Kaplan Fast Track SAT & PSAT

Rating:
Summary: Very good preparation for the psat!
Review: I bought this book just recently and I was amazed by the results. I got 149 on the psat last year, and after I finished this book I did a sample test and got 189!! Maybe it was just luck but I didn't expect such a good job. It synthetizes all of the concepts that appear on the test and explains them in a very simple and straightforward manner. It offers great tips. Its only disadvantage is that because the book is made for fast reviewing, it doesn't cover much vocabulary, and does not have many practice exercises. I would recommend you to buy this book plus an additional vocabulary and exercise book.

Rating:
Summary: Very good preparation for the psat!
Review: I bought this book just recently and I was amazed by the results. I got 149 on the psat last year, and after I finished this book I did a sample test and got 189!! Maybe it was just luck but I didn't expect such a good job. It synthetizes all of the concepts that appear on the test and explains them in a very simple and straightforward manner. It offers great tips. Its only disadvantage is that because the book is made for fast reviewing, it doesn't cover much vocabulary, and does not have many practice exercises. I would recommend you to buy this book plus an additional vocabulary and exercise book.

Rating:
Summary: Nice, quick overview of SAT and PSAT
Review: This book gives an overview of all the types of problems on the SAT and PSAT. It explains techniques to answer certain types of questions quickly and efficiently as well as general test-taking tips (eg- if you can eliminate one or more answer choices, guess). It's a quick read if you're pressed for time and want to be familiar with the basics. The book includes hardly any actual practice questions, so I'd recommend buying or borrowing "10 Real SATs" if you want to practice. Some of the tips were truly helpful. For example, on the math grid-in section I would have gridded from the right over to make it look neat. The book told me to start on the left and keep going until running out of spaces, which really is much quicker.
Also, there was a lot of scoring information (incorrect grid-ins do not result in a point deduction) and pie charts to tell you how many of each question type appear on each section.
I lent it to my friend and she read it as well. Definitely worth the money. ( Unless you can borrow it like my friend did. ;) )