Who to trust: Kaplan's review books or TPR

**joethemole** · 08-03-2005, 04:53 PM

wow? the official guide has 8?

now if they only come out with a second book... that'll be SAT practice heaven

**Selayan** · 08-04-2005, 02:03 AM

Why offcourse, buy the official blue book lol, and then you get confused like hell and go and dish out more money for the answers. Funny isnt it? I guess that is how they make money. I'll just use the 8 practice tests in that book just to go through as review untimed and then take some math sections only, timed, since that is what I want to improve on.

**babypurin** · 08-04-2005, 03:57 AM

Originally Posted by Selayan

Why offcourse, buy the official blue book lol, and then you get confused like hell and go and dish out more money for the answers. Funny isnt it? I guess that is how they make money. I'll just use the 8 practice tests in that book just to go through as review untimed and then take some math sections only, timed, since that is what I want to improve on.

Also consider buying the Collegeboard's Online SAT course. You can make timed quizzes to your requirements and specifications. Not only that, but it includes three more practice tests and answers and explanations for the Blue Book.

**HiLine** · 08-04-2005, 04:20 AM

Originally Posted by babypurin

The testmasters book gives explanations for the The Official SAT Study Guide by the College Board. As you know, the College Board's book does not give explanations.

Well,the CB's online course has explanations but it would cost not small an amount of money.Do you think the Testmasters's book has precise explanations to the blue book's practice tests?

**Erin** · 08-04-2005, 05:48 AM

The explanations found on College Board's online course aren't as good as I would hope; the ones I've looked at (mostly grammar ones) tend to be dry and technical.

It's hard to say which prep book is best; I think you need to figure out which one is best for you. That said, it does seem that Princeton Review invests more into making sure that their materials are the most helpful, although neither Kaplan nor Princeton Review really go into much detail about the test. They're very "surface-level" books.

**joethemole** · 08-04-2005, 07:59 PM

well i've now looked at abunch of other practice books:

grubers, mcgraw hills, dummie's guide, arco, and the original kaplan's book.

they are all pretty much crap in the reading/writing section. by crap i mean completely wrong formats (ie one of them gives you 35 minutes to do a writing section), completely wrong question types etc.

**Selayan** · 08-04-2005, 11:24 PM

Well I guess the way they explain everything is in simple terms thinking that everyone will understand. Usually I get it if they explain it their way, but then you will only get it right the next time if you use thier ways. Which seem to be different for every question they give. But I end up doin it how they show me and have gotten used to it, I also use my knowledge and see what happens then I look at the answers.

**babypurin** · 08-05-2005, 02:01 AM

The Critical Reading section is the hardest to improve, so that's why you won't see one universial answer - there ain't, every student seems to view this section differently.

**HiLine** · 08-06-2005, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by Erin

The explanations found on College Board's online course aren't as good as I would hope; the ones I've looked at (mostly grammar ones) tend to be dry and technical.

Oh,really?That's so surprising!How about the Testmasters?

**babypurin** · 08-06-2005, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by HiLine

Oh,really?That's so surprising!How about the Testmasters?

Actually, it isn't really suprising. If you try the "Question of the Day" on the Collegeboard's website you would know that their answers are of the most technical way.

Although, I don't have the TestMasters book I've heard that it isn't as technical as the Collegeboard's book. I haven't heard of any negative comments about the book.