Reviews (9)

A very useful guide!
I wish I had had this book when I was applying to college way back when! Matthews has done her homework and written by very well-researched book. Love the title!

Refreshing, hype-free "reality therapy" -- a life saver
This book breaks away from the pack by combining practical, hype-free admissions advice with a refreshing dose of reality therapy.In addition to soup-to-nuts application guidance, the book offers parents advice for preventing the college admissions process from straining our relationship with our kids (I strongly suggest reading this book with your college-bound daughter or son). The author wisely cites studies showing that a good parent-child relationship is a far greater predictor of academic and life success than SAT scores or selective college acceptance! Thank you -- I needed that.
It calmed our whole household down.
I am the father of a high school junior. This book was recommended by my son's guidance counselor. She told my wife and I that she wished she had written it, because it had great advice and a way of taking the terrifying edge off the college admissions process. This book makes you -- and your kids --remember what is really important, and helps them express who they really are in their applications, without the kind of hype that all the admissions officers have been on to for years. It is not only wise but refreshingly funny. a must-have for any family with a college-bound kid. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. College Entrance    2. College Guides    3. College student orientation    4. Education    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Higher    7. Parent participation    8. Reference    9. Stress (Psychology)    10. Study Aids    11. Test Prep    12. United States    13. Universities    14. Study Aids / College Guides   

Subjects:  1. Korean    2. SAT & PSAT    3. Study Aids    4. Test Prep   

Reviews (1)

Its okay
I had pd. way to much for this in our college bookstore, I did read through it, but it didnt really help me with any classes or in clinicals. I give it a three because some of the stuff is interesting, but I wouldnt recommend this to anyone.I would recommend pharmocology made easy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education & Training    2. Medical    3. Medical / Nursing    4. Nursing - Fundamentals & Skills    5. Nursing - LPN&LVN    6. Nursing - Reference    7. Colleges of further education    8. Medicine: General Issues   

Reviews (4)

Pretty Good, but the number of questions is incorrect
This book is a decent book. It gives you 3 practice tests, lots of practice sets, and teaches you too. However, they do mention that they don't know the question amount because the college board didn't release it. I know that the writing section had 49 questions, but they only put 38 in this book. Also, there were a few errors, but overall I'm satisfied with this book.

The book came out before the New SAT but it's great!
As we all know, the new SAT writing section is exactly the same length as the old SAT II Writing. It is also the easiest section on the new SAT.
Excellent book to cure writing fears
This book is very good because it goes over each of the writing parts, one section at a time. Within the sections, they give you the specific errors and rules for grammar. The questions that appear at the end of each section and subsection (after each grammar rule) gives extra needed practice.
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Subjects:  1. Composition and exercises    2. English language    3. Examinations    4. Examinations, questions, etc.    5. General    6. SAT & PSAT    7. Scholastic Assessment Test    8. Study Aids    9. Study Guides    10. Test Prep    11. Writing Skills    12. Study Aids / General   

Reviews (16)

Only helpful in certain areas
I got a 3 on the exam with a teacher and a chem program at school which had never had anyone even attempt the AP test.However, this book alone will not get you a 2.This book is excellent when it comes to teaching you how to do the math but horrible when teaching you concepts.The princton review is excellent at teaching you concepts, but horrible at teaching you how to do the math.So my suggestion is you do them together and with your college Chem book.I pretty much taught myself everything and am proudly probably the first student at my school to pass the Chem AP test.I've also been told Barron's is quite good so you could try that as well.So only accompanying princton review could this book be helpful, labs don't really help much unless you actually do them.Don't be mistaken, this book won't tell you how to do the lab specifically, only skims through them.

horrible resource
it has an awesome lab review section, but the review was nonexistant. I did not like how the book was put together or how it had a key terms section which did not explain the key terms. I am surprised that Cliffs would put out a book of this caliber. It's like the review was an afterthought compared to the lab section.

