Rating: 
Summary: Not Up To Par
Review: I bought this book about two months before the SAT II exam, and although I didn't study consistently, I reviewed all of the material in the book, the depth depending on how much I was comfortable with. I took the practice tests and scored 620 and 630, and on the actual day of the test I got a 580, I found it to be ALOT harder than the practice tests they had given, and half of the material was not covered in the book. This book is basically a generalization of the stuff you need to know, so I wouldn't reccomend to anyone trying to learn alot. Personally, I would reccomend Barron's...
Rating: 
Summary: A disgrace...
Review: I had purchased this book three months prior to the Biology SAT II examination; it offered a concise review of my 9th grade biology curriculum, perhaps too concise. Those who repeat my blunder of studying from this guild will, as I did, find themselves in an inept state as they ponder for several minutes on question "X", in a futile attempt to recall fact "Y". Too generalized! Ambiguous! Repository of useless facts! Harbinger of a poor grade!
Rating:
Summary: The Book Cover Only the Basics
Review: I took the test recently and I only chose this book to study from. The only reason I chose this book because based on the ratings given by the raters at Amazon.com. I came to be disappointed by the results, because most of the responses were not fairly accurate from what I see.
The book first of all does touch most of the basics and topics of the ideas but it does not help you eliminate most of the answers. I was able to complete half the test fairly okay but the other half I could not comprehend because the topics were explained very briefly. The vocabulary covered such as speciation was covered in the book, but it still lacked vocabulary that I did not know.
Another dissappointing thing about the topic was that it did not cover the anatomy of the ear which was covered on the test. Also, the pictures in the book were confusing. The pictures were totally different from the real SAT II that could throw people off. Finally, the test questions were not fairly accurate because it was too simple in comparison to the real test. The book is only great study tool if you combine with another book to study from.
Rating: 
Summary: I am impressed
Review: I used last year's version of this review book to take the SAT II Biology E exam, I was only a sophmore then. I had already taken one half of my first Biology course, but by using this review book, I scored a 770. All it took was a quick read-through, the practice exam questions were very good, and very similer to the actual test, in fact there were some that almost exactly the same, I amthrilled with the results I got from this book which basically repalced a Bilogy teacher, and very sucessfully, I might add.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent at best
Review: I wasn't so impressed with this book. Certain sections, like human anatomy, were much too detailed. Other sections, like ecology, weren't detailed enough. The practice tests were OK, but they didn't cover the same topics that were covered on the SAT II test I took. I suggest using this book in conjunction with the College Board's Real SAT II book.
Rating:
Summary: decent..needs some proofreading
Review: I'm not discouraged by this book or anything...it is a pretty good book in terms of explaining the material so you are not completely confused and the questions are good. However, I found mistakes in the book that could really depress you (like giving the wrong answer on the practice tests) and some other things. I just sort of lost trust in the book so I would recommend the kaplan to those taking this test.
Rating:
Summary: Good if you've never, ever picked up a biology book
Review: It's simple and to the point. It's great if you are not so well versed in biology, or there's a concept that you don't understand. I used this only to do the latter. If there was something I didn't understand from my textbook I went and looked it up. If your looking for a last minute review this book is also for you. If not then go get the barrons. People say the barrons book is not that great because it contains too much information. Would you rather buy a book that had too little? Then you just end up wasting your money and buying another book. Get the barrons. All lot of it isn't seen too often, but I was surprised when some topics I thought wouldn't be on the tes were.
Rating:
Summary: This book was excellent
Review: Most other SAT II Bio books such as the Kaplans and Peterson are to in-depth and try to cram too much knowledge into your head. This book goes over exactly what you need to know, and presents the information in a very practical way. The great thing is that the two practice tests are almost identical to the real SAT's. If you MUST get one book, this is the one. If you would like two, then I recommend this and the Kaplan. BTW I got an 800 with this and the Kaplan combined P.S. The Peterson's is completely off track and gives so much extraneous information that it's practically better to buy a textbook than use that. The Kaplan is lengthy and deep but provide you with some of the small tid-bits of knowledge that MIGHT be on the test.
Rating: 
Summary: I liked it, despite its simplicity
Review: Most people, in their reviews, have found excuses to call this book bad simply because it is easy to read. Well, let me tell you right now that just because the book is easy to read does not mean that it is a bad book. I've looked at other books, but this book appealed to me most because of the fact that it isn't boring like most text books. I'll go as far as to say that reading this book was an enjoyable experience for me (something I can't say for most books). This book recognizes the fact that the SAT2 Biology is a concept based test, and it uses this to the advantage of the reader. The book presents the concepts in a "big picture" form and gets into some detail, but not much. This way, the reader is able to get a grasp of the material without getting overwhelmed. I used this book EXCLUSIVELY for just 2 days and I got a 740 on the SAT2 Biology M. If I would have spent more time reading it, I'm sure I could have done better. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good SAT2 Biology preparation book with minimal time commitment and minimal headache from boredom.
Rating:
Summary: Good overall review
Review: This book provides an excellent overall review. However it is very simplistic and does not cover some things in depth. I prefer the more in depth Kaplan book, but some people find the layout of the Princeton to be easier to read. Currently this is the 2nd best SAT II book available after the Kaplan.
| 
