<p>How should I use the barron's book to prepare for the Math 2 test? </p>
<p>People say its the best book to use and all. I took the math 2 once and got a 720 on the official one in May and now I am doing barron's practice tests and getting 25 wrong on the practice tests, specifically #2. </p>
<p>How should I use the book to get an 800 on the real one? Should I just take the practice tests in the book and review the ones I got wrong? Or should I go through and learn all the material in the book and then take the practice tests? </p>
<p>I’m not going to lie. That book (Barron’s) makes the SAT Math II seem extremely difficult. I only got high 600s on the practices when on the real thing I got an 800. So don’t sweat over it too much and try your best practicing with the book. Therefore, when the actual test comes around it’ll seem like a piece of cake!</p>
<p>Some people will easily get the 800 with moderate practice while others need to practice much more to achieve it. My D practiced with Barrons and also did the college board tests in the subject test book(1) and the math subject test book(2). She got 790 but was not satisfied with that because the curve for math2 is such that a 790 already means 15% of test takers scored better than you. So she took it again, this time retaking all the Barrons and college board tests, and also using Chungs. She had never had probability/stats stuff in alg2 trig or precalc, so looked on college board site for the list of topics covered on test and learned those from a textbook and me since none of the study guides cover the subject adequately. Std dev, normal dist., interquartile range, etc. Things like- that they might give you a problem where they ask you for a probability of something, and it is actually much easier to calculate the probability that it WON’T happen and do 1 minus that. We just talked about that the night before test and they actually had that exact problem type on test. Anyway, with the extra practice she managed the 800 second time around.</p>
<p>I’m studying through Barron’s Math II book now, as well. I don’t know about you, but most of the questions I get wrong, aside from the ones that involve carelessness, were things that I never covered in my pre-calculus class, such as matrices, parametric functions, ellipses, and vectors(though physics has helped with that, definitely). </p>
<p>If you’re in the same boat, I suggest that maybe you should learn these not through the book, but through videos that can be found on youtube. The book is truly designed to be used as review, not as a way of learning topics you’re not familiar with. A 10 minute video on matrices cleared everything up about them to me. Personally, I think sticking to the book for the practice tests only is probably best, though it does have a very nice consolidated list of formulas at the back.</p>
<p>So far I’ve taken the diagnostic test and the first model test. I got 690 and 710, respectively, and trying to work my way up. Harder than anything on the Barron’s tests is finishing within 60 minutes!</p>
<p>Thank you Giggsy! You are actually right where I am too. Matrices, parametric functions,etc. I had never learned in my pre-calc class as well so now I have taught myself about them. I used barrons book though and not youtube but I’ll use youtube too since it probably goes more in detail than barrons. I am in the same boat as you !</p>