Poor Option
Don't use this book.The lab guy gives the wrong impression.First off, the lab questions on the AP test are the ones you need to least worry about, usually very straighforward since you can't do a lab in a written test.In terms of the rest of the stuff in the Cliffs book, we used some of it in class and it the book is so riddled with mistakes that we stopped using it. USE PRINCETON REVIEW. Awesome book, straightforward, clear, won't put you to sleep. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Advanced Placement    2. Advanced placement programs (Education)    3. Chemistry    4. Chemistry - General    5. Cliff's/ Monarch / Barron's Book Notes    6. College Entrance    7. Entrance examinations    8. Examinations    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Study guides    11. United States    12. Universities and colleges    13. Study Aids / Advanced Placement   

Reviews (4)

Not good to study for General Chemistry Praxis test
I was going to use this to study for the General Teacher Praxis tests, but it does not cover the depth needed.The book might be good for someone who has recently taken a chemistry class, to fill in some blanks.But is not a good overall general class prep.
Great for High School
I am taking Honors Physics in High School and it is a great study tool. It is very helpful for looking up definitions and gives you plenty of practice. If you are taking the class in High School I would deffinetly recommend it to any student.

Not Very Helpful
To help everyone who may be confused about what physics book they should buy let me ask you a few questions.Read more

Subjects:  1. Book Notes    2. College Entrance    3. Outlines, syllabi, etc    4. Physics    5. Study Aids    6. Study Guides    7. Science / Physics    8. Study & learning skills    9. Study guides, home study & revision notes   

Reviews (1)

Concise summary, but poor sample test questions.
This review book offers a good summary of the entire AP Environmental Science course. This is perfect for last-minute crammers like me! It seems pretty thick, but actually, this book only contains 7 chapters of review (and one chapter of the lab review), with each chapter averaging about 10 pages long. I read through practically the whole thing today! It's very easy and quick to read through.
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Subjects:  1. Advanced Placement    2. Advanced placement programs (Education)    3. Environmental sciences    4. Examinations    5. Examinations, questions, etc    6. Study Aids    7. Study Guides    8. Test Prep    9. Study Aids / Advanced Placement   

Reviews (7)

Excellent Book, Especially for Verbal
Before this book, my verbal scores were stuck around 630-640. After reading the Critical Reading strategies in this book, for about 2 days, my score soared to the low 700s, and now, I just have to take a lot of practice to get it up to 800. This book really is remarkable, totally different from the typical Barrons or Princeton Review.

"Gruber's" Truly Overrides Every Other SAT Prep Books
As a student weary of exhausting every possible publication on SAT test prep books, I felt compelled to share the bliss of stumbling upon "Gruber's Complete Preparation for the New SAT." Unlike (shockingly many) other books which dedicate a chapter to the structure of the new SAT and then merely list obvious and self-explanatory "strategies," this fine book is a culmination of everything truly preparatory for the dreaded test most of us can't help but feel ever so unprepared for. Dr. Gruber's unique and extremely helpful strategies, endless resources for any weakness, and true-to-the original practice tests are certainly a blessing to the high school student. In regards to the breadth and quality of material offered, the difference between "Gruber's" and other publications is quite astonishing. Indeed, only "Gruber's" deserves the highest recommendation in SAT preparation.

I got 2190. I think that's pretty decent.
It's all you need. Not cluttered like Barrons. Not vague and inaccurate like Princeton. Not full of typos and errors like Kaplan. It's nice and concise, and if you decide to study many months before the SAT, it has a comprehensive list of vocab words. The lessons are easy to understand. Watch out for the occasional typos though, like any other book. It has good practice too. My advice: PRACTICE!! Whatever you get wrong on the practice tests, check the answer explanation and learn from that. If you're still confused, go back to the lessons because they're pretty good on Grubers. Out of the books I've seen, I think Gruber's is the most dependable. Was recommended by a friend who got 1590 on old SAT. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. SAT & PSAT    3. Scholastic Assessment Test    4. Study Aids    5. Study Guides    6. Study Skills    7. Test Prep    8. Study Aids / General   

