<p>Is this good advice? I want to know so I can pace myself and see noticeable improvement before I take new practice tests. That way I will not run out.</p>
<p>This is good advice - with all the Qas, you should not run out.</p>
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with all the Qas, you should not run out.
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<p>where did you get the QAS? Don't tell me you took every single test and ordered them</p>
<p>It's good advice. Nonofficial tests are evil. </p>
<p>Hear no evil, see no evil, test no evil.</p>
<p>No, that's crap. If you take QUALITY non-official tests you're fine. I did PR tests and they were just as useful as the CB tests, if not more because they had answer explanations. No one I know got screwed by taking non-official tests; don't worry about it.</p>
<p>I say that's bunk. SAT is a reasoning test, so if you have the reasoning skills, they should transfer well to any sort of SAT -- mock or real.</p>
<p>If you can rock Barron's tests, you can rock anything that's thrown your way. That's always been my philosophy when it came to standardized tests, and it worked for me. My CR score actually went up after I started studying for the AP Language test. I agree with Ashraf Eassa - any test that makes you better at reasoning is worthwhile. Don't just stick with the "real" thing. Practice anything you can get your hands on.</p>
<p>Yeah I think so.
Barron is hard. If you can master Barron you nearly reach the top :)</p>
<p>The point is you shouldn't have to use any non official test. You can get 9 official ones which is more than enough (BB + free one online).</p>
<p>And non official practice materials are bad, it's well established. I don't practice basketball with a bowling ball because it's harder. Nor do I practice shooting baskets at 6 ft. hoop.</p>
<p>9 official tests isn't enough. It wasn't for me, anyway. I used all the Q&A, blue book, PSATs, etc. and I still needed to practice more.</p>
<p>I also found that CB wasn't enough. I ended up doing PR practice tests for the Math, and I'm glad I did. Next, I'm trying Grubers.</p>
<p>I think we need to continue this debate. Everyone has good points. I think if the test is not made by collegeboard it may render some strategy useless which can change how you approach questions on the actual tests.</p>
<p>I don't really see how you can run out of CB tests. If you took them all before one test date, it's your fault and a stupid idea to have done so. If you are taking 10+ SAT practice tests and plan on retaking, how much do you expect to improve? You can only go up so much in a limited period of time, and taking unrealistic tests will not help that.</p>
<p>I agree with the OP. And I also agree with some of the dissenters. For those who like explanations, then taking other practice tests will give you those. For those who like random challenge, taking something like Barron's will give you that. </p>
<p>But if you want that perfect score, or whatever score you have your sights set on, I would strongly suggest you stick to CB tests only. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>I have no idea why someone would think CB tests are not enough. There are about 7 QAS, 6 online practice tests, 8 BB tests, 6+ old PSATs etc etc. Essentially 20+ real SATs. I'm pretty sure 20 SAT practice tests are enough, especially if you're using them the right way (ie. take them, and spend the time to go over your mistakes, and take notes on your errors to notice consistent ones).</p></li>
<li><p>Amandeep brings up a good point. Why would you acclimate yourself to random practice tests when you have the opportunity to acclimate yourself to the real thing. Guess what, training for the SAT is not like XC training or swimming training. Doing something like Barron's won't make you any better. Barron's is notorious for hard questions, questions that fall outside the scope of the SAT. You can master them, but whats the point when they will NEVER appear on the real thing. If you think CB tests aren't challenging enough, then I hope you already are scoring consistent 2400s.</p></li>
<li><p>Sure other practice tests may help you "reason" better, but ultimately you're studying for the SAT, not for reasoning. In your preparation for the SAT, you wouldn't be doing ACT practice tests just because they help you reason better. The official CB tests are the BEST use of your time, because quite frankly, few have the time to do every single SAT practice test by every company. In case the point hasn't been made yet, if you have a math test tomorrow on derivatives, it would be ridiculous to be studying probability. Sure probability is math, and its a math test, but why study probability when the teacher has given you a study guide on exactly what will be on the test?</p></li>
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<p>So please for your own sake, do the CB tests as much as you can. If you finish them all, and need more...then do other ones. The resources are there, so use them.</p>