SAT Prep Black Book: The Most Effective SAT Strategies Ever Published

Amazing test prep. A weekish before the SAT I realized I should probably study, so off I went to Amazon to find a book - there was no class, tutor, or online video that I felt could really help me in the amount of time I had left. I saw the Black Book at the top of the page, but after hearing it had 600 pages immediately looked for another option. I read online about the best books to use and eventually came back to this behemoth. Okay, 600 pages or not, I guess this was the book. I got the book that week before my first SAT, and, while trying to read 600 pages seemed impossible, actually reading the book wasn't as hard as it initially seemed because the way they write is easy to understand and engaging. Plus, probably over half of the pages were walkthroughs of the first four practice tests so there wasn't actually 600 pages you have to read every line of. The walkthroughs, though, were invaluable as they helped me understand how to work through all of the problems multiple different ways (you can see how others might answer that you never thought of, and that might actually be better). If you don't have a lot of time before the test, or you don't want to read all 600 pages, you can just do one or two of the walkthroughs and that will reduce a lot of pages. For me, each night I read one test section's material/tips, did the first practice test on that section (I printed the practice tests out myself-they aren't in the book), and then scored it and evaluated how I could improve using his walkthroughs. This meant that after four days I had read about the reading, math, writing, and essay (the book is structured in that order) and had finished the first practice test. After that, I did one whole practice test and reviewed it using his walkthroughs for the next two nights. At this point, my score hadn't improved a lot since the first practice test, but each time I had encountered new problems that I wasn't sure about and after looking at the walkthroughs felt confident in being able to do next time. On the day of the test, I felt much better about my timing, skills, and the test's structure overall because of Mike and Patrick's book. One of the questions I had gotten wrong and reviewed in a walkthrough the night before actually appeared on the test! Not yet sure of the score, but I can say it didn't seem as hard as I thought it would be solely due to their solid advice and practice walkthroughs. 10/10 recommend to anyone, whether you have a lot of time to study or not!Update: The first SAT I took (June 2018), the one I wrote this review about originally, I got a 1500. I wanted to take it one more time, but I then procrastinated studying again and with one week left reviewed the book and took the remaining practice test that the book covers. I also looked back over the printed practice tests I did the first time, finding where I commonly made mistakes. For the August 2018 SAT I got a 1530. This book was amazing not only for how to think about the test, but also just to review concepts for both math and grammar.

I waited for it to come out for a long time. I was a big fan of the earlier edition. This edition is even better, in my opinion.Some parts discuss general ideas related to studying for the SAT, such as time management and how to guess in the most effective way. Then, the book covers the different sections, such as the reading, math, and writing. For each section, the authors provide complete analysis and solutions for every single question in four SAT's available from the College Board. These solutions are presented in a way that makes the thought process very clear. The solutions also include alternative approaches most of the times, so you really start to understand how many ways there are to do a question.In my opinion, these detailed solutions are the things that make this book really the best for SAT preparation. They make it so you are basically sitting in the authors' mind while they dismantle test after test. (The authors' explanations are much better than the explanation from the College Board. The authors cover why it's so important to have good explanations for real SAT questions in the early part of the book.)My only small quibble is that the explanations are for questions that can only be got from the College Board, but this has to be this way, because you need those questions no matter what and it is illegal to copy entire questions from the College Board, so they have to refer you to the College Board questions. You should also know that it is possible to download free copies of the questions from the College Board site, so you don't have to buy the College Board book, but you can if you want.Overall, it is the best book for the SAT I've seen that just fully explains every facet of the SAT, and it provides hundreds of demonstrations against real test questions from the SAT, making it unique in my experience. It gives the reader full confidence that they can defeat anything they see on the real SAT. Even though it has a lot of pages, it is clear and concise and easy to read. It also has little hints of humor, which I appreciate!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This SAT prep book is huge, detailed, and packed with proven strategies and practice questions. You can tell it’s a solid resource that has helped a lot of students. Unfortunately, no matter how good the book is, it can’t change the fact that I hate the SAT—and this book didn’t help me feel any better about taking it 😂. Still, for anyone who wants thorough prep, this is a great choice.