The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd edition
by The College Board
List Price:
Our Price: $11.86
You Save: $10.13 (46%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.97 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: The College BoardBrand: Spring Arbor/Ingram
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-07-21
ISBN: 0874478529
Number of pages: 997
Publisher: College Board
Book Reviews of The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd edition
Book Review: The only book you *must* have for SAT preparation
Summary: 5 Stars
It's been a few years since I wrote my original review for the earlier edition of this book. Back then, I was a student taking the exam in order to get into college. However as a tutor I have taken the exam multiple times since I applied to college, gotten a few more 2300+ scores, and now pass on my knowledge to the next generation of students vying for competitive college admissions. The first thing I tell my students to do is to buy the Official SAT Study guide. It's simply the best. Why?
Well, first off, let me start with the changes to this new edition. It now has 10 practice tests, three of which are recycled from the new administration (now that they've given enough tests to disclose them) and seven from the original book. So I'll say now that it may not be a good idea to buy this if you have the older edition, but this newer edition is much more useful since there are three *real* exams. Other than that, it's pretty much the same as the old book.
The review sections are divided into three categories: critical reading, math, and writing. The reading section isn't all that helpful. A few obvious test taking tips and some practice passages with explained answers. Good for a warmup, but not much else. The math section, the most substantial in the book, is pretty useful. It contains most of the facts from middle schoool/early high school math that you've likely forgotten by the time you're a junior or a senior. It also has some sample problems to show you the kind of "out of the box" thinking you'll have to do: SAT math isn't a factual recall or "plug 'n chug" exam, but the section does give you the facts you need to survive. And finally the writing section. The review section has a lot of information, including good writing habits as well as a set of grammar rules.
The review sections, as I've mentioned, have good sets of review problems (that do NOT overlap with th practice tests) that will get you used to the *type* of questions, but it is the practice tests that will take you from small sprints to the longer marathon. Each practice test is comprised of real questions or questions of real-standard (mostly recycled from 10 Real SATs -- the predecessor to the first blue book). I usually suggest to my students to do two or three exams untimed but continuously, two exams in pieces (do individual sections timed), and the rest under real, pressured conditions (in a library or other quiet place preferably). Not only does this get the student used to the format, but it will get the student to try to devise ways to make his or her thinking more efficient and suitable for the exam.
The College Board, when it says the SAT can't be prepped for, is telling a half-truth. No, you can't prepare for it by cramming lots of facts, but you can prepare through practice, and in that practice your SAT skills don't just go up, but your ability to handle academic situations. Your thinking becomes clearer.
So I wholeheartedly reccomend this second edition of the Official SAT Study Guide. It's more useful than its predecessor because it has more tests and more accurate tests, and if used effectively can be the single best tool to prepare for the SAT.
Good luck and best of luck with college admissions. Don't see the SAT as an obstacle; see it as an opportunity to show what you can do.
Summary of The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd edition
The Official SAT Study Guide? ?with more than two million sold?just got better! Now offering 10 practice tests, The Official SAT Study Guide: Second Edition? is the only book that features official SAT® practice tests created by the test maker. With over 1,000 pages and more than 20 chapters, it's packed with the most up-to-date information students need to get ready for the test.
Students will gain valuable experience and raise their confidence by taking practice tests, by reviewing critical concepts, test-taking approaches, and focused sets of practice questions just like those on the actual SAT.
The Official SAT Study Guide: Second Edition will help students get ready for the SAT with
- 10 official SAT practice tests, including 3 new recent exams
- detailed descriptions of math, critical reading, and writing sections of the SAT
- targeted practice questions for each SAT question type
- practice essay questions, along with sample essays and annotations
- a review of math concepts tested in the exam
- test-taking approaches and suggestions that underscore important points
- free online score reports
- exclusive access to online answers and explanations at collegeboard.com
- $10 discount on The Official SAT Online Course to all book owners
There's also a complete chapter on the PSAT/NMSQT®.
Students will gain valuable experience and raise their confidence by taking practice tests, by reviewing critical concepts, test-taking approaches, and focused sets of practice questions just like those on the actual SAT.
