scores. Instead, the CB presents a *range* of possible scores; unfortunately, these ranges are often frustratingly broad and vague ("610-690" is a huge range to contemplate).

I suppose the above criticism is somewhat unfair, as the College Board was confronted with an unwinnable dilemma. On one hand, it could delay the revision of its flagship title until enough SATs had been administered to generate a "real SAT" book; on the other, doing so would result in the odd situation of the College Board not releasing an official guide to its own creation! This dilemma, however, does not excuse the College Board from creating a new edition that is decidedly less useful than preceding editions.

Verdict: Yes, "The Official SAT Study Guide" is still the best thing out there, as its ability to use actual SAT questions makes it an invaluable study tool. Be aware, though, that accurate scoring is almost impossible with the new edition.

To save yourself some money, don't rush into buying this book. You may not need it. The College Board provides a copy of a complete New SAT test on its web site, which you can download for FREE. This book provides 8 additional tests. However, a fair number of questions are recycled from the guide to the "old" SAT, called 10 Real SATs, which you or an older sibling may already own. Also, this book provides only an answer key for each test, not the explanations. This somewhat limits its usefulness.

I recommend this guide highly. As a previous reviewer cautioned, don't use it as your only means of preparation. Your study should be multi-faceted. In terms of which preparation guide to purchase, this one is the way to go. Used alone, you will increase your score. Used in combination with school classes or private classes, as well as paying attention to instruction and feeback from your writing teachers, and/or participating in study circles with like-minded students, you will increase your score greatly! Good Luck.

"The Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT" by the College Board is where studying starts for the famous high school exam. It is their test, and so it is important to see their prep materials. Stop with that, and you'll sell yourself short. However, if you skip this book, you will miss out on the insiders version.

What Good Is This Book?
The College Board version presents their bias. That's good because they know what is coming up in the next exam.

The practice tests are so important. The College Board gives you eight of them, but try to take more. Again, start with this book, and move onward.

What's missing? The good stuff. More exams. Other voices. The reality is, the playing field for this test is not level. Those taking courses on SAT test taking have an advantage, as do those plowing through Kaplan books, or those published by the Princeton Review. Skip those options, and expect a lower score than you could otherwise have received.

What's really missing? The hardcore strategies. The College Board isn't intending to make the test easy. They want it fair, and to be an exam of true gained knowledge. While this noble desire eventually will be the real indicator of collegiate success, the point of most students for taking it isn't about potential success. It is about money, and/or acceptance to the school of their choice.

Get into that incredible college, and continue the same effort in your courses, and the world is yours. It starts with getting accepted.

Who Needs To Buy a Book?
The SAT is coming up. If you're bright, you'll do well. Doing well isn't good enough. If getting into the local state college is your goal, consider it done. Get something above a 'C' GPA, and something above 1,000 or 1,100 and you meet your goal.

If scholarships, or acceptance at a better school are important to you, then you need to study. Good students study. Great students study a lot. "The Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT" is part of that studying.

I fully recommend "The Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT" by the College Board.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

My 5 star rating is not an overral review, but a review for the quality of their practice tests. If you are looking for practice tests, this is the book for you because it inclused tests written by ETS, and after taking the March 12 exam I can tell you that the practice tests and actual tests are very similar. While this book is awesome for practice tests, it is not the book to buy for strategies. Which the book includes some strategies, CollegeBoard is not going to release a book that tells you tricks to solve the problems they test you on. Also, the solutions to problems ARE NOT in the book, and you mast pay for them through their online course. I did this, but I don't think you should have to pay for them.

Many people who reviewed this guide online seem to recommend making it the center of their studying. While this book is good practice and contains some advice, it lacks in what students such as myself crave most- strategic advice.

This book was made by people who excel at WRITING tests, not taking tests, and it shows. The test-taking strategies and "relaxation and concentration techniques" are generally common sense and can be worked out by simply taking a few tests...

Which brings us to the bulk of the book. The practice tests are indeed written by the experts, and so they are generally unambiguous, good questions. However, I have found that most other test books provide well-written practice questions in the course of their review sections (though generally subpar diagnostic tests).

A test like the SAT requires much more than just familiarity with the style, which is all this book really offers. If you want the full studying experience, buy it, but if you only have budget for one book, this isn't the one- go for Kaplan instead.

I have bought countless SAT prep books already over the past few years and with this new SAT that college admissions will be looking at for the first time for high school graduates of 2006, I have built much confidence for this test. I do recommend Kaplan, but there are a few errors in their books. With this book, you are guaranteed "real" questions that will show up on the test. Of course, they will be in a different format, but after taking the June 4, 2005 test, I can safely say that this book predicted the actual one very well. One warning on the essays though. I've heard that they actually grade slightly harder than the samples they give online. Otherwise, great test prep book. (Some of the questions have been recycled from past SAT college board books, such as the 10 Real SATs book, but this is still definitely worth getting!)

Everyone wanting to get into a top college needs this book. The practice tests are THE most like the actual test. If you are an average or above average student, this book may be enough to prepare you for the SAT. You will definitely find out your weaknesses and then can decide if you need additional help.

I am a Mom and have helped two daughters study for the SAT. We tried all the books: Grubers, Princeton, Barrons, McGraw-Hill, Kaplan. These books provide very good explanations and give lots of material to review, but their practice tests are not actual, old SAT tests. You need the Official SAT Study Guide and you need to give yourself enough time to do all the tests and to review all the answers you get wrong. A teacher or fellow student might be able to explain the answer because this book does an AWFUL job of explaining the answers. Most of the time there are no explanations. Nevertheless these practice tests are most like the real SAT.

If you need additional help (and we did), your local school may know of someone who gives SAT review classes. Of the other review books out there we liked the KAPLAN books best. They had excellent explanations. Please make reviewing for the SAT a priority the summer of your sophomore or junior year. Treat it like a summer school class.

If you still are not getting above a 600 on each section (above 600 is what most top colleges want to see) then focus only on your weakest section and ignore the rest. After taking the official test, identify your weakest section again and study only that and take the test again. (My daughters each took the test four times!)

The top colleges want to see scores above 600 (if possible), community service, decent GPA, challenging high school coursework, and something in your essay that suggests you are a person who will contribute to the school environment or classroom discussions.

I do not like the SAT. I think many of the questions are unfair and depend upon your experiences and NOT your abilities. But what can we do----it's required. Best wishes on your studies. I still have one more child to train for the SAT!