CEEAE's Review of Barron's Prep Book

Prep. Book Reviews

Barron's How to Prepare for the New SAT (22nd edition)
1/13/06 - Composite Review

REVIEW SUMMARY
CONCLUSION
We cannot recommend this decent book due to multiple glaring errors that are repeated throughout the book.

Newer Edition: How to Prepare for the SAT, 23rd Edition

THE GOOD
-- A ton of practice problems and all of the practice
   problems have explanations
-- Comprehensive coverage of the material tested on the
   SAT
-- Good tie-ins between practice areas and questions on
   practice exams

THE BAD
-- Too many significant errors
-- Math, Sentence Completion, and Identifying Sentence
    Error questions on the practice tests are not very
    SAT-like
-- Practice exam scores are only presented as a broad
    range of possible scores
-- Reads like a textbook, not an engaging review book

FULL REVIEW
Barron's How to Prepare for the NEW SAT 22nd edition was not well received by our reviewers. To remedy our negative conclusion about this book, Barron's needs to release a 23rd edition that fixes the plethora of errors found in the 22nd edition. Errors include but are not limited to:
    1. On page 4 it reads: "The SAT is...divided into 8 sections." This is not correct for either the
        old or NEW SAT. The old SAT consisted of 6 sections, while the NEW SAT consists of 10
        sections.
    2. On page viii, a table titled "New SAT Format" contains multiple errors:
        a. Critical Reading has 24 questions in each section, not 25 as the table says
        b. One Math section has 18 questions not 20 as the table says
        c. Table says the SAT consists of 7 sections, but there are actually 10 sections
        d. Table claims a 60 minute Writing Skills section, but no such section exists
        e. There are NOT 39 Writing Skills Multiple-Choice, but there are 49

NOT VERY SAT-LIKE
After completing the diagnostic and practice tests, the reviewers agreed:
   1. The Sentence Completion questions were far too easy
   2. Math questions tested the same material as the actual SAT
   3. Math questions were not very SAT-like
   4. Improving Sentence questions were very different from actual SAT questions

Every reviewer was surprised to see that scores for the practice tests were only assigned ranges not individual values. For instance, if you missed 6, 8 or 10 questions the same 50 point range was applied to all of these scores.

PLEASE UPDATE
However, all of these issues could be resolved, and perhaps it is being resolved as this review is written, with a solid proofreading and updating. Accordingly, we eagerly await a 23rd edition of Barron's SAT prep book.

HAVING DIFFICULTY FALLING ASLEEP?
Even if the desired update was provided, we would still be reluctant to recommend this book. Overall, this book plods through the material in a manner that is likely to bore even the most avid reader. It reads far too much like a textbook, and not enough like a review book.

STRONG POINTS
Barron's How to Prepare for the NEW SAT 22nd edition does have its strong points. The first is that there is a multitude of practice problems for each of the subject areas and question types. Indeed there are more practice problems and test "tactics" in this book than in most other books we have reviewed so far. More importantly, explanations are provided for all of the practice questions. In fact, explanations are provided for all practice problems in the book. Additionally, Barron's does a great job providing a comprehensive review of all the topics covered on the SAT. Finally, the practice areas and questions provided in the book are tied into the practice SATs rather well.

McGRAW-HILL BETTER THAN BARRON'S?
Therefore, if you are looking for a comprehensive exposition of the material needed for the SAT, and you are wary of the errors in this book, then Barron's may be a good choice. However, we still have reservations about recommending this book until the most glaring ommissions and errors are rectified. Finally, McGraw-Hill's SAT 1 would also be a better option than this book.

Back to the SAT Prep Book Ranking Page