Administered by College Board, the SAT is one of the two admissions tests needed for students looking to gain admission into universities in the United States of America. Only one of them is sufficient to complete your application, and the SAT is the more common of the two tests in India. As of the 2016, revised version of the SAT, the test is 3 hours long – 3 hours, 50 minutes if you have opted for the optional essay – and is marked out of 1600, with a maximum of 800 marks available for each of the two sections, Math, and Evidence-Based Reading & Writing. The optional essay is scored separately.
While there are a variety of coaching classes available for students aiming to appear for the SAT, one of the most important tools in any student’s arsenal is the availability of good study material. It is because of this need that students should be aware of the best books available to study for this test.
Top 5 Books for SAT
There are a variety of choices as to which books are the best for the SAT tests, and these opinions often differ widely. However, this list contains books that have been updated for the new, redesigned SAT that is being administered from 2016.
1. Official SAT Practice Tests
These are offered by College Board, and are the only official tests for the new SAT that are available at the moment. To make them more appealing, unlike in previous years, College Board offers these tests for free on the website, alongside answer keys and explanations for the answers, as well as practice papers for the optional essay section.
You can download them here: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests
2. SAT Black Book
Like many good SAT books out there, this has unfortunately not yet been updated to reflect the guidelines of the new and redesigned SAT. However, despite this obstacle, it is still a decent book to have in your bookshelf as you prepare for the exam.
The reason for this is simple: it gives students a clear and unambiguous take on just what the SAT is. It’s full of practice strategies to help you maximise your study time, and gives alternatives to strategies whenever possible, allowing students to choose which works best for them.
However, you must keep in mind that it has not been updated for the new SAT – some of the tips are therefore out-dated. For example, the author recommends that you not try to guess answers to questions you do not know. This is because, under the old guidelines, each wrong answer was penalised by ¼ mark. However, under the new guidelines, there is no penalisation for incorrect answers, which means that guessing can potentially benefit a student instead of hindering them.
3. The Critical Reader, Second Edition
Please note: Make sure that you are buying the second edition of this book if you do purchase it, as it is this edition that has been updated for the new SAT.
This book by Erica Meltzer allows students to develop their abilities in the reading section at a skill-by-skill level, and also provides students will helpful strategies with which to approach that section. It also offers a large number – and variety – of realistic passages and questions to allow you more practice than what is offered by the official practice tests. However, please note that the book can get expensive, and isn’t available on Amazon India at the moment – if you can get hold of one from your school library, this book is perfect for you!
4. Books for Math
This section is divided into three, because choosing the right book for math depends on what you’re looking to get out of it.
If you’re someone who finds themself struggling at the basic level of math, one of the best options available out there is Khan Academy. They have modules available that are aimed at students appearing for the SAT, allowing you to gain a strong base in topics that the SAT will test you on. The best part is that all their lectures and materials are available for free on their website, https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/sat-math-practice
New SAT Math Problems by Steve Warner is another good book for students appearing for their SAT. The book discusses the areas that are emphasized by the test, and is great for people who looking to learn concepts from the book. Concepts are divided according to difficulty level, and are paired with practice problems. However, if you’re solely looking for more practice problems, you may find yourself disappointed by the limited number of them in this book.
Dr. Jang’s SAT 800 Math Workbook for the New SAT is the book to go to when it comes to practice problems. You’ll find over 1500 of them in this book, giving you ample choice and variety from which to practice. However, it is thin on material when it comes to explaining concepts, so you may want to supplement it with another book if you’re also looking for help when it comes to a thorough content review of test areas.
5. Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar, Third Edition
Please note: Make sure that you are buying the third edition of this book if you do purchase it, as it is this edition that has been updated for the new SAT.
Once more authored by Erica Meltzer, this books covers, in detail, all the grammar rules you will need to know when appearing for your SAT. It also contains several practice questions to allow you to get a feel of how question in the SAT will appear. Furthermore, it doesn’t spend time explaining rules that you don’t need to know for the SAT, cutting on time you would spend on material that is unnecessary to your goal.
However, it does not contain nearly enough practice questions as necessary. Meltzer has also published The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar, Third Edition, which solves this problem. However, each book is expensive on its own, and with the need for both books, the price rises even more.
The books mentioned in this article merely touch the surface of the breadth of books available to help you prepare for the SAT. While these are broadly some of the best texts available, you should keep in mind that everyone learns in different ways, and that you may benefit from another choice that what is mentioned here.
Libraries usually have several preparation texts, helping with access to not only the texts mentioned above, but others as well. What you should concentrate on is learning as thoroughly as possible, once you do hit upon a text that suits your style of learning the best.
-Rishika Aggarwal
