<p>This is what I’ve heard, and I’d like to know if it is true, because if it’s not, i would want to take practice tests from the college board guide because they’re the ones making the tests!
Also, I was reading the thread about “Xiggi’s SAT tips” and prep courses like PR and Kaplan were bashed a lot. I’m taking a Kaplan course and this has me worried that i’ve made a mistake. from my first in class diagnostic test to the second my score only improved 20 points. plus, i took a practice test on my own and when i took the second diagnostic test in class, my writing score went down 20 points.
What is your opinion on all of this? thanks a lot!</p>
<p>Some people maintain the BB is easier, but I believe most do not.</p>
<p>College Board tests, even if they are “dumbed down”, are still closer to the real SAT than any SAT prep company can manage to make… 20 points does not mean anything from one test to another. Prep courses are bashed for good reasons, but there are a few competent tutors/instructors that still work for them.</p>
<p>I don’t think they are “dumbed down” much, if at all, but you may score higher on it (as you would with any practice that doesn’t count) due to reduced test anxiety, a more relaxed atmosphere, etc…</p>
<p>I can only tell you that i did all the CB`s practice tests and in the actual tests there were problems i had never seen before.
To me,The Princeton Review practice tests are the best</p>
<p>For the record, the first three tests in the Official SAT Study Guide were given as actual tests. Use those three tests to gauge difficulty.</p>
<p>The remaining 7 tests were never administered in their current form as real SATs, though some of the material is recycled from old tests. I find that they are very slightly easier than current tests, but not by much. Of course, my perception might be skewed a bit because I see those test so often…</p>
<p>When I took my real SAT in November, my score paralleled what I had been getting on the practice tests in the Blue Book. In my opinion, the Blue Book practice tests are not “dumbed down.”</p>