<p>deb,
There was a long thread on Grammatix in the SAT Prep forum, but it seems to be gone now. The site address is: <a href="http://www.grammatix.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.grammatix.com/</a> but I know that some people have been having trouble ordering, and getting the hard copy in particular. </p>
<p>Although it's very long, I recommend you read the Xiggi's method tacked at the top of the SAT Prep forum. Start at the beginning and read the parts where Xiggi talks specifically about his method. While vocab always helps, he concentrates on figuring out how to master the test. My daughter used his advice for about 5 weeks (just in the evenings after school) before her junior PSAT and gained 30 points over her sophomore year. In particular, her verbal and writing were much lower than her math, one was in the 60's and the other in the 50's, can't remember which was which. She brought verbal up to the mid 70's and got 80 in the writing. She used the Official College Board book that has 8 real tests (you can also buy the online version that has a couple of more additional tests), the Testmasters Solutions book, and Maximum SAT.</p>
<p>Here are a few snipits of recommendations from Xiggi:</p>
<p>Source books:</p>
<p>The new 10RS will come out in the Fall 2004 and will contain 8 tests and will be called The Official SAT Study Guide. I guess they go back to an old format of providing 8 tests instead of 10. The books will be available everywhere, including the TCB site. </p>
<p>This brings us to the question about source books. While I recommend to acquire as many books as feasible, this does not mean that one has to buy and read ten to twenty books cover to cover. For the old SAT, the recommended books composed a pretty short list. For general strategies, most of the books published by Princeton Review, Kaplan, or Barrons represented a good start: the strategies for the math sections were pretty interchangeable, but the verbal strategies offered a few variances. As usual, during the preparation phases, a student should try the strategies that fit him or her better. I found that concepts such as read the passage first or read the questions first were NOT as important as the techniques needed to approach the sentence completions and reading comprehension sections. Among the books, one deserves a special mention: and that is Grubers. In general terms, Gruber went further and faster than the other authors, and its math section was deeper and better. Alas, Grubers also included many elements that went beyond the scope of the old SAT. I am not sure if Gary Gruber intends to update his book soon, but it is still a very good choice as a source book. Again, the source books are NOT meant to be studied cover-to-cover but are meant to be used as you would use encyclopedia. You look up concepts when needed, and not in anticipation of possible questions. Let the practice tests guide what you need to review!</p>
<p>With the changes for the new SAT, we also witnessed the arrival of a few new books. So far, the books written by Adam Robinson (Rocket Review) and Pete Edwards (Maximum SAT) have raised the bar considerably, especially in clarity and focus. I would highly recommend making the books part of your library. However, this does not mean that students should follow Adam Robinsons often pompous and grandiloquent- recommendations and subject themselves to his recommended game plan. Use Robinsons book as a source to clarify a few blurry concepts, but again, let the practices dictate what you need. In this regard, Maximum SAT provides a cleaner and more subtle approach. Without the annoying and mostly unfounded- rhetoric of Robinson, Maximum SAT is able deliver what it promises! In the same vein, the solutions book published by Testmaster(s) should be a very valuable tool for everyone, especially for developing a set of shortcuts and tools. </p>
<p>To round up your source books, I would also recommend to add a good grammar book as well as the Grammatix guide. Guide books are different from source books that tend to focus more on theoretical approaches and try to be more complete. Some people may not like the more direct and shorter style of a guide book, or even doubt the effectiveness of the methods. However, when it comes to the most challenging part of the SAT (critical reading) I have yet to read a book that can help anyone as much as and as fast the Grammatix guide. However, I view source books and guide books as being complementary. Being able to cherry-picking the best from all sources is the key to a good self-preparation. </p>
<p>Lastly, as far as PSAT books, the books that were published last summer were mostly equal in their mediocrity. My only recommendation is to wait for new books to surface during the summer or simply use the SAT books and ignore the essay discussions.</p>
<p>The Xiggi Method: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Take 1-2 tests without time limit and with open books. Take your time to read the questions, answer it, and CHECK the answers, as you take the test. The idea is to make sure to understand all the terms. The score is far from relevant. </p></li>
<li><p>Take the following 2-3 tests without time limit but close the books. Now, You are on your own. After taking the test, check the answers and make sure to check ALL your answers, including the correct ones. </p></li>
<li><p>Take the next 2-3 tests, within the alloted time. </p></li>
<li><p>Take the last tests and try to shave a few minutes. Look for patterns, shortcuts. Soon enough, you'll recognize problems in a few seconds. However, make sure you READ all the questions. Trying to save 5 seconds in that part is NOT wise. Remember that you do NOT have to finish all the problems. As soon as you can determine the BEST answer with certainty, you are DONE. Managing your time wisely is the key to a great score. This comes from practice. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I would also recommend to work one section at a time. Spend about one hour on each section. Marathon sessions will not be as productive as repeated shorter ones.</p>
<p>After a few tests, move on to testing conditions closer to the REAL thing. Start shaving the time and slowly try to get to 80-90% of the allowed time. The last 1-2 tests -taken in actual conditions- will be a VERY GOOD indication of what you'll score on the fatidic Saturday. </p>
<p>PS Do not use the source books practice tests! [This is important, use only real SAT tests from the College Board for practice tests]</p>
<p>Hope this helps, good luck!</p>