*list prices given at time of publication and subject to change. click on the book cover found in each review to see the current price on amazon.<\/p>\n
best sat books of 2021-2022: reviews<\/h2>\n
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not all sat prep books are created equal: some you\u2019ll want to use in their entirety (though only a few), others you\u2019ll want to use only parts of, and others you\u2019ll want to steer clear of. this is particularly true now that prices are falling and kindle versions are available\u2014in some ways, that’s awesome, but it can also encourage students to buy a ton of books without seriously evaluating their quality.<\/p>\n
to help you maximize your study time (and save your hard-earned cash) i’ve reviewed the options for the best sat books on the market and graded them from most to least helpful. keep in mind that some publishers do a good job on some things (like practice tests or a specific section of the sat) and a sub-par job on other things. this doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t buy the book, but it might mean that you won’t use the book in its entirety.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n i want to start by pointing out that magoosh has a great, free sat study guide! we’ve spent years and years reviewing all of the sat study guides out there. we knew that our experts could cut through all of the unnecessary stuff and give you the best info out there\u2026so that’s what we did! even better? it doesn’t cost you a cent. we even have a free sat practice test<\/a> you can take after studying!<\/p>\n back to top<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n how the current edition compares to the previous one<\/strong> things to love<\/strong><\/p>\n things to consider<\/strong> takeaway<\/strong> back to top<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> how the current edition compares to the previous one<\/strong> things to love<\/strong><\/p>\n things to consider<\/strong><\/p>\n takeaway<\/strong> (quick update: i ended up using this book for my class, and it turns out that quite a few of the writing questions have debatable answer choices or at least wrong answers that aren\u2019t quite wrong enough. for that reason, i\u2019ve lowered the grade from an a- to a b+.)<\/p>\n back to top<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> ivy global<\/a> is a lesser-known publisher that produces high-quality practice materials. they have two main books, the ultimate sat guide and sat 6 practice tests, and offer two free practice tests on their website (available to anyone whether you bought a book or not). the ultimate sat guide offers a thorough concept review for each section and three full practice tests. the 6 practice tests book gives a quick run-down of the sections and question types and offers 6 practice tests. each practice test is different from the others from ivy global, so you don\u2019t have to worry about paying for the same material twice. the ultimate sat guide is a more refined version of ivy global’s new sat guide 2.0 but the test material is nearly the same. the only difference is some of the concept reviews and errors from the previous edition were fixed and improved slightly. <\/p>\n things to love<\/strong><\/p>\n things to consider<\/strong><\/p>\n takeaway<\/strong> back to top<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> how the current edition compares to the previous one<\/strong> things to love<\/strong><\/p>\n things to consider<\/strong><\/p>\n takeaway<\/strong> back to top<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> how the current edition compares to the previous one<\/strong> things to love<\/strong><\/p>\n things to consider<\/strong><\/p>\n takeaway<\/strong> back to top<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n how the current edition compares to the previous one<\/strong> things to love<\/strong><\/p>\n things to consider<\/strong><\/p>\n takeaway<\/strong> back to top<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n note: the practice tests in this book are not the same ones that appear in the princeton review\u2019s cracking the sat (reviewed above). all commentary here applies to the 10 practice tests book alone.<\/em><\/p>\n how the current edition compares to the previous one<\/strong> things to love<\/strong><\/p>\n things to consider<\/strong><\/p>\n takeaway<\/strong> back to top<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n how the current edition compares to the previous one<\/strong> things to love<\/strong><\/p>\n things to consider<\/strong><\/p>\n takeaway<\/strong> back to top<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> how the current edition compares to the previous one<\/strong> things to love<\/strong><\/p>\n things to consider<\/strong><\/p>\n takeaway<\/strong> back to top<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nmagoosh’s complete, free sat study guide<\/h3>\n
![\"magoosh](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2020\/01\/magoosh_sat-300x184.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nsat prep black book: the most effective sat strategies ever published<\/h3>\n
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\nthis book hasn’t been updated for a while (the most recent version was published in 2017), so steer clear of the first edition: it’s written for a previous edition of the test and won’t help you prepare for the current sat!<\/p>\n\n
\nis this the be-all and end-all of sat prep? well, no.<\/p>\n\n
\nat the end of the day, this is a pretty great addition to your sat library, particularly for those students just starting their test prep journey.<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nkallis’ sat pattern strategy<\/h3>\n
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\nthe 2018 kallis book and the previous 2016 edition are similar in many respects, but there have been a few distinct changes. most of these changes are good. the sat reading and sat math practice questions have been updated to better reflect the content of the real sat, with more recently written passages and a more even mix of math topics, respectively. there are a few changes that seem like downgrades though, with less tutorial support for certain topics in sat writing & language and sat math. <\/p>\n\n
