<p>I've been doing practice exams steadily for the past three weeks or so from this book. What are your thoughts on it? Too easy? Too hard?</p>
<p>I noticed that I've been improving in my writing recently (finally!) but my math seems to be falling short. (Haven't attempted CR yet). </p>
<p>All the typographical errors aside, of course!</p>
<p>I find their tests to be the best out of all non-CB tests.</p>
<p>If this counts for anything, I found PR’s SATII Chemistry Tests EXTREMELY easy compared to Collegeboard’s test.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Doesn’t that say it all? Even if the PR tests are the best of the bunch, they are still very poor substitute for the real tests. The question to answer is simple: why do not use the many official tests. It would understandable to HAVE to rely on synthetic tests if The College Board did not release past tests, but they … do!</p>
<p>but if we run out of cb stuff then we are screwed, so what people, like us, do is they use a lot of pr and barron’s tests monthes before their real sat and then a month or two before they switch to cb stuff.</p>
<p>^That’s what i’m doing.</p>
<p>It takes a set of exceptional circumstances for someone to run out official tests.</p>
<p>and its not always about running out, but about monetary issues as well.</p>
<p>xiggi, you need to <em>shut up</em> and stop being so pretentious. You’re so dogmatic about your “oh-so-magical” strategy when in fact it does not account for the entirety of the human population. Everyone is different with different lives that consist of different circumstances. There is a significant handful of students out there who cannot afford or obtain Collegeboard’s practice exams who have scored 2300+ with PR, Kaplan’s, Barron’s, and the like at their disposal. Are you working for Collegeboard or something? Are they paying you to promote their products? Because it sure seems like it as you are relentlessly enforcing everyone to practice with only Collegeboard’s tests and can say nothing more or less than that as I have observed from your comments on the forum. What else can you say? What other advice can your provide other than your hackneyed advertising of using only Collegeboard’s tests which does not necessarily work for everyone?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Unfounded criticisms. Xiggi can give his opinion on the best method all he wants. Doing so is not pretentious; in fact, xiggi has more experience in helping people prepare for the SAT than anyone else on this forum, though he never brings that up. If you disagree with his advice, share that fact and then explain why. But don’t attack him personally. </p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I agree with xiggi’s advice, as does almost every ultra-high scorer that I know. Unless those predisposed to score well on the SAT are drawn to that method for some reason, the method clearly works.</p>
<p>It’s not the advice itself or the accuracy of the advice that I disagree with - it’s the fact that he keeps pushing it on people. When someone says that their circumstances do not permit them to obtain Collegeboard’s practice tests, xiggi continues to obtrude his advice which clearly does not work in that person’s situation (as done above). Moreover, he keeps enforcing his advice in a manner that it is the only clearcut and definite strategy and solution to study for the SAT. Although it has worked for many, that doesn’t mean it works for everybody. Everyone is different and unique.</p>
<p>Haha monetary issues is so true. My mom’s making me check out all the review books from the library, so I can’t mark them up. I already went through the blue book last year but I guess I’ll go through it again before my exam in October.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You can always erase the marks.</p>
<p>TRUFFLIEPUFF, </p>
<p>xiggi’s advice lies truth that any other source is not as accurate as CB. He never said not to buy them. More like be cautious when taking them and take into account that they aren’t accurate. He is more experienced with the SAT’s then you would think he is (and most likely more then you) and his advice is sound in my opinion. Being misled by other sources as having good practice tests, rather then being prepared to embrace the fact and try to adapt to the mistakes is much better is one of the worst advice someone can give. Last time I ever used Barrons was when I was trying to study for a standardized test (not collegeboard related) and it was nothing like the real test.</p>
<p>TRUFFLIEPUFF, feel free to disagree with my positions or, as you did promptly after joining this forum, decree my “advice” to be ridiculous. </p>
<p>Inasmuch as I rarely respond to posts such as yours, I will address the issues of monetary limitations. I find it rather interesting that someone who attends an expensive test prep academy, and seemingly decided to purchase additional tests from private companies feels compelled to attack someone who advocates to use official tests produced by the College Board. Actually, it is because of such limitations that I started suggesting to test takers to rely on self-preparation and avoid the expenses of group test preparation. I believe that the total cost of student’s self preparation represents a fraction of the cost of attending the cheapest classes offered by private companies. </p>
<p>On the issue of official versus synthetic tests, the position that appears dogmatic to you is not whimsical. It is the result of years of witnessing inaccuracies, typographical errors, or irrelevance of the tests that appear in the PR, Kaplan, and similar books. For this reason, I have recommended and will continue to recommend to avoid such tests. </p>
<p>As far as the costs, as far as I know, the synthetic tests are not free. As I wrote, if there were no alternatives, students would HAVE to rely on such tests, but alternatives do exist. Some are entirely free (released tests by TCB, access to library volumes) or available at a very low cost (purchase of past volumes published by TCB.) I believe that it is not hard for someone to purchase close to twenty USEFUL and official tests for less than twenty dollars. </p>
<p>As I wrote, it takes a very special set of circumstances for someone to not be able to acquire a sufficient number of useful tests. I am extremely aware of the financial limitations of students, and I believe to have contributed to make it as inexpensive as possible, many times by suggesting to refrain to purchase vast collections of similar books. </p>
<p>While I do not expect you to go back to the first days of this forum and to the few years of the predecessor forum to understand the history and the nature of my contributions, I do, however, expect you to refrain to misrepresent my positions in the manner you did.</p>
<p>Listen. I joined CC a month ago to the date and spent about 10-15 bucks total buying the 4 edtions of real sat’s in the past (8real, 10real * 3 editions but you can find these at the library for free) + another 20 bucks to get 13 real psat’s on college board website + 12 bucks to get the blue book + 30 bucks to get sat QAS. So in my 1 frickin month on this website and from reading old and new posts i have managed to have a total of.</p>
<p>17 exams of old sat (useful for CR and math)
13 exams of PSAT (11 new + 2 old)</p>
<p>blue book +online+sat qas = 34 offical CB exams</p>
<p>Official ACT exams: 31</p>
<p>So yes it cost me 77 bucks that I used from my xmas and birthday money rather than go buy clothes and shoes but I have more material for the SAT and ACT than I know what to do with. My goal is actually to get through it in 2 years as I’m in incoming Soph. But the point is learn to be resourceful and listen to past advice and you’ll find everything I have found and never have any reason to pay for third party materials. My 2 cents.</p>