<p>So I read through Xiggi's test prep advice, and a point that he made was to never do the practice SAT tests made by other companies (e.g. PR). Does it really hurt you that much to do them? Obviously the CB tests are the ones most like the one you will encounter on exam day, but I see doing as many practice tests as possible as only helping you. Sure, the format or exact types of questions may not be 100% right on, but the more types of questions you do, the better prepared you will be. Right?</p>
<p>That also brings up another point. If CB tests for the SAT are the only ones willing to do, then what about AP tests from Barron's, PR, etc.? Is the CB-only rule for practice tests apply just for the SAT, or what?</p>
<p>I would use the strategies and do the practice quizzes from books like Barron's 2400, but practice full length exams primarily on the Blue Book. I suppose it doesn't hurt to do other practice tests too, but just be aware that they ARE different. For example, Barron's 2400 sentence error questions have a lot of questions that test for diction errors, whereas on the real thing they are nearly nonexistent. If it's not on the test, then practicing for them does not really help that much, and worse-case scenario, it may train you to look for the wrong thing on exam day.</p>
<p>As for other tests, it depends on the subject. Cliffs AP Bio is really good, but Barron's Math II is not.</p>
<p>i would do the CB book in intervals! do the practice problems from other books, then do ONE from CB, and see how you compare, know where to study/focus, etc.</p>
<p>It does hurt to do practice tests by other companies in that you study the wrong material. I mean, how much SAT sh1t can one person fit in their brain? </p>
<p>Plus, if Barron's is superfluous in some regards, it's likely to assume it's lacking in others. But, like skatj said, those little drills that Barron's gives you aren't going to hurt. Just be wary of extensive study from full length practice tests.</p>
<p>Nah, the PR ones aren't so bad I think, at least for writing and math (the math is harder than the real one, but covers the same stuff). The CR, in my personal experience tho, is a little off.</p>
<p>I've taken a PR test, and the whole thing seemed off. For one thing, the repetition of vocab words was waaaaay too high. Also, the scaled ranges are far too generous.</p>
<p>each book prepares practice tests to suit its strategies and techniques...especially PR. Right now I am using PR 11 tests and I have heard its pretty good from my seniors. (Haven't got my hand on a blue book yet...I f i did then i think #1 do blue book then proceed with others in terms of full length practice tests.) For individual areas...its nice to do it from another source... i echo skatj on the rest.</p>
<p>There are only so many College Board practice exams, so if you use them up, you've used them up. You can redo them but the scores will be slightly inflated due to familiarity.</p>
<p>Princeton Review and Kaplan practice tests won't hurt for the practice and will do a rough gauging on how well you're doing.</p>
<p>DO NOT DO A BARRON'S PRACTICE TEST, they are all wrong and messed up, they are just horrible and full of typos. They even have incorrect answer keys. (This is from my experience with Barron's PSAT.)</p>
<p>Oh, please. It does NOT hurt to take non-official practice tests, not if they're good ones. Some are definitely better than others. With forums like these, if it hurt to take non-CB tests, no one would ever buy any of these books. When I first came here looking for reviews, I read a lot of discussions. Most people recommended CB tests wholeheartedly, followed by PR's 11 Practice Tests book, much more than any other non-official book. I picked it up, and the tests are very good. It will not hurt you in the least to take those tests. They have answer explanations, which the CB ones don't, so they're very useful and they're more like the real test than other tests I've taken. Seriously, do not worry about it. Just take them. They're fine.</p>