The Official SAT Study Guide: Second Edition will help students get ready for the SAT with
- 10 official SAT practice tests, including 3 new recent exams
- detailed descriptions of math, critical reading, and writing sections of the SAT
- targeted practice questions for each SAT question type
- practice essay questions, along with sample essays and annotations
- a review of math concepts tested in the exam
- test-taking approaches and suggestions that underscore important points
- free online score reports
- exclusive access to online answers and explanations at collegeboard.com
- $10 discount on The Official SAT Online Course to all book owners
There's also a complete chapter on the PSAT/NMSQT®.
SAT & PSAT Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in SAT & PSAT Books
Cracking the SAT French Subject Test, 2007-2008 Edition (College Test Preparation)by Princeton Review
Princeton Review; Published: 2007-02-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.50
Price in other shops:
Cracking the SAT, 2003 Edition (College Test Prep)by Adam Robinson, John Katzman
Princeton Review; Published: 2002-06-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops:
Cracking the SAT II: Spanish, 2001-2002 Edition (Princeton Review: Cracking the SAT Spanish Subject Test)by George R. Pace
Princeton Review; Published: 2001-03-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.98
Price in other shops:
Cracking the SAT II: English, 1999-2000 Editionby Liz Buffa, Adam Robinson
Princeton Review; Published: 1999-03-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $107.22
Cracking the SAT Math 1 & 2 Subject Tests, 2009-2010 Edition (College Test Preparation)by Princeton Review
Princeton Review; Published: 2009-03-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops:
Cracking the SAT with DVD, 2012 Edition (College Test Preparation)by Princeton Review
Princeton Review; Published: 2011-06-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.46
Price in other shops:
Cracking the SAT U.S. & World History Tests, 2011-2012 Edition (College Test Preparation)by Princeton Review
Princeton Review; Published: 2011-03-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
Cracking the PSAT/ NMSQT, 2012 Edition (College Test Preparation)by Princeton Review
Princeton Review; Published: 2011-06-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.60
Price in other shops:
SSAT Secondary School Achievement TestBarron's Educational Series; Published: 1985-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Complete Preperation for the Sat (Test preparation series)by WEBER
Thomson Learning; Published: 1986-04-15; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
Barron's SAT Vocabulary Flash Cardsby Sharon Weiner Green M.A.
Barron's Educational Series; Published: 2011-02-01; Cards; Book
Best price: $8.47
Price in other shops:
Barron's SAT 2400: Aiming for the Perfect Scoreby Linda Carnevale M.A., Roselyn Teukolsky M.S.
Barron's Educational Series; Published: 2010-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.78
Price in other shops:
Kaplan SAT 2012: Strategies, Practice, and Reviewby Kaplan
Kaplan Publishing; Published: 2011-06-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.44
Price in other shops:
McGraw-Hill's SAT, 2012 Editionby Christopher Black, Mark Anestis
McGraw-Hill; Published: 2011-05-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.54
Price in other shops:
Kaplan 12 Practice Tests for the SAT 2012by Kaplan
Kaplan Publishing; Published: 2011-06-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.66
Price in other shops:
Tutor Ted's SAT Solutions Manual: The Ideal Companion Volume to The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd Editionby Ted Dorsey
CreateSpace; Published: 2010-02-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.09
Price in other shops:
The Real ACT (CD) 3rd Edition (Real Act Prep Guide)by Inc. ACT
Peterson's; Published: 2011-09-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.26
Price in other shops:
The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests, 2nd Edby The College Board
Spring Arbor/Ingram; College Board; Published: 2011-04-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.40
Price in other shops:
Cracking the SAT, 2012 Edition (College Test Preparation)by Princeton Review
Princeton Review; Published: 2011-06-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.37
Price in other shops:
Barron's SATby Sharon Weiner Green M.A., Ira K. Wolf Ph.D.
Spring Arbor/Ingram; Barron's Educational Series; Published: 2010-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.19
Price in other shops: