Brooke

Hi Erin! Okay, I know this thread hasn't been used in a year, but I thought I'd post here anyway. Good to meet another SSAT/ISEE tutor. I'm on the east coast (Connecticut), but I feel the same way as you about these tests. It's such a shame that students have to start taking standardized tests so early now. Can I ask a question out of curiosity -- how does it work in San Fran? Here it's only the students applying to private schools who have to take the exams (usually the SSAT, though the schools all seem to take the ISEE, and of course there are the Catholic schools, who have their own test). I grew up in San Diego and I don't remember any kind of pressure to apply to private schools, or any kind of feeling that if you weren't in private school you were somehow lacking (that seems to be the feeling here). Is that how it still is, or has the competitive HS admissions process made its way to San Fran as well? (just curious.) Anyway, thanks for setting up this forum. I'm off to explore and try to figure out how to do simple things like make a signature so that I don't always have to type: Cheers! -Brooke Abacus Learning - Tutoring For All Ages

SD2007, I know I'm not Erin and that's who you asked, but for what it's worth, I think the Kaplan book is far superior to the Barron's book. In fact, if I were you, I would definitely use either the Kaplan or the Princeton Review book instead of the Barron's book as a supplement to the official SSAT test prep book -- which, as Erin says, there really is no substitute for. Granted, I have not worked out of the Barron's book for a couple of years, but that's mostly because the last time I did so, I was appalled by the number of errors, the way the book was laid out, and just how poorly the questions mirrored those in the official SSAT prep book. So I'm basing my review on that, and it could have changed...