McGraw-Hill's SAT: 5 Practice Tests [With Smart Cards]

I reiterate my appreciation for McGraw Hill's SAT (and PSAT) prep books! My daughter used McGraw Hill's PSAT workbook to prep for her junior PSAT and the results were great! During the last winter break, she used McGraw Hill's SAT (and a couple of other books) to prep for the January 2009 SAT Reasoning Test. It was her first try and the results were similarly successful. She finds McGraw Hill's Writing Skills section superior to other prep books in that it categorizes SAT grammar into 15 user-friendly units, illustrating each rule with easy-to-understand examples, and reinforced with lots of practice exercises. Its CR section is based on a similar format, thus making its vocabulary lists easy to learn. Its math review is also good, but you may want to use a couple more specialized math workbooks (e.g. Barron's, Greenhall) for extra reinforcement. Just as invaluable are the authors'suggested SAT review schedule, insights and no-nonsense advice to prod you through an otherwise arduous SAT prep. With relentless practice with this book and a couple of others (College Board, Princeton), my daughter got perfect scores (800) in both CR and Writing, and near perfect score in Math. Not only did this book give her the time flexibility to prep for SAT at her own pace (amid a hectic midterm schedule), it also saved paying for SAT prep courses!

I've been teaching for over twenty years and done a bit of SAT tutoring, and I found this book terrific. The range and clarity of the practice questions and explanations are great preparation for the test, and the study tips are of use for and well beyond the SAT. That's double value--immediately practical, and naturally encouraging of general good habits for life long learning. Unlike some SAT prep programs, this one is not cynical or smarmy. It doesn't propose a besting of the test or a quick fix but gives solid, comprehensive preparation, with common sense and savvy, in a tone that's both wise and with it.

A well-organized back-to-fundamentals guide to preparing for the SAT. Anyone who wants to be thoroughly prepared for the SAT should work methodically through this book. While the number of full-length SATs included is impressive, it's really the concept reviews and practice problems that set it above the others.

The bottom line with a book is the kind of results it gets. I used the Gruber book, the RocketReview book, the Princeton Review book, and the McGraw-Hill book to prepare for the SAT in November. Without any question, the McGraw-Hill book is what made all the difference for me. It's hard to point out all of the ways that this book is superior to the others. The lessons are so unbelievably clear, and well organized, and they are always are followed up with lots of practice so you know you get the concepts. It also covers EVERYTHING, and not just a bunch of test-taking tricks like the Princeton Review and RocketReview books do (don't be fooled by the slick bells and whistles! :) )The Gruber and Barron's books are very comprehensive also, but they are much less clear, and a lot of the review isn't really relevant to the SAT, so that part is kind of a waste of time. I just got my scores back--after dedicating myself to using the "College Hill Method" (which I can't really explain but it works) my scores went up 70 points on reading, 130 points on math (!!) and 150 points on writing!!! THANKS!!

I have recently changed from teaching 3rd grade for 6 years, to 8th grade math. In order to do this, I had to take a middle school math Praxis test which would enable me to become a "highly qualified teacher". I tried using the practice tests on the Praxis website, even spent $26 on a Praxis book, which by the way only had one practice test in it,with maybe 20 questions. I purchased the McGraw Hill's SAT I book and started going through it page by page. The sample questions and practice questions were great. Everything was explained in detail, so there was nothing that I didn't understand. There were many practice tests, which I believe is crucial, especially for math. This book helped me get a higher score on the Praxis than I could ever have hoped for. I now qualify for endorsements in the states that require the highest scores. Thank you!!!!!! Keep the books coming!!!