<p>title basically says it. ive done all the worthwhile books (which to me are kaplan, barrons, and blue book). ive also looked at the new “2400 books”. ah. what now? my score would have been great if CR werent so surprisingly low (like its absurd. ive gotten at least 75 on my PSATs and a 790 on my SAT II). thanks for any suggestions</p>
<p>I’d like to know as well. I have used PR11 2009, Barron’s Howto 07-08, Barron’s 2009, PR 2009.
Are previous year’s books different tests?
Don’t say there are no more to do :S must reuse?</p>
<p>Magi: Use the College Board Blue Book. The Official SAT Study guide.</p>
<p>I forgot to say I have completed the Blue Book.</p>
<p>If I’m understanding you right and you got a 790 on the SAT II Lit, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a lot of schools take your low SAT I score with a grain of salt. The SAT II Lit is a significantly more advanced test IMHO.</p>
<p>Your options for practice: </p>
<p>1) Suck it up and pay the $70 for the College Board online course, which has 6 additional practice exams.
2) Find an old copy of the Red Book (10 Real SATs, now out of print), still an invaluable resource for CR practice. You’ll have to locate it used.</p>
<p>Your options for strategy:</p>
<p>1) Rocket Review
2) Maximum SAT
3) Grammatix</p>
<p>I think that these three resources are better than the ones you listed in any case, with the possible exception of Barrons 2400, which is very good.</p>
<p>Also, you didn’t say anything about what you’re doing for vocab: ?</p>
<p>yeah- thats why im not too concerned b/c i have that sat ii lit score. i was going to get rocketreview but ill definitely look into the other two, thanks for those. I wasnt planning on studying vocab and i never have- i dont think it was a problem. i have that “similar two answer choices” predicament, and this time probably wound up choosing the wrong ones.</p>
<p>Edit: i typed in grammatix on amazon, no luck. is that the full name?</p>
<p>Tips for when you’re down to two:</p>
<p>a) Split the answers in half, and then paraphrase each half, to help yourself think critically. Try to make your paraphrases as concrete as possible. For instance, I’m looking right now at #10 in the BB, p. 391. The question is Choice A says, “suggesting that intelligence in animals is virtually impossible to measure.” Split it in two: “suggesting that intelligence in animals” and “is virtually impossible to measure.” Then put it in your own words, and double-check each part: is this passage about how smart animals are? does the passage tell us that no-one can quantify how smart animals are? Or choice A for #11: “[Passage 1 states that dolphins] share a sophisticated culture, while Passage 2 contends that dolphin intelligence is roughly equal to human intelligence.” You split it in two and then paraphrase. The first half is obviously “[Passage 1 states that dolphins] share a sophisticated culture,” while the second half is the rest of the sentence. Maybe, to paraphrase “…share a sophisticated culture,” you say “dolphins act in socially complex ways” or “dolphins have fancy or smart societies.” (The first way is obviously much more elegant than the second way, but whatever: maybe you’re not the most expressive person. It’s fine.) For the second half, you say “dolphins are as smart as people.” </p>
<p>Once you’ve done the paraphrases to help you think critically about the language used in the choices, you test the choices by looking for examples to support those paraphrases. You look for an example of a sophisticated culture (a fancy/smart society), or for a dolphin as smart as a person, etc. Often, on this basis, you’ll be able to eliminate one choice or the other. </p>
<p>b) Compare the choices word-for-word (look at the first word or two of both choices, then the next word or two, etc.) until you can find a meaningful difference. Once you find the difference, use it to eliminate.</p>
<p>c) Be aware that the CB loves to hide false details in the middle of the choices, in supporting positions, where you aren’t going to see them. Choice A in #10, the one I quoted first in this post, is wrong in part because the passage only talks about dolphins, not about animals as a whole. The choice would be much easier to eliminate if that false detail was at the end of the choice: “suggesting that it is virtually impossible to measure intelligence in animals.” But because that false detail is hiding out in the middle of the choice, in a modifying phrase, it’s easy to overlook, and a lot of people pick A for that reason. With my students, I call this step “checking your blind spot.” :)</p>
<p>d) Of course, as you know, always always always be aware of extreme language. :)</p>
<p>Luck to you!</p>
<p>Grammatix is available only online (you used to have to purchase the .pdf). I haven’t looked for it in years, but I’ve seen people on CC posting about it. Anybody have any news?</p>
<p>If vocab is a problem, try Direct Hits.</p>
<p>that seems like wonderful advice; ill try it out. oy, May seems so far off…wish they had testing in April</p>