Cracking the SAT with 5 Practice Tests, 2014 Edition Author: Princeton Review | Language: English | ISBN:
0307945618 | Format: PDF
Cracking the SAT with 5 Practice Tests, 2014 Edition Description
THE PRINCETON REVIEW GETS RESULTS. Get all the prep you need to ace the SAT with 5 full-length practice tests, thorough SAT topic reviews, and extra practice online.
Inside the Book: All the Practice & Strategies You Need
· 4 full-length practice tests with detailed answer explanations
· Expert subject reviews for all test topics
· Drills for each test section—Math, Critical Reading, and Writing
· Proven techniques for raising your score
· Practical information about what to expect on the SAT
· Quick guide to understanding college costs and loans
Exclusive Access to More Practice and Resources Online
· 1 additional full-length practice exam
· Extra math and verbal drills to hone your technique
· Step-by-step problem-solving guides for the toughest question types
· Video tutorials showing you our strategies in action
· Scoring help for book and online tests, plus optional LiveGrader™ essay scoring
· Study plans, college profiles, and resources for finding the perfect college
- Series: College Test Preparation
- Paperback: 768 pages
- Publisher: Princeton Review; 5.5.2013 edition (June 4, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0307945618
- ISBN-13: 978-0307945617
- Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Since 2008, I have been tutoring the SAT privately, mostly to high-achieving students, so I've read a lot of SAT prep material. Overall, this is a decent choice for a strategy book, but I wouldn't really recommend it if you have the budget to buy a few books.
Advantages:
- techniques are mostly useful and well-explained
- the book's writing, overall, is easy-to-read and engaging
- time management and test-taking strategies are helpful
Disadvantages:
- the book claims it's a one-size-fits way to master the SAT. Though the book is a jack-of-all-trades, it's a master of none. In my opinion, there are better resources for each section of the test.
- practice questions and tests are not accurate reflections of the real SAT both in terms of difficulty and question content/style. This is a really big deal. I strongly recommend you avoid using these questions; use the ones written by the College Board.
- the book's focus on "cracking" and tricks at the expense of learning fundamental skills can steer students away from putting in the time to learn vocab, math, do extra reading, etc.
For those students looking for a high percentile SAT score, I would look for more specialized books written by people focusing on just one area of the test. Books like these tend to be more rigorous, since the author doesn't have to cover everything. For math, try Pwn the SAT or the New SAT Math Game Plan; for verbal, try the books written by Erica Meltzer (for critical reading and grammar). I also like Pwn the SAT essay book.
By Vince Kotchian
As a tutor of the SAT for the past eight years I have read many such books as the Princeton Review and have gleaned tricks and methods from each. I have found the Princeton Review to be the easiest book to teach from and purchase between 50 and 100 books a year. I must say again that this is a good book to teach from and I like that it has four tests in the book this year as well as one online. The more practice the better. However, each year the book is almost an identical reprint of the previous year with minimal changes and each year there is less and less information. I have to refer to my old notes to teach things that were in the book back in 2007 which are not in the book now. Over all, this is a good book to use to improve your SAT score but there is more that you need to know to really improve your score.
By William Hearn
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