Overwhelmed with SAT/SATII study guide options: Help urgently requested

<p>I recently signed up for the January US History SATII Subject Test and, being that I also plan to take the SAT in March (and other SATII Subject Tests at future dates...likely June and July), decided to look online and order study guides to prevent an otherwise inevitably-dissatisfying score.</p>

<p>Oh yes, I had no problem finding the guides. Heck, I found too many of them.</p>

<p>Here's a comprehensive list of the SAT and SATII (specifically US History, if possible) study guides that I was able to locate:</p>

<p>COLLEGE BOARD:
-The Official SAT Study Guide for the New SAT
-Real SATII: Subject Tests
PRINCETON REVIEW:
-11 Practice Tests for the New SAT & PSAT
-Cracking the SATII: US and World History
BARRON'S TEST PREP:
-Online "SAT Prep with Barron's"
(Was I mistaken in thinking that Barron's Test Prep has published guides for the new SAT and SATII Subject Tests in a true book form, rather than just online?)
KAPLAN:
-Inside the New SAT: 10 Strategies to help You Score Higher
-New SAT 2400
-New SAT Flip-O-Matic
-SAT, ACT & PSAT 2005
-The New SAT 2005 Edition (an alternate version apparently includes a CD-ROM)
-The New SAT Critical Reading Workbook
-The New SAT Math Workbook
-The New SAT Writing Workbook</p>

<p>...That having been said, I'm at a total loss. Here are my goals:
-Attain comprehensive study materials for the US History SATII Subject Test
-Load up on useful study guides/workbooks/practice-test books/etc. with which to slaughter the new SAT
-Find workbooks specific to each of the three sections of the new SAT such that I can bring up my shoddy Math score (math is the subject with which I seek the most improvement) and improve my Critical Reading and Writing scores</p>

<p>And now, on to the questions:</p>

<p>-What sorts of recommendations can my fellow CCers provide regarding the materials I have listed?
-Do any of the above titles not pertain to that which I intend to study?
[Two important examples (although I'm sure that there are others):<br>
1. Kaplan's "SAT, ACT & PSAT 2005" is only one-third SAT test prep, correct? Heck, given the lack of information provided on the Kaplan website I'm not even sure that its coverage of the new SAT is at all comprehensive - a cover blurb suggests that information on the new SAT is contained within, but is ALL of the SAT study material pertinent only to the new SAT? This is precisely what I'm looking for. Also, couldn't the information provided within be found just as easily in a different Kaplan SAT test prep book?
2. If Kaplan's "New SAT 2400" is their definitive SAT study guide, then what is the purpose of the book "The New SAT 2005 Edition"? Does the latter only cover SAT tests through January 2005? I cannot find any information on the specific webpage for the book - nor on the cover photo provided of the book - regarding this.]
-Do any of you have additional/"instead-of" recommendations? (The former - "additional" - is especially crucial given the apparent lack of SATII US History study guides...or are the few guides pertinent to it that I have listed sufficient? I have no idea how comprehensive any of these materials are...)
-Given that I need to drastically improve my Math score (I appear to be especially bad at geometry, although I am most certainly not limiting myself to improvement in this specific area of math), is it acceptable to purchase math workbooks that are as much as 3 or 4 years old (and hence may be outdated, specifically regarding quantitative comparisons)? Should I look into purchasing math workbooks that don't necessarily pertain to the math section of the SAT?</p>

<p>Please help an anxious and confused (read: Typical) teenager.</p>

<p>SCREW KAPLAN!!
NEVER BUY KAPLAN!!</p>

<p>I'm asking myself the same thing....ANYONE?!?</p>

<p>Bump - ipwn and myself are in dire need of assistance! Thanks for your cooperation.</p>

<p>I personally generally like Kaplan ... although I don't own their SAT 2400 - just a few SAT II prep books and the 2001 edition of the SAT & PSAT prep book.</p>

<p>I don't see any problem with prepping with old prep books, but you probably should have AT LEAST one New SAT book in order to grasp what it will be really like - if you struggle with the new changes to the test, then you should only get the New SAT book.</p>

<p>I have the Collegeboard New SAT book ... it's not great at giving test strategies, but their practice tests are probably as accurate as you'll get for the New SAT.</p>

<p>Since the writing section will remain the same, though, I recommend Princeton Review or Kaplan for writing prep. </p>

<p>Princeton Review, actually, has some pretty good books - if you just want practice, the 11 Practice Tests for the New SAT is a pretty good buy.</p>