It seems like it is a very polarizing book. It seems like people either think it is the best prep book they have ever read or the worst prep book they have ever read. Can somebody explain to me if it is worth buying or no?
Chung has a lot of errors. Many of its questions are harder than on the actual SAT test. I think its inefficient to study with harder questions. Others disagree.
I don’t think you should buy it - I’d get PWN the SAT or a book by Dr. Steve Warner or Philip Keller. Others disagree.
IMO the tips at the beginning and the problems with them are useful. It is similar to the information in Barons SAT, but in simpler form. You should definitely make sure you can do all the problems in the tips section.
The problems in test are harder than the real SAT, but if you are already at 600+, IMO that is a good thing.
The PWN book is definitely better done, but it isn’t that long.
I took the SAT twice and got 690 on the math both times if that means anything.
If you are at 690, Chungs might be a little easy for you. I would definitely go through PWN. You can do the hard problems in real SATs and various prep books. You try Math SAT 800: there are a couple of others books harder than that with superhard problems.
@mathplustutornj Easy? I’m confused because I thought Chung’s was supposed to be really hard or something?
It’s harder than the real SAT, but if you scored 690, it shouldn’t be hard for you. I would not bother with the early problems in each section if you use it.
Others may disagree, but I would recommend working through Dr. Chungs if you are at 690. It definitely will not be too hard. At least, I would make sure I can do all the problems at the beginning with the tips. As mentioned, the problems early in each section of the tests should be easy.
That book does not sell at much of a discount used on Amazon, and was going for over $100 for a while when it was out of print, so I would assume some people find it useful. However, there have been some very negative comments on it on this forum.
Here’s the thing
The ONLY people that should be studying from dr. chung’s SAT are those hoping to achieve nothing less than a perfect 800.
Its very hard because its covers EVERY TYPE OF HARD QUESTION every possible on the SAT. I would only recommend it if your scoring around 650+ for math. I scored a 680 for math and there are certain tips that are incredibly hard (TIP 27 - paths in a grid) for instance. Im taking the SAT in october and am hoping to achieve an 800 in math.
Its a very challenging book, but i definitely recommend it if your willing to study hard and want a high score!
@CHD2013 Almost all the errors are stupid grammar or spelling errors - who cares? Its the best book for SAT Math to get an 800
@mathplustutornj Chung’s book is NOT easy for anybody - Even those with a 690. In fact, its very difficult. Almost every single question in the practice tests were level 4/5 questions.
Where did you hear that chung is easy??
Chungs is probably easier than PWN, and definitely easier than “Math SAT 800 Prep” and “Crush the Math SAT”. There are many problems early in sections that are 2s or 3s. I wouldn’t describe it as easy though. However, I specialize in tutoring the math SAT, so my ideas of what is hard or easy may be skewed.
It is important to be able to do the illustrative problems in Chungs tips and the somewhat similar ones with the tips in “Barrons SAT”.
I haven’t used Chungs in my tutoring yet, but I am working through the problems with the tips and will evaluate the book more thoroughly.
I had no problem doing all the problems with the tips, but I think they are extremely useful.
There has been some criticism in the past that the book takes an Asian approach, teaching you formulas and how to do all the types of problems, rather than a reasoning approach. IMO this approach can be useful though.
Not sure if I should keep commenting, but the other posters said all the problems are 4s and 5s. I said there are some 2s and 3s. However, there are very few 6s. Math SAT Prep 800 and Crush the Math SAT have tons of 6 and 7 level problems. IMO there is benefit to a book with about 2000 hard problems.
If you are really close to 800 though, I would seriously recommend doing some problems from even harder books. I would also recommend doing all the 5 level problems in the Blue Book and the older Red Book or real SATs.
I’m not sure 690 is really close to 800. I ordered it but I’m kind of just experimenting around to try to find something that will work for me.
I would just use the college board Blue Book. It gets you familiar with the test format and you will start to notice patterns of the type of questions on the test. That’s all I used, and I got an 800.
The biggest thing is timing. I did the last 3 or 4 questions first and then I went back and started at #1. It’s easier to rush through the easier questions than the last hard questions when you run out of time.
I liked it, it really helped me hone in my problem thinking skills
That is a clueless statement if there was one!
There have been similar books in the past that had the same problems. The poor syntax and spelling are NOT the biggest issue. It simply underscores an incredibly poor attention to details and a lack of intelligent editing. Leaving errors and missing parts of the answers go beyond mere grammatical erros.
The other issue is NOT that it is an “Asian” as there are a number of great books that have come from that part of the world. A tad different but helpful when they … cover the appropriate scope. This is now how Chung works as he has shown to be hopelessly confused about the scope of the regular SAT. The biggest problem of the book is its irrelevance.
A marathon runner does not train by running sprints. Your preparation should be based on using official tests and look for the answers when needed in a number of source books. On that basis, Chung is a total failure. If one is curious about the book, all it takes is to Amazon search it. At that level, the price is right. Spending a nickel on this junk is a mistake. Caveat Emptor!
In the end, why waste your precious time on a poor book when there are a number of good ones? Would you buy shoes that do not fit because a couple of idiots say they look good?
@xiggi I’ve never seen one prep book get such a strong reaction from people either way. It seems like some people are saying its the best prep book ever and others are saying its the worst. What prep book would you recommend for the SAT math. (I have taken Blue Book Practice tests, the problem is I am struggling to improve on them. It seems not matter what I try to do I always miss about 5-6 questions per test)