Customer Reviews

Up Your Score: The Underground Guide to the Sat, 1999-2000

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book for my son who quickly loses patience with "boring" study guides. Even I found it funny in an irreverent sort of way, so I knew he would get a kick out if it. To make a long story short, it works!

He found this book to be incredibly useful on the verbal sections as well as entertaining, and he felt a lot more confident about the test when he took it. He did say that if he followed the book's advice and also used the "10 Real SATs" from the College Board (which I also bought for him), along with this book, he thinks he could have done even better than he did. He did say the math section seemed a little thin but he still learned the techniques that helped him save time and reduced the "anxiety" factor that's been of his biggest problems on standardized tests. We will buy the new edition of UP Your Score before he takes the SATs again in October 2000.

At last, a useful SAT preparation book tailored to the needs of today's teenagers!!!!!! Unlike some other books that were written by old folks who were born "before the invention of the #2 pencil," we can actually learn something from this one!! Although it doesn't have very many practice questions, it gives you all the tips you need and then some! One little quibble (good vocab word, by the way) that I have about this book is the recipe for "sweet and tasty 800 bars." Not only is eating prohibited in the testing halls, but there is also scientific evidence that sugar rots your brain cells, therefore defeating the entire purpose! The smarter thing to do would be to eat a wholesome dinner the night before (fish is always good brain food, but if you're a vegan, tofu will do), and to have a high-carb breakfast (I'm talking oatmeal, not doughnuts). Aside from their poor eating habits (like most teenagers), these authors were right on the ticket! The math and verbal tips were useful yet laughable (unlike what the adults say, all the stuff about sex and TV actually works!), and I'm also thankful for the book's method of preparing your SAT II essay in advance. The tips on concentration and relaxation were also really useful not just in the "three most torturous hours of one's high school career," but also in my own life. I especially liked the theme of personifying the ETS as an unfathomably long, malodorous, loathsome, odious, beguiling, deceitful serpent throughout the entire book- it made it seem more fun to outwit it, which the authors say is the key to acing the SAT. Overall, snaps to Larry, Manek, Paul, Michael, Hannah, and Adam on one of the greatest SAT review books in the history of today's teens!!!!!!!

This book covers basic and slightly-more-advanced math, plus 600 SAT words (something the other reviews here didn't say). It also goes over the SATII Writing test with examples and methods on excelling. It has built-in study breaks and is genuinely *funny*. I loved reading it and wholly recommend it.

This is a great SAT prep book. From hints to lessons, for Vocab to Math to the SAT II Writing test, this book has it all. It even teaches you how to think like the SAT! A must read for all SAT-takers! Only problem is the Math section is less thorough than the Verbal section. But overall a great study guide

If you use no other SAT preparation guide, use this one! My SAT scores went up 80 points to over 1400. Also, this guide helped me score a 780 on the SAT II writing portion. This guide not only reviews the necessary skills for the test, it shows you how to take the test, and important traps to avoid. Particularly great for those with a short attention span and impatience with stuffy, over-written exam guides. Good luck!

I found that this book was written pretty well, however the math section is completely lacking. It does not get in depth in enough and the inane tricks and explantions were quite annoying. However, on the reverse side, the verbal section is great. The vocabulary words will give you an excellent start, and the tips are worthwhile. The frivolous comments in all sections were sometimes irritating, but I am just a serious person, so it may not irritate some of you. One last note, for the verbal section use Norman Lewis' Word Power Made Easy in combination with the vocab in this book, in addition to improving your vocabulary, it will give you tremendous edge over the students who have not read it.

Until I read Up Your Score, I dreaded studying for the SATs. This book actually made it fun, and was very helpful. It mixed in basic knowledge needed for taking the SATs, as well as fun and innovative tips that you can only find in this book. I highly reccomend it to anyone who is planning on taking the SATs.

This book really does work. I was able to raise my SAT score from a 1140 to a 1300. There are plenty of tips to help you get those "free" points that can raise your score. It's also a enjoyable book to read, so you won't get bored. "Up Your Score" is worth every penny.

From the minute I saw the cover, I knew I ws in for a good time. As soon as I opened that cover, I was not dsappointed. I couldn't put it down. Written in a savvy, sexy language only a teen can relate too, this book is the greatest thing ever to have the displeasure of being associated with the SAT. Keep it up guys, there are still more tests to come. I just wanna thank Larry and the guys, I am now a proud owner of a 1570, including an 800 on the verbal. Thans I couldn't have done it without this book.

This book really touches and meets the needs of the procrastinating and lazy teenagers of today's age. We don't want to study something boring, and the jokes, strategies, and helpful tips on remembering the words helps a lot. I strongly disagree with the comment that it sucked.