SAT course

Test Preparation
1

<p>I just signed up for a non Kaplan/PR SAT course. It's taught by Ivy League students and alumini. Does this sound good?</p>

2

<p>The consensus around here seems to be that courses are a waste of time and money. I mean if you can’t sit yourself down and study the SAT by yourself because you are too lazy, etc… it will help. But otherwise, just following the Xiggi Method will help you just as much as a course, if not more than a course. BTW, what score are you getting on your practice tests?</p>

3

<p>Here is the Xiggi Method:</p>

<p>Super Condensed Desription: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice-47.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice-47.html&lt;/a&gt; last post on page, #705</p>

<p>Condensed Description: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice-39.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice-39.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>My super condensed version: The Xiggi Method: </p>

<p>1) Buy or borrow The College Board’s “Official SAT Study Guide” (aka the Blue Book) (this one: [Amazon.com:</a> The Official SAT Study Guide: The College Board: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide/dp/0874477182/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246988745&sr=8-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide/dp/0874477182/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246988745&sr=8-1) This point is NON-NEGOTIABLE… they must be REAL tests published by the College Board (the Questiona & Answer Service (aka QAS) of the College Board also sends real tests and real answers to prior test takers, so you can ask your friends who have taken prior tests to borrow their QAS supplied tests)</p>

<p>2) Buy or borrow some SAT test preparation manuals like those offered by Princeton Review, Rocket Revolution, Maximum SAT, Barrons, Gruber. etc. Study them for tips and shortcuts, and to better understand the structure of the test itself. Even if you buy ALL of those, you’re in under $120. Some links are here: </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Maximum-SAT-Second-Peter-Edwards/dp/141965800X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246990795&sr=8-1[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Maximum-SAT-Second-Peter-Edwards/dp/141965800X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246990795&sr=8-1&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Cracking-2010-College-Test-Preparation/dp/0375429220/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246990861&sr=1-2[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Cracking-2010-College-Test-Preparation/dp/0375429220/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246990861&sr=1-2&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Review-Revolution-2006-2007-Rocketreview/dp/0451219465/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246990980&sr=1-1[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Review-Revolution-2006-2007-Rocketreview/dp/0451219465/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246990980&sr=1-1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>3) Using the above mentioned study guides in point (2), take the first test in the “Official SAT STudy Guide” (aka the Blue Book) very slowly and deliberately, “open book”. Whenever a question gives you pause, stop, search your study guides for a way to attack the problem, then retry answering the questin. You can take as long as you like per question in this phase of the Xiggi method. You are getting into the mind of the test writers here… learning their language and way of thinking.</p>

<p>4) Buy the "Test Masters - Complete Solutions to the College Board’s Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT - ($15 here: [Test</a> Masters Bookstore](<a href=“http://student.testmasters.com/estore/catalog.asp?category=SAT]Test”>http://student.testmasters.com/estore/catalog.asp?category=SAT) second item in the list )</p>

<p>5) <em>THIS IS THE MOST CRITICAL STEP!!!</em> After completing the first and all subsequest tests from the Official SAT Study GUide aka Blue Book, check every single answer, both correct and incorrect, in the Testmaster SAT Solutions Manual (#4 above) for an explanation of the correct and incorrect answers.</p>

<p>6) Use the knowledge gained in step 5 above to teach yourself in an interactive way how to perform better in each successive attempt at the remaining practice tests in The Official SAT Study Guide aka Blue Book.</p>

<p>This method probably requires about 40-50 hours minimum to get prepare for and analyze your performance on 4 tests. double that of course if you do all 8 tests in the Official Study Guide. It is not a cram or shortcut method.</p>

4

<p>Thos guys don’t ship to California :frowning: for the test masters SAT answers.</p>

5

<p>If you want, you can take the $70 online course instead of the testmasters. It provides explanations to the tests in the blue book, plus 6 extra tests. I’m seriously considering spending the extra $45 as opposed to $25 for the testmasters (If you include shipping). However, if you don’t think you’ll need the practice, just buy the manual.</p>

<p>The one on amazon is out of stock:
[Amazon.com:</a> Test Masters - Complete Solutions to the College Board’s Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT: Test Masters Staff: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Test-Masters-Complete-Solutions-Official/dp/0976744848/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247013877&sr=1-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Test-Masters-Complete-Solutions-Official/dp/0976744848/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247013877&sr=1-1)</p>

<p>Has anyone used used these?
[Amazon.com:</a> The Official SAT Study Guide Solutions Manual: Van Tsai: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Official-Study-Guide-Solutions-Manual/dp/1442115467/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247013877&sr=1-8]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Official-Study-Guide-Solutions-Manual/dp/1442115467/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247013877&sr=1-8)
[Amazon.com:</a> The Ultimate SAT Supplement: Klass Tutoring solutions to every test problem in The Official SAT Study Guide: Erik Klass: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-SAT-Supplement-Tutoring-solutions/dp/1439215049/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247013877&sr=1-4]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-SAT-Supplement-Tutoring-solutions/dp/1439215049/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247013877&sr=1-4)</p>

<p>How good are their explanations?</p>

6

<p>I’m – yeah, I just found that out today trying to order Test Masters…</p>

<p>My solution was to order the Klass version today … two of the reviews on Amazon were from SAT tutors and I found their reviews credible … especially as the Klass system works around the Official Study Guide Blue Book at its core.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-SAT-Supplement-Tutoring-solutions/dp/1439215049/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247015762&sr=8-2[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-SAT-Supplement-Tutoring-solutions/dp/1439215049/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247015762&sr=8-2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;