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\nan all-around excellent prep book for the sat, one that is great for the motivated self-studier, especially one who aims to score in the top 20%. i intend to use it to tutor, which is a lofty compliment, given that i say this about very few prep books outside of the official materials.<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nivy global: ultimate sat guide<\/em> and sat 6 practice tests<\/em><\/h3>\n
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\ngreat general-purpose practice source that deserves more attention!<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nprinceton review: sat premium prep, 2022<\/em> (formerly cracking the sat, 2020<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
![\"princeton](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2021\/08\/princetons-2022-231x300.jpeg\")
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\nthe 2022 sat premium prep is the new evolution of the cracking the sat series. although it is presented as an update, the 2022 edition matches the 2020 edition aside from a few minor edits. previous reviewers have noted that the 2020 edition is also a near reprint of older editions from 2018\/2019 so you may want to consider buying any version since they\u2019re essentially the same over the last 3 years. the benefit of the premium version is that it gives you eight practice tests (four in the book and four online) whereas the conventional version gives you five practice tests (four in the book and one online). the rest of the content is the same.<\/p>\n\n
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\na great place to overhaul your math scores if you have a lot of time before the exam. also worth looking into for the use of graphs in the verbal sections.<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\npwn the sat: math guide<\/h3>\n
![\"pwn](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2016\/01\/pwn-the-sat-232x300.png\")
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\nthe most recent edition of this book is from 2016, when the sat changed\u2014so definitely don’t get earlier editions! they won’t prep you for the current test.<\/p>\n\n
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\non its own, this book isn\u2019t enough to prepare you for test day. in combination with a few other resources, though (namely, the official guide), it\u2019s a great resource for students aiming for top math scores.<\/p>\n500+ practice questions for the new sat<\/h3>\n
![\"princeton](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2015\/10\/pr_newsat-233x300.jpg\")
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\nthis book hasn’t been updated since 2015, but it does<\/em> focus on the “new” (i.e. 2016-onwards) sat. so don’t get earlier editions, but this one is geared towards the current test.<\/p>\n\n
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\nas a companion guide to a book of strategies and fundamentals, this book is a great place to start.<\/p>\n10 practice tests for the sat, 2022 edition<\/h3>\n
![\"10](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2021\/08\/10-practice-tests-2022-231x300.jpg\")
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\nthere are no changes from the 2020 edition (which had four new practice tests added and some older passages updated) to the 2022 edition. tests 1-6 are the exact same six tests seen in the 2017 book. the two new passages were written in 2008 and 2014, while the older essay prompt readings were from the early-to-mid 20th century.<\/p>\n\n
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\na good book for most students. if you\u2019re hoping to score in the stratosphere (90th percentile or above), you might begin here, depending on where you are now, and move on to more challenging materials as you master these problems.<\/p>\nbarron’s sat, 31st edition<\/h3>\n
![\"barron's](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2021\/08\/barronssat-300x300.jpeg\")
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\nthe 2021 edition has been updated with few new changes compared to the 2020 edition. the most major change is the removal of all guides related to the sat essay that has been recently removed from the test. the second update that might prove more meaningful is the addition of an index at the end of the book. the index allows you to go straight to the page for nearly every concept on the test which is helpful if you\u2019re looking for targeted practice. aside from the essay removal and index addition, the book is nearly identical to the previous edition.<\/p>\n\n
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\nthis is great for math practice and really, really not student-friendly for the verbal.<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nthe official sat study guide 2020<\/h3>\n
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\nthere are a few small, inconsequential changes to the math support in the official sat study guide (2020)<\/em>, compared to the previous 2018 version. a few example problems have been changed, with one algebra equation replaced by another, a geometry question replaced with a different geometry question on a similar topic, and so on. again, very minor changes, likely due to feedback or analysis that the college board received regarding the prior version of the book. the truly big change here is the eight practice tests: two of the practice exams are brand new, while the other 6 also appeared in the 2018 sat og.<\/p>\n\n
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\nin sum, you don\u2019t need to buy this book. for review, you are much better off going with any of the major publishers on the market. for practice questions, there is no better source than the college board, but the fact that they have made this content available for free online makes this book unnecessary, if not unhelpful. now let\u2019s hope the clouds don\u2019t part and the college board strikes me down with lightning. (my alternative grade for this book? \u2018r\u2019 for redundant.)<\/p>\nusing the best sat books in your studies<\/h2>\n