best sat resources
1. the college board book (the official sat study guide aka “the blue book”)
this is the holy grail of sat test prep. studying for the sat without this book is like going to church without any bibles. the strategies are mediocre, but the tests are actual sat tests. simply put, there is no better practice for the big day.
2. princeton review 11 practice tests for the sat and psat
the tests in this book are good practice once you run out of tests from the blue book. true, some of the questions are a little easier than what you’ll find in the blue book, but it’s good practice all around.
3. barron’s sat
strategies galore and plenty of practice questions. this is a good place to start sat prep.
hate dictionary definitions because they leave you more confused than before? (like, when they define a word with three words you don’t know?) vocabulary.com doesn’t just clearly define words, they also present words in a memorable little example, so you know exactly how to use said words and how to anticipate them in context.
5. pwn the sat
pwn is a series of books and a helpful blog (which contains much of the material found in books). taught by a tutor, pwn has a personal touch and lots of helpful tips to master the ins and outs of the sat.
6. khan academy
sal khan has video explanations for every single math question in the blue book (quite an impressive feat!). there are also explanations to an actual practice test (one not found in the blue book).
7. magoosh
an excellent place to start sat prep, magoosh provides video lessons so you can get up to snuff on all the fundamentals before tackling the big questions. and then there are the hundreds of practice questions, some of which are harder than what you’ll even see test day. in short, good for both newbies and experts.
8. the insider’s complete guide to sat vocabulary
the top 500 words for the sat are conveniently broken down into different subjects, so you feel like you aren’t just learning a random list of words. also, a cool little story follows each word, making it more memorable.
9. subscription to the new york times
one of the best ways to improve vocabulary is to read. and one of the best ways to improve general sat reading comprehension skills is to read. of course, we’re not talking about reader’s digest, but a source that uses the type of writing and syntax found on the test. and that source is the new york times. (you can get a subscription to the website: nytimes.com).
10. quizlet.com
turn inscrutable vocabulary words and pesky idioms into easy-to-use online flashcards. simply use quizlet.com, which will make your learning schedule even more effective, as you learn on the go.
bonus sat review resource:
check out magoosh’s free blue book video explanations for the first test in the college board’s official guide. if searching for a specific answer in google, all you need to do is type out “magoosh”, the name of the section and the specific question, and voila! you’ll have a video explanation presented by none other than the very person typing this.
photos by thomas leuthard, jean-rené vauzelle and mashable.
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