Reviews (1)

finding your way to the right college or university
Guides to colleges tend to convey either statistical reportage derived from the college itself or anecdotal subjectivity provided by the school's students and other constituencies.
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Subjects:  1. College And University Guidance And Counseling    2. College Guides    3. Directories    4. Education / Teaching    5. Higher    6. Reference    7. Study Aids    8. Test Prep    9. United States    10. Universities and colleges    11. Study Aids / College Guides    12. Universities / polytechnics   

Subjects:  1. College Entrance    2. College entrance achievement tests    3. Examinations    4. Physics    5. SAT & PSAT    6. Scholastic Assessment Test    7. Study Aids    8. Study Guides    9. Test Prep    10. Tests    11. Examinations & assessment    12. Study Aids / SAT & PSAT (Scholastic Assessment Test & Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test)   

Reviews (4)

A remade book
I purchased this book to study for the SAT exam and I found that when I compared it to my friends book by Gruenbaum "SAT Inside Out" that my book is nothing but the old book with a different cover.What a rip-off!!This is like what textbook publishers do by re-arranging the chapters in a text and putting it out as a "new" edition!If you have the old book DO NOT buy this new one!!You have it now.A classic deception.
A Great Helpful Tool!
My son used this book to prep for the SAT. I believe it really captured his attention and inspired him to actually study for the test. He enjoyed the creative characters, and they helped him learn many lesssons in an interactive study. I even read through some of it and found myself laughing out loud at the tips and comments. I know the creative approach of this study aid helped my son read the entire book, which he hadn't intended to do. I can see that he is more confident and at ease in taking the SAT.

what can i say?
This book seemed ok. BUt I was a bit dissapointed. The text seemed really was really confusing and didn't give well rounded explanations. it had subtle stratagies and seem to try very hard to be humorous. it seemed to try so hard that it wasnt funny anymore.
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Subjects:  1. Entrance examinations    2. SAT & PSAT    3. SAT (Educational test)    4. Study Aids    5. Study Guides    6. Test Prep    7. United States    8. Universities and colleges    9. Study Aids / SAT & PSAT (Scholastic Assessment Test & Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test)   

Subjects:  1. Advanced Placement    2. Advanced placement programs (Education)    3. Educational Tests And Measurements    4. Examinations    5. Examinations, questions, etc    6. General    7. Psychology    8. Psychology (General)    9. Study Aids    10. Study Guides    11. Test Prep    12. AP; Psychology    13. Study Aids / Advanced Placement   

Reviews (33)

DEFINITELY YOUR KEY TO SUCCESS
This book is GREAT for its content; it covers all the topics in specific detail, though some are clearly superfluous. It really helped me on the experimental parts (i.e. common colors or smells of chemicals, etc). I did not take any of the practice tests in this book because I knew and heard that they were insanely hard and depressing. Instead, I took the practice tests out of the Princeton Review AP Chemistry and scored a 5 on both of them. I recently just received my score and I got a 5! This book is a must for those who want a thorough review on AP Chemistry.

AP CHEM!!??? YEAH THIS IS GOOD!
This book provides a clear, firm and eloquent explanation to all aspects of chemistry tested by the college board. The Textbooks are long and dronning, this one- if you use it well will garantuee you a pass! I recommend studying about 2 months ahead of the exam, and then reviewing in the last 2 weeks. This is so you can look over the problems at the end of the chapter and redo them to highten your understanding. I would likely say i nearly failed all the class tests, but using this guide, and SOLELY relying on it, i managed a 5!!! My smart friend who got 100s on tests ended up BS ing with Kaplan- which DUMBS it down, like this book, but doesnt to the level of the Exam. This book will over prepare you, when you go to the exam, you will be laughing, like me. My entire class used other books to study, I used this one, and I studied for a week, not even doing half the problems and i passed- SO WILL YOU!

