5 Recommended SAT BOOKS for Successful SAT Examination

Most of you might have heard the word “SAT TEST” when it comes to university admissions. Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) is a standardized test that needs to be taken by college students for successfully landing in different universities.

SAT score plays a vital role in shaping students’ future because many universities have declared it an essential component for seeking admissions. Books have always helped to do the best entry test preparations.

The market has more than 2000 books available for SAT prep- making it confusing and challenging to choose the right one. To avoid such confusion, the article will walk you through the best five books that you can buy for acing the SAT.

The following books are ordered from the least to the most helpful:

The Official SAT Study Guide

The 2020 version of the Official SAT study guide comprises of eight official SAT papers that give students a real picture of the test. It also answers all the questions in a detailed manner at the end of each test. Many students also use the Official SAT guide as a starter book.

This is because it assists in finding their weaker and low-scoring areas.
However, some people don’t recommend buying the Official SAT book as all of its eight papers are available online for free at different websites. And it’s one of the main reasons to rank this book as the least helpful.

Besides, the book doesn’t explain why the particular option is right or wrong, which makes the explanations weak. For example, A is the correct answer because the given passage best supports the A option.

Barron’s SAT Book

If you want to start the SAT preparation from scratch, then what’s better than the Barron’s- 30th edition- SAT book? The book assists in covering all the material that will probably come out in the entry test. It’s one of the most comprehensive books available in the market.

Along with the four-length papers, the book also contains a diagnostic test that provides the opportunity to practice and identify the weaker areas. Moreover, you will also come across a lot of vocabulary and flashcards that make your learning exciting.

However, the full-length papers don’t contain in-depth and strong explanations of the practice material. Consequently, the students will not be able to improve or rectify their mistakes- causing a low motivation for attempting further practice papers.

The book is also being criticized for incorporating very complicated practice questions that are way different than what you will get in SAT.

SAT Prep Black Book

The Black book is an excellent guide for learning interesting and helpful tricks to achieve the dream score. Its author, Mike Barrett, used the years of entry test preparation experience to compile the most effective ways of attempting the SAT.

For example, the book walks you through the method of guessing the options and solving tricky questions. Moreover, you will be able to build up your confidence while attempting the actual paper.

Basically, the book convinces you to have a friendlier attitude towards the standardized test. Unfortunately, the book lacks the practice material, which means you also have to use another guide to prepare the SAT. Besides, you can’t recommend the same strategies to all of your readers because some strategies won’t work for a few students.

McGraw-Hill EDUCATION SAT 2019

If you are searching for a book that offers the SAT overview and practices material, then McGraw-Hill Education SAT 2019 is the best choice. The book provides an excellent overview of the SAT and different strategies to familiarize yourself with the actual test pattern.

Moving ahead, you will also find the five full-length papers whose questions resemble the real SAT. Some experts have declared this book the best guide for the SAT’s math portion. It explains all the topics in detail and provides tons of practice material.

However, the books fail to cover the reading and writing portions in a detailed and accurate manner. For example, there are some topics- such as the Language of the Beauty and Truth- that are not useful for SAT preparation.

The Princeton Review

There are several books available by the Princeton Review, so make sure to buy the one that says “Cracking the SAT- 2020 Edition”. Along with the four full-length papers, the book also covers all the crucial concepts and strategies comprehensively.

The Princeton Review also offers a premium online version of the book that contains four additional practice tests- making a total of eight full-length papers. Furthermore, its detailed and accurate explanations of the practice material enable you to better prepare for the SAT.

However, the book is criticized for using complicated terms and wording- such as POOD- that makes it unnecessarily annoying and frustrating for the students. Moreover, the practice material sometimes doesn’t resemble the real SAT because the writer has incorporated some very straightforward questions.

Conclusion

Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.

SAT is one of the most stringent steps that you need to take for landing a bright future. But you can ace it by choosing the right prep book and doing the practice. If you are still confused about the right SAT prep book, you can also check out PrepareHOW for finding the comprehensive preparation material.