<p>Direct hits is recommended for vocabulary.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I already have both of those haha so I was wondering if there are any others?</p>
<p>Are there any sections of the SAT that you consider especially difficult?</p>
<p>Direct Hits is okay, but it didn’t perform well in June.</p>
<p>See here: [SAT</a> vocabulary words from the June 2013 SAT](<a href=“http://blog.powerscore.com/sat/bid/295909/SAT-vocabulary-words-from-the-June-2013-SAT]SAT”>http://blog.powerscore.com/sat/bid/295909/SAT-vocabulary-words-from-the-June-2013-SAT)</p>
<p>I’m strong in math (perfect on practice tests) and weak-ish in CR… writing is in the middle. I’ve always heard writing is the easiest section to bring up so I’m wondering how you guys do it</p>
<p>vinceyoung10,</p>
<p>That issue has been covered here before.</p>
<p>Powerscore posts those charts after every SAT, and the charts always show that Powerscore’s list has outperformed Direct Hits.</p>
<p>Does that mean everyone should switch to using Powerscore?</p>
<p>Probably not. Powerscore may have a good vocab list, but I don’t think we should simply take their word for it. June tests aren’t released, so there’s no way to verify that the words on Powerscore’s chart were even on the test. And even assuming they were–they certainly weren’t the only words on the test. So how did Powerscore decide which words from the June test to include on its chart and which to leave off of it? Did they include any easy words (authoritative, objectivity, etc.) in order to make their own list look good? Did they leave off any words that appear in Direct Hits but not on the Powerscore list?</p>
<p>See what I mean?</p>
<p>jgoggs,</p>
<p>I agree that powerscore’s list was taken from CC and may or may not be complete. Still doesn’t change the fact that I don’t believe DH is the best the market has to offer: The Essential 500 words is the one that I prefer; even based on PowerScore’s list, it outperformed both with 16 hits.</p>
<p>Hey everyone! I’ve just about read every single thread regarding efficiency of different SAT vocabulary books on this website. I have Barron’s 3500 word list and 300 essential words by larry Krieger along with Word Smart 1 and 2. 300 Essential Words seems like a great book. However, I was just wondering if memorising barron’s 3500 words is worth the time. Also, can someone please advise me on word smart? Some say it is really good while others I’ve contacted weren’t satisfied. I’d be really grateful if I can get your opinions on which SAT vocab books I should do. Thank you
P.S To anyone out there who has used direct hits - Is the book helpful?. Thanks again</p>
<p>
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<p>…
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<p>Quote from Silverturtle’s guide…</p>
<p>definitely use The Essential 500! i got a 760 in CR in June and a 2280 overall!</p>
<p>With all due respect, Lipp7260’s suggestion left out a few important facts.</p>
<p>If you want to get close to an 800 on CR, it is IMPERATIVE to use “The Essential 500 Words” by Larry Krieger. Take it from me, I studied 25 practice tests in addition to 2 large SAT books and around 1000 words. Barron’s 500 usually score around 2-3 words on the SAT, and so does Princeton. But Essential scored EVERY SINGLE correct word on my SAT (around 20 or so). And his book scores over 15 (out of 17) words on most SAT’s, not only mine. You might be interested to hear that Mr. Krieger actually wrote the first 3 editions of Direct Hits, but left because it wasn’t updated enough. Essential is updated through the spring of 2013, so technically it’s better adjusted than Direct Hits books.</p>
<p>You may get a lot of suggestions, so let me just end off with one last fact: One week with this book raised my Critical Reading score 130 points from a 640 (May Sunday 2013) to a 770 (June Sunday 2013).</p>
<p>Of course some tests will have more luck than others, but I’d say that this book has more luck than any other out there.</p>
<p>And yes, Larry’s 500 is vital even if you do have his 300; 500 is updated much more, and therefore will do much better, if not perfectly.</p>
<p>ok thanks I’ll definitely look into the Essential 500. Any suggestions for the writing section?</p>
<p>Actually, I quite agree that Essential 500 is better than Direct Hits. I was just cautioning against uncritical acceptance of any company’s marketing claims in making a decision.</p>
<p>Thanks avitron142 and lipp7260! That was exactly what I was looking for.</p>
<p>I already have the Blue book, but I heard that it is only good for the tests, not much of boosting your score. I was thinking about buying the SAT prep Black book, the SAT Princeton review book, and Direct Hits. This would come up to about $40, and I would spend the whole summer reviewing and taking practice tests from the Blue book. Are these books worth it? I need your opinions on each.</p>
<p>I would like to know about some review books also!</p>
<p>can someone answer?</p>
<p>Try The Essential 500 for vocab (critical reading). Grubers (math). Hack the SAT: Strategies and Sneaky Shortcuts That Can Raise Your Score Hundreds of Points* by Eliot Schrefer - $15.00 Barron’s SAT Writing Workbook (writing)</p>
<p>Check out Xiggi’s, Silverturtle’s, and Cheerioswithmilk’s guide too!</p>
<p>I agree with Classof2015HS that the Essential 500 is the best for vocab.</p>
<p>For math, I don’t mind Gruber’s, or learning the concepts on Brightstorm, and practicing with Blue Book</p>
<p>For Grammar, the blue book is your best bet – plus learning verb tenses</p>