NICERESOURCE,DESPITEAFEWSHORTCOMINGS
Although the arrangement of the contents of this book are somehow illogical, their individual narrations remain comprehensive. This book presents a clear and balanced account of modern chemistry. The first few chapters dealt with the general principles: including atomic (and molecular) structures, chemical properties, bonding, enthalpy, and so on.
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Subjects:  1. Advanced Placement    2. Advanced placement programs (Education)    3. Chemistry    4. Chemistry - General    5. Entrance examinations    6. Examinations    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Study Guides    10. United States    11. Universities and colleges    12. Study Aids / Advanced Placement   

Subjects:  1. College And University Guidance And Counseling    2. College Entrance    3. Directories    4. Higher Education (Specific Aspects)    5. Reference    6. Scholarships    7. Student aid    8. Study Aids    9. Test Prep    10. United States   

Reviews (12)

Sorry i don't like to crack my SAT's, i like to ACE them.
Cracking the NEW SAT, 2006 edition written by the princeton review, is an excellent standard approach to the SAT. The stratagies included in this book are promised to raise your score. But this book lacks review, especially on the math section. another positive part of this book is it's practice exams, which are very similar to the real SAT's. the reason i don't reccommend this book is because of it's practice questions. you recieve great stratagies but not enough practice questions to reinforce the skills you learned so you just sit there dum founded. no explanations are provided for the practice drills, so you don't know what your doing wrong and where you're going wrong with the skills you've just learned. Instead of using this book for the SAt it would be better advisable to ust it for the PSAT. if you are really serious about acing the SAT's and want to invest some money in to it. I would reccommend buying McGraw-Hill's SAT I 2nd edition. this book provides great stratagies and practice to reinforce the skills and provides excellent practice test. another book you might want to consider buying is Gruber's New SAt this book provides tough questions but it put's you in the right state of mind for the SAT. after you are done with these two books. you might consider buying Barron's SAT 2400 because after your done with the standard approach with these books. Barron's 2400 will put you up to the test. This is what happened after i used these books. my current score: 600 critical reading, 720 math, and 550 writing. for a total of 1870. but after using these book i recived 670 critical reading 800 math, and 690 writing for a total of 2160, trust me these are all the books you need trust me! good luck!

Get the newer edition, though not much has changed
Please note that there is a newer version of this book available: Cracking the SAT, 2007 edition. Not much has changed between these two editions, but its probably best to have the newer edition, if you have the option of purchasing either edition.
Not perfect - but it gets results
I purchased the Princeton Review book, "Cracking the NEW SAT" after completing my PSATs in October or November.My PSAT scores came back as around 650-720 per section; certainly not bad, but I wasn't comfortable with the real SAT.
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Subjects:  1. Aptitude Testing    2. SAT & PSAT    3. Scholastic Assessment Test    4. Study Aids    5. Study Guides    6. Test Prep    7. Study Aids / SAT & PSAT (Scholastic Assessment Test & Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test)   

Reviews (59)

It was a great help!!
For anyone who is going to take a CLEP test in order to skip a course, buy one of these study guides!!It helped me greatly in passing the exam with effortless ease.But still, one should study other books before taking the CLEP test.Regardless, these study guides are must.They are a little expensive, but they will save you hundreds, even thousands, of dollars by skipping the course.I highly recommend it.

