<p>I use the 10 practice tests sparksnotes book, how effectively does it emulate the actual test. Also for people who use contact lens, do you find it better to just wear your glasses on the day of the test?</p>
<p>No, because then kids make fun of me by calling me "four-eyes" and "urkel", which causes me to cry, which wets my glasses, which disrupts my vision, which wastes the entire idea of wearing glasses in the first place. So don't do it, wear the contacts, or you'll fail.</p>
<p>I wore glasses to the SAT -- contacts are too much of a liability.</p>
<p>You see, that's why you got that 710 on the math section. Wear the contacts, and I gaurantee you'll get the 800 this May.</p>
<p>Hmm, well, it's worth a shot.</p>
<p>The Sparknotes book is not as good as Princeton Review and certainly not as good as practicing with the real test.</p>
<p>Buy the Blue Book.</p>
<p>For practice tests, get the Official SAT study guide (blue book) and Princeton Review's 11 practice tests (while their prep books suck, their tests are highly accurate).</p>
<p>No, no, don't get PR's 11 practice tests, their tests are highly inaccurate because they are bit easier than the actual exam. Get the 10 Real SATs book, it has real SATs up to 2005, so yes, it does have some old version SATs w/o the writing part, but it also has a few modern SATs too. But do all 10 of them, because even the old-type SATs are exactly the same as the new SAT as far as Math and Critical (the two hardest sections in my opinion) are concerned. But since they are the real thing, you will be able to learn all the tricks and cheats of the game first-hand. And also, I suggest you read up on Xiggi's method, if you are a dedicated student.</p>
<p>nyjunior, I haven't taken a full PR practice test, but their math sections are actually slightly harder than the blue book's...</p>
<p>Maybe, maybe it is just a matter of opinion? But I always found their tests a bit easier. Either way, I basically follow Xiggi's method, its like the holy grail for me, and in it he recommends the 10 Real SATs multiple times. I took 2 of the PR tests, and I really couldn't tell that much of a difference, though I usually scored like around 40 points higher on their tests, which isn't that much, so I guess they aren't that bad, but I would still only recommend sticking to the Collegeboard tests themselves and sticking to Xiggy's method. But for additional practice/reference, these tests are definitely good to do.</p>
<p>I already use the blue book, how is the barrons book?</p>
<p>Sparknotes book sucks; it's full of errors. Barron's book has some good tips, but also has some errors. Blue book > Barron's > Sparknotes in my opinion.</p>
<p>Dude. There is a really straightforward answer to your question.</p>
<p>First, finish all the tests in the blue book.
Then, order the old red book ("10 Real SATs") online. This one is out-of-print now because it was published for the old test. However, it's still much better than all the fake tests. The reading didn't change <em>that</em> much.
Other people on other threads have suggested this route, and it's what I do for my students (who pay my boss $90/hr. for my time, not that I get even close to that). And it works. Every year I help a few students raise their score 200-300 points. Please believe that I know what I'm talking about, and get yourself to <a href="http://www.abebooks.com%5B/url%5D">www.abebooks.com</a>, <a href="http://www.half.com%5B/url%5D">www.half.com</a>, or some other good used book source and buy the old book.</p>
<p>Don't even <em>bother</em> with fake practice tests until you absolutely have to. Then use Princeton Review. Then I would even start over again with the Blue Book before using Sparknotes and other lesser fake tests, although other people might have different opinions on that and I don't have a strong opinion either way. However, I do believe <em>strongly</em> that you should finish the Blue Book and buy the old red book before doing anything else--unless you want to buy PR et al. for the strategies and tactics; that's a different story.</p>