<p>I have a meager 2100 at the moment ( although it's 1500/1600 M + CR so it shouldn't be that hard to improve ). I already have the sparknote's SAT, normal CB blue book, barron's SAT ( generic, not 2400 ), gruber's complete SAT guide ( 2009 ), and grammatix. I only bothered doing a couple practice SATs out of the sparknote's guide ( this was all before I read Xiggi's post and found college confidential so I did not know better ). </p>
<p>Which of these resources are best suited for boosting writing up first? I don't need help with the essay, I just screwed up on exam day ( forgot how to spell Sotomayor and had to think of a 4th example, essay was a bit short as a result ). I've already read the guide of how to write a 12 essay in 10 days and committed it to memory. The main issue is grammar. </p>
<p>What about Barron's 2400 SAT and Gruber's 2400 etc. Which one do you guys recommend? I'm not extremely concerned about getting the last bit out of the SAT but it would be very nice if I could get a 2250+.</p>
<p>i actually just took a kaplan book out of the library called “SAT Advanced: Intensive Prep for Top Students”, which claims to be for students not just aiming for the basics, but those aiming for a 2400. (I’m not really, just need to improve my math score (680) so I figure this would be the best book for that). But I don’t have much experience actually prepping for the SAT, I’m just taking this book at face value.</p>
<p>I don’t think any prep book can get you close to a 2400 or above a 2200 for that matter. Prep books can help you get into the 2000s. The best thing for you to do would be to take a lot of practice tests and realize why you are getting questions wrong. Since you have gone through so many prep books already, you should probably know all the grammar rules. Finish the CB practice tests and take the practice tests on CB’s Official Online course and read the online answer explanations of the questions that you got wrong and the ones that you got right, but guessed on. If that still doesn’t help take practice tests from PR and Kaplan.</p>
<p>I read Barron’s SAT 2400. It isn’t really too helpful because every practice problem in the book is designed to be hard, and the SAT really isn’t as difficult, even the hard questions. And the word list in the book is just not recommended unless you have gone through other basic lists, like Direct Hits, Spark Notes, and RocketReview. The grammar section cuts to the chase, so it might be helpful for you.</p>
<p>I think doing tests in the blue book really helps. Those are the closest thing you can get to real SAT test questions (as the book is made by collegeboard). Even if you have already done the book, I recommend doing the questions again, as after a few months, you probably will forget the questions on it, so it will be like doing a fresh test.</p>
<p>The Gruber book doesn’t really help because those types of questions are not like the real SAT questions.</p>
<p>Redo a couple of CB practice tests with open notes. Take your time to understand the writing questions and check the corresponding grammar rules. After you develop your confidence and knowledge, close your notes and take a couple of tests without time limit. Again, check all your answers correct and incorrect ones. After this step, start working on your timing until you finish the section with time to spare, and use this time to return to the questions that caused some hesitation. </p>
<p>You should not have to purchase more books, except for the 2009 BB.</p>
<p>Reading your score, you say you have 2100, with 1500 CR+M, meaning you have 600 W.</p>
<p>So I think not only should you do old tests, but focus especially on the writing. </p>
<p>For the sentence error section, make sure that you read every sentence before moving on. If you think choice B sounds right, but don’t read choice C,D, and E, then you might accidentally make a mistake.</p>
<p>For the word error section (forgot what thats actually called), make sure to cross out prep phrases and make sure your noun and pronoun agree (both singular, both plural). Also check for sentences that start with “there” as the noun is after the verb (“there are lion” is an easy one where lion is wrong). Also look for errors in “one” vs “you”. Reducdancy and idioms are sometimes problematic…those really come from just memorizing some basic idioms/knowing general facts about redudancy (like not saying “in the year 1776”) but there only should be 2/3 of those.</p>
<p>Also to improve your essay, make sure to write essays and think of examples BEFORE you take the test because those examples can be made to fit a variety of situations…so whatever essay question comes up, if you already have an example + know how to use it for a variety of topics (which might include the essay topic) you won’t waste time thinking of an example</p>
<p>My original post failed at asking my question clearly. I am not demanding a 2400 or anything insane like that, but I feel like I could definitely get to a 2200+, perhaps 2300+ if I am lucky. After all, 2300 to 2400 has more to do with luck than 1900-2000 of course. I am definitely not looking for a guarantee of a score, that’s all up to my dedication/effort. It’s good to know gruber is not a good book to study with. To clarify I only did a bit of the sparknote’s test guide and the 3 practice tests included ( I did review, oddly enough I had a 700 predicted on the writing and felt like I was “getting” it ). </p>
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<p>To reiterate, I haven’t even opened many of these books as I was not sure which one was the best. I heard some books may even have a negative impact on SAT scores so I thought I’d ask here. Is grammatix the best for MC prep? For the record my grammar used to be impeccable but as a side affect of reading 200-300 pages a day of online articles ( some formal, some engadget fluff ), my grammar has suffered considerably. </p>
<p>I agree that the SAT is “easy” but out of the couple hundred questions it’s rare to not mess up a few times. This is part of the reason I hate the SAT, easy questions and easy concepts. As a result the score distribution in upper levels are determined by what comes down to silly mistakes. </p>
<p>Thanks for your help and tips, College Confidential is great.</p>
<p>Does the 2009 version of the BB have updated practice tests in it because I know some prep books just have a different cover but the content is the same?</p>