Good
I used this prepbook and "Sociology : A Down-to-Earth Approach (7th Edition)" (w/ study guide) by James M. Henslin.Studied and finished both books in about a month.Got a 77 (needed a 75 to pass).
Great study guide
These guides are fabulous! Each gives just enough information to pass the test. I like the practice tests, they really help ensure you know the material. They are well written and really pretty interesting.I guess they would also be a great short introduction to the subject. I've used sociology and US history both are highly recommended. With almost no pre-requisit knowelge you could study these books and pass, you do need to know the information in here though, since the test will have stuff that the REA guide doesn't cover, but these are enough to pass if you know it well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Book Notes    2. Cliff's/ Monarch / Barron's Book Notes    3. College Entrance Examination B    4. College Entrance Examination Board.    5. College-Level Examination Prog    6. College-Level Examination Program    7. Education    8. Examinations, questions, etc    9. Sociology    10. Sociology - General    11. Study guides    12. Sociology, Social Studies    13. Study Aids / CLEP (College-Level Examination Program)   

Reviews (92)

Mildly useful, but not great
This book is written with the premise in mind that the LSAT isn't beatable (i.e., there aren't tricks that will give the test-taker the keys to unlocking perfect scores every time), but with some time and effort anyone can learn techniques that will allow them to score much better than they would otherwise.
Needs updating - but good reading comprehension section
Most of these off-the-shelf 1-inch thick books on LSAT prep are usually very general in nature and marginally helpful.
DON'T BUY THIS BOOK!WHATEVER YOU DO THIS IS THE WORST BOOK TO BUY!!!!!!
This book is a joke and I do not have any idea how these publishers actually got away with releasing it.I am also disappointed with Amazon's lack of quality control.First of all, the inside of the book is merely photocopied, and the ink is splotchy.Secondly, the solutions to the practice questions are transposed with other questions, so that it is very difficult to check your answers since the solutions are printed underneath the wrong questions!!Don't make the same mistake I did...spend the money on Kaplan or Princeton Review because you get what you pay for.Again, don't give Nova any more money and don't buy any of their products!!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. College Entrance    2. General    3. LSAT (Law School Admission Test)    4. Study Aids    5. Study Guides    6. Test Prep   

Reviews (5)

Needs work, but not THAT awful
I'm teaching SAT math, and am finding these quick quizzes and problem sets helpful as warmups.
This book is horrible!
I saw this book in the store and thought I'd give it a shot. When I started working through it I began to notice blatant errors on nearly every page. At first I thought maybe I was losing my mind, or just a little tired and foggy-minded. But then I looked on Amazon to see if anyone gave it any reviews and I found that I was not the only one to notice these errors.
Worst SAT Prep book available.
This along with the critical reading and writing 'workout' are terrible. I can't believe the Princeton Review puts out books like this that are riddled with errors. Literally EVERY OTHER PAGE has an error on it. Somebody sue these scam artists. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Examinations, questions, etc.    2. Mathematics    3. SAT & PSAT    4. Scholastic Assessment Test    5. Study Aids    6. Study Guides    7. Test Prep    8. Study Aids / SAT & PSAT (Scholastic Assessment Test & Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test)   

Reviews (11)

2005 Maximum SAT
Very disappointed with my purchase of 2005 Maximum SAT. If you are already prepping with books from the other major publishers, I recommend that you spend your money on something else, as you will not learn any new techniques from this book.The sparse practice drills that they provided only came with an answer key and no explanations. However, it is what it is ... a companion guide.

A good analysis of the SAT
This book analyzes every type of questions on the practice tests in the Official SAT Study Guide by collegeboard. It is said to be the unofficial companion to the Official SAT Study Guide and that's exactly what this is.
Worked for Me
I saw this book recommended on a college prep site, and now I'm telling my friends to use it. I didn't have much time because I waited til the last minute to study. But this book really helped. I'm happy with my score (most of my friends aren't happy with theirs). I did all the exercises and most of the practice questions (mostly math because that's where I needed it).
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Subjects:  1. SAT & PSAT    2. Study Aids    3. Study Guides    4. Test Prep    5. Study Aids / SAT & PSAT (Scholastic Assessment Test & Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test)   

Subjects:  1. College Entrance    2. Graduate School Guides - Law    3. Reference    4. Writing Skills    5. Advice on education    6. Higher & further education    7. Law    8. Reference / Writing Skills