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Rating: 
Summary: Amazing Book!
Review: I was able to use this book to go from a 1270 PSAT to a 1480 SAT on May 1. I will try to break 1500 in June. This book is not entertaining or breezy, like Kaplan and Princeton Review.It is even overly difficult in some sections. But anyone who can master this book HAS to go up in the SAT. Some parts were so hard my $50 an hour Tutor was temporarily stumped! I really had to bite the bullet to pay for this book, but it was worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Other study aids cannot BEGIN to compare
Review: I was very skeptical when my parents bought me the SAT Encyclopedia. I scored a 1470 on my PSAT. This made me in the top 1%. I had tried dozens of study aids such as Gruber, Kaplan, Princeton Review, only to find that, while they were helpful for those needing to break a 1000, I needed something on another level. Most people don't know this, but the SAT Encyclopedia isn't just written by educators with great resumes like other books are; each writer for this book has scored PERFECTLY dozens of times, in addition to being highly qualified in their respective field. This makes them the AUTHORITY on the SAT. They know how to take you from the top 1% to the top 1/10%! After using this book, I scored a 1590, and got into the school of my dreams...MIT! And incidentally, I have friends who were only scoring 1050 before, and are now scoring in the 1200's and higher thanks to Dr. Fikar. This is the first book to transcend minor score increases-such as those experienced by the 20$ study aids-and virtually guarantee a minimum of 200 points increased, when adequately studied prior to the SAT. Well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Great SAT preparation text
Review: If an SAT book deserves to be apotheosized, this is the one. Vocabulary words are placed in Continuums to allow easy differentiation among small differences in shades or degrees of meaning. Plenty of fully explained verbal practice examples are provided. Mathematical formulas are presented along with examples of their appropriate use. No matter how well prepared the student may be, this book is bound to present new and additional information that may very well lead to significant SAT score enhancement. Much of the presented information and methods are available nowhere else. Considering the importance of the SAT score in determining college admission, the cost of this book is definitely worth improving one's chance of gaining entrance to an educational institution of excellence.
Rating: 
Summary: Buyer beware
Review: Is any prep book really worth $399.99 list? Moved by curiosity, I ordered a copy several months ago from an online bookseller. After reviewing it carefully, I returned it for a refund. Here's why I disagree with the two uncritical (and suspiciously official-sounding) reviews already posted:(1) When I first opened the book, I thought they'd sent me a used copy by mistake and that someone had scribbled inside it. But I was wrong. As sometimes happens with books about to go to press, the authors of this one evidently found it necessary to make several last-minute corrections and additions. But, in this case-unlike any other book I have ever seen-rather than suffer the trouble and expense of resetting the final page proofs before printing, the authors simply scrawled in the changes by hand and sent it off to the printer. (No one corrected the cover price, however.) And quite a few of these corrections are faint, barely legible, or run off the printed page. This sloppiness would be annoying even in a cheap book; in an expensive one, it's inexcusable. (2) This book proudly declares itself the "first true SAT Encyclopedia in history," though what that is supposed to mean is never really explained. Since the book is not composed of topical articles arranged alphabetically, however, it appears to mean simply that this is the first time any prep book's authors have had the nerve to make such a empty claim. (3) And this abuse of the word "encyclopedia"-on the cover, no less-is not the only instance where the book's use of language seems wrong or at least questionable. Contrary to what is stated on p. 127, for instance, "miserly" is a stronger term than either "frugal" or "parsimonious." (4) The book, moreover, includes far too much vocabulary that even the authors admit will not be on the SAT: words like nimiety, goniometry, Ogyian, flebile, and polysemous. Never seen these words before? Chances are you never will again, and certainly not on the SAT, which does not test words so rare as these. A good test-prep book does not show off the authors' learning. Like a good tutor, it only makes you learn things that could actually be on the test. Anything more is at best a waste of your time; at worst, a distraction from the things you really need to know. (5) We are told that the five authors together have achieved perfect SAT scores over 200 times. That's great, if true (though the only score reports reproduced in the book are those of one "Prof. Dr. Michael Fikar"). But the real test of a prep book is not how smart are the authors, but how smart can it make the readers. And in that respect, this book is less useful than the standard competition-Princeton Review, Kaplan, and the others-available at a much lower price. (Disclosure: As a private test tutor in New York City, I am always looking for new materials that will help my students prepare more effectively. I have no present or past or connection to Princeton Review, Kaplan, or any other prep book publisher.)
Rating:
Summary: Buyer beware
Review: Is any prep book really worth $399.99 list? Moved by curiosity, I ordered a copy several months ago from an online bookseller. After reviewing it carefully, I returned it for a refund. Here's why I disagree with the two uncritical (and suspiciously official-sounding) reviews already posted: (1) When I first opened the book, I thought they'd sent me a used copy by mistake and that someone had scribbled inside it. But I was wrong. As sometimes happens with books about to go to press, the authors of this one evidently found it necessary to make several last-minute corrections and additions. But, in this case-unlike any other book I have ever seen-rather than suffer the trouble and expense of resetting the final page proofs before printing, the authors simply scrawled in the changes by hand and sent it off to the printer. (No one corrected the cover price, however.) And quite a few of these corrections are faint, barely legible, or run off the printed page. This sloppiness would be annoying even in a cheap book; in an expensive one, it's inexcusable. (2) This book proudly declares itself the "first true SAT Encyclopedia in history," though what that is supposed to mean is never really explained. Since the book is not composed of topical articles arranged alphabetically, however, it appears to mean simply that this is the first time any prep book's authors have had the nerve to make such a empty claim. (3) And this abuse of the word "encyclopedia"-on the cover, no less-is not the only instance where the book's use of language seems wrong or at least questionable. Contrary to what is stated on p. 127, for instance, "miserly" is a stronger term than either "frugal" or "parsimonious." (4) The book, moreover, includes far too much vocabulary that even the authors admit will not be on the SAT: words like nimiety, goniometry, Ogyian, flebile, and polysemous. Never seen these words before? Chances are you never will again, and certainly not on the SAT, which does not test words so rare as these. A good test-prep book does not show off the authors' learning. Like a good tutor, it only makes you learn things that could actually be on the test. Anything more is at best a waste of your time; at worst, a distraction from the things you really need to know. (5) We are told that the five authors together have achieved perfect SAT scores over 200 times. That's great, if true (though the only score reports reproduced in the book are those of one "Prof. Dr. Michael Fikar"). But the real test of a prep book is not how smart are the authors, but how smart can it make the readers. And in that respect, this book is less useful than the standard competition-Princeton Review, Kaplan, and the others-available at a much lower price. (Disclosure: As a private test tutor in New York City, I am always looking for new materials that will help my students prepare more effectively. I have no present or past or connection to Princeton Review, Kaplan, or any other prep book publisher.)
Rating:
Summary: The Best, by far!!!
Review: This book is the worlds first ever SAT Encyclopedia! It was exciting just to open the book and see all the perfect 1600 scores achieved by the Editor, Dr. Fikar. Many books are filled with trite tips and tricks, but this book has true substance, and zero fluff. Highly recommeded!!!!!
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