A Bit of Advice for a Newcomer

<p>Hey everyone, I'm from the Midwest and the ACT has been the primary test taken for students from this area. So, naturally, I've taken it twice and received scores that do not necessarily reflect on my abilities. As a result, I've decided on committing myself to studying over this summer in preparation for the SAT.</p>

<p>However, I know this test is VERY different from the ACT. Although I have a solid background in terms of English skills (scored a 34 on that section for the ACT) and math skills (32), the tests vary in terms of needed preparation.</p>

<p>So what prep books are most well known and useful? I'm sure this comes up a lot, so any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!</p>

<p>BB (blue book) published by the CollegeBoard is your best start-up option. From there, turn to PR and take as many practice tests as you can and review your mistakes.</p>

<p>Thanks! Is that something that would be available at the Barnes and Noble, or something that would be ordered off of Amazon?</p>

<p>I got the Blue Book at Barnes and Noble, so it should be there. The Blue Book is very good: it was the only thing I used (besides some online flash cards) to study and I got a 2270 (670 in Critical Reading, so I’m retaking in October).</p>

<p>The Blue Book is significantly cheaper on Amazon, last I checked. Be aware that only the first three tests have precise scoring guidelines, so save those for when you want a sense of how much progress you’ve made.</p>

<p>Once you exhaust the Blue Book’s practice tests, I’d recommend the Official SAT Online Course, which has 10 additional <em>authentic</em> practice tests (about half of which have precise scoring).</p>

<p>Avoid PR and other non-College Board practice materials if you can. They tend to contain more errors than you’d expect.</p>