CEEAE's Review of Kaplan 2400 (2006 Edition)

FULL REVIEW
STRATEGIES & MORE STRATEGIES
The first thing the reader will notice about this book is that it is a pure strategy book. It is relatively light in heft because there are no practice tests. The typical number of practice tests in a preparation book is four, but this book has none. Hence, this book is decidedly more svelte than other books and cannot be used as the sole book for SAT preparation.

What this book does cover is strategies, and it covers just about all of them. If you want to know what the top tutors know, this is likely the book for you. Everyone in the room, remarked at one point or another: "I thought I was the only one who knew this". Admittedly, it does not cover all of the strategies we know, but it comes close. More importantly, this book features many strategies that are not found in any other book (with the exception of Barron's SAT 2400). Just because the strategies in this book are legion does not necessarily mean this book is worthy of a student's time and money, but rest assured that the strategies are accurate and effective.

This book is structured with one chapter on strategies for a particular question type, then another chapter for tough questions in the particular question type. This chapter is then followed by third chapter that contains the lion's share of the reinforcement problems. Further, a section review is presented at the end of the "tough" questions chapter. This informal review is helpful since students are able to review what they just learned, and research confirms that the best way to learn a skill or ability is through repetition.

This multiple chapter format also evidences a problem: most of the reinforcement problems are saved until the reinforcement chapter, not interspersed throughtout the strategies. This criticism is not that there should not be a separate section featuring problems that test the student's knowledge and application of all of the strategies learned, rather that there should be more problems following each strategy and then a smaller set of problems following after all strategies have been imparted so that the student gets the repeated exposure to and application of the strategies that she just learned.

All three subject areas were given a thorough analysis and ample, accurate strategies. We were impressed with the strategies in every subject area and question type. This book is unique in that it has devoted more time to the Essay section than any other book. We were very impressed with the essay strategies as well as the approach to the essay. Their approach was pragmatic and purposeful, but usually the Essay section is treated in a very pedantic and formulaic manner. This is not to say that a formula or map is not provided, because one most certainly is provided, but the focus is on the reality of essay grading not on how the essay should be graded.

2400 IS WHAT AGAIN?
2400 is a perfect score on the New SAT. Since the SAT has three sections and each section has a maximum score of 800, the maximum composite or summed score is 2400. Kaplan is trying to convey that this book is best placed in the hands of advanced students, and we agree with their assessment. Some students will find the strategies to be too esoteric or simply too difficult to remember and apply, but most students will benefit from exposure to these strategies and practice with the reinforcement problems. Average students may be discouraged by some of the difficult problems in this book, especially in Reading Comprehension, but if they are able to at least understand how the authors arrived at the answers, by reading the accompanying explanations, they will find that they have learned much about the SAT.

ISSUES
We do not want to imply that this book is the alpha and omega of strategy books. Indeed, Barron's SAT 2400 is probably just as good as this book. Further, Up Your Score...(2007) is far easier to read than either Kaplan 2400 or Barron's SAT 2400, but it contains far fewer strategies. Although Kaplan 2400 is written in a textbook-like format, the text is broken up enough that the reader should not tire too easily.

Also, in the Essay section Kaplan presents some essays that were improved so that they should receive a perfect score (a score of 6 by each of two graders, for a total score of 12). We could not agree that those improved essays were in fact worthy of such a score. The only agreement we could reach is that they probably should not have been assigned a perfect score, rather a "5" would have been more appropriate. Consequently, do not assume that simply because this book leads you to believe that some essay should receive a perfect score that it actually will, because actual SAT essay graders disagreed with Kaplan's assessment. We do not mean to imply that Kaplan's advice is rubbish, rather that there may be a little wishful thinking in the scores they assigned to the essays that have been improved from a four to a purported six.

WHERE MY TESTS AT?
If the reader is looking for a single book for SAT preparation, this one is insufficient since it does not have any practice exams. However, if the reader is willing to purchase two books, then we would recommend pairing this book with another book that has an ample supply of practice tests, such as The Official SAT Study Guide or Princeton Review's 11 Practice Tests for the SAT and PSAT, 2007. Both of these books have rather mediocre strategy sections, so just use them for the practice exams, and use the Kaplan 2400 as your strategy manual.

CONCLUSION
If the reader is searching for the best strategy or "tricks" book, Kaplan 2400 fits the bill. If the reader is searching for a single book for SAT preparation, Kaplan 2400 falls far short.

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