Rating: Summary: Needs to cover the basics! Review: "Cracking the SAT/PSAT" provided some really helpful vocabulary lists but the test taking strategies were non-helpful. The idea of the Joe Bloggs principle made me uncomfortable and the book focused too much on eliminating obvious answer choices and guessing instead of teaching how to solve the problems by knowing the right technique.
Rating: Summary: Pretty good book! Review: After finding out what the PSAT was like(I'm a sophomore), I decided to get a book to help me prepare for taking it again and taking the SAT in my senior year. I don't know how this book relates to others since it is my first one, but I found it really interesting and really helpful. I actually know how to tackle the problems now and get more problems answered while taking less time.
Rating: Summary: Great for Math...Decent for Verbal Review: After the PSAT, I realized that I needed a little help, and bought this book. The strategies for taking the test were stellar, along with the math review. I found that the verbal review was not as helpful, and the Vocabulary was presented in an awkward way. I'd advise anyone to purchase this book, but not with the CD-ROM- (It kept crashing on my PC) buy 10 real SAT's instead.
Rating: Summary: Not bad, but not worth its price.... Review: Before I read this book I took the SAT I. On this SAT I, I received a score of 1250 (600 verbal and 650 math). About a month later I bought this book. With only less than a month of reading this book my score went up by 40 points to 1290. Basically, this book teaches you "tricks" to get a higher score. It does not teach you math or english, just ways to get a higher score. The practice tests in the book are very similar to the actual test questions. However, the tests on the CD-rom are very different. I found the CD basically useless to me. However, I will say that this book was very interesting. It uses colorful language to keep the reader interested in studying. So, I guess this book is okay, but it is FAR from great.
Rating: Summary: OK, but there are better ones Review: First and foremost, the CD-ROM that is included in this book was made poorly. It usually crashes or there is something wrong with it. The tips are good but Princeton Review does not give enough excercises to actually apply them to, only drills with 5 or so questions in them. I recommend looking into other test prep companies such as those of Kaplan and Arco. Don't get the version of this book with the CDROM. You can save about $5 and you won't risk having your computer destroyed.
Rating: Summary: Most people don't understand the SAT........ Review: First of all, I must stress the point that many people say is bad about this book. People say that it doesn't teach the material on the SAT. It just helps you out by giving tips and such. While this is true, that is the point of the SAT. You cannot try to learn the SAT material in a book. The people who try to do this usually do not do well. You just need help on taking the test. If you don't know the material, then you wouldn't be scoring well on the SAT. I made a 1300 before this book, and then my score jumped to 1540. I knew most of the material but I fell for a lot of traps. So if you are making decent scores and know the material, this book will help you a lot.
Rating: Summary: Thank You Review: Hello, I'm a sophomore at Jenks High School and I'm writing to thank you.In January of my tenth grade year I took an SAT, and recently learned I scored a 1600. Owning and loving your Cracking the SAT, SAT Verbal Workbook, Word Smart, and a handful of other books, I can credit my score both to intelligence and luck, but not without also crediting a solid and comforting preparation - and you. Halfway through a recently published newspaper article about me it claims "He commends the book, 'Cracking the SAT,' from the Princeton Review as an excellent tool for those preparing to take the exam," and I do to anyone who asks. For your irreverent style,your outright logic, and, most of all, your results, I've mentioned your book to anyone who asks how. Thank you, Princeton Review, and good luck with the next.
Rating: Summary: College Board doesn't endorse this book? What's up w. that? Review: I almost bought this book because I know a bunch of friends who are taking Kaplan and Princeton Review SAT prep courses. This is the first time I noticed that the college board doesn't endorse the Princeton Review's book. What does that mean? I'm not buying this book!
Rating: Summary: Princeton Review fails for most readers yet again Review: I am sorry, but I have serious objectionsto the Princeton Review manner of creating study guides. While some attention is given to actually reviewing the material that is on the test, much information is dismissed as unlikey to appear on the test and therefore unnecessary to remember. Princeton Review bets on statistics of what material is most often tested when deciding what it will teach you.Likewise, and more importantly, the Princeton Review encourages students of its book to rely on chance and statistics in regards to guessing multiple choice answers. Princeton Review teaches the students the techniques that are most likely to help them and, on the side, teaches the material that is most likely to be essential. Well, that which is most likely is not the case 100% of the time. While some suggest that tests are so unlikely to have three questions in a row with the same answer that a student should be overly skeptical if he or she finds his or her self marking three questions in a row with "B", the fact is that I have taken many tests and many times have I had the same answer for four or even five questions in a row. I got these questions right because I did not doubt my answers based on some test-taking techniques I picked up in the Princeton review but because I had learned enough of the material to be confident. Quite simply, this Princeton Review book is not an effective enough resource for helping its readers learn the material they are being tested on. The quality of the book is further decreased by its emphasis on tricks and statistical advantages that just do not prove useful enough in the real world. The SAT is perhaps the most important test a high schooler will take, so don't jeapordize your performance by studying from this book unless you plan to supplement your studies with more material-oriented guides.
Rating: Summary: very good for those shooting below 1350 Review: I bought this book with the intentions of reviewing the material the SAT tests, hoping to raise my score from a 1340 to maybe 1400+. I was disappointed. Instead of reviewing the material, the authors mainly just try to teach you ways to guess. This would be a very good thing for someone who is sure that they have not mastered all the vocabulary or concepts tested and just needs a way to score a few extra points on things they have no clue about, but not someone with an above average score trying to find out what they're messing up on.
|