Up Your Score (2011-2012 edition): The Underground Guide to the SAT
August 15th, 2010 | 
Author: 
Hi and welcome to my blog,
I opened this blog to help anyone who is preparing for his SAT.
I remember myself when I started - I was so lost and in such a panic.
Luckily I got this great SAT guide that helped me a lot . So study hard and good luck!
Up Your Score (2011-2012 edition): The Underground Guide to the SAT
- ISBN13: 9780761158738
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Every year, the number of students taking the SAT rises. And every year, colleges are becoming more competitive. Throw the weakened economy into the mix, and it creates a perfect storm for Up Your Score: a book of invaluable test-taking wisdom, the only book written by “been-there-done-that” kids, the only guide that kids will enjoy using. It’s proven to work—the students who created Up Your Score all nailed the SAT and went on to the colleges of their choice, including this year’s 2,400-sco
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(out of 64 reviews)
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Review by Me for Up Your Score (2011-2012 edition): The Underground Guide to the SAT
Rating:
Please note that I have not used the updated 2005-6 version. My review is based on its predecessor, which I used in 1997.
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Up Your Score (“UYS”) raised my score roughly 200 points. I took a few practice tests, didn’t like my score, so I borrowed the Princeton Review book (“PR”) from the library. PR raised my score about 50-100 points total, but I still wasn’t happy with the scores I was getting…in the low 1200′s.
Then I read UYS. It taught me the way to think about the test, and how to approach it. It gave me confidence in my abilities and helped me comprehend thoroughly elimination strategies, vocabulary memorization tactics, and the general thought processes necessary to get inside the head of the ETS and select the answer they want. It enabled me to control the test, instead of letting it control me.
When answering a question, you read, understand, analyze, process, and respond. UYS helps you become more effective and efficient at each step in that process. (PR does this too, but not as well. I will say this for PR…it fills in the few gaps left by UYS.)
In addition, UYS is so enjoyable to read that everything you read will stick with you. If I could only recommend one book, it would be this one.
What it did not do: teach me math or English skills, or teach me vocabulary. It did not explain what the test is, but rather HOW the test is.
When all was said and done I got 690 verbal, 780 math.
My recommended study schedule:
1. Read the free booklet from the ETS.
2. Take one practice test to get your baseline score. (This is helpful later on to understand your intrinsic strengths/weaknesses and to see your progress, which will further motivate you.)
3. Read “Up Your Score”
4. Take 2-3 practice tests.
5. Read Princeton Review’s SAT. Focus on the sections that are your weak points.
6. Take 2-3 practice tests.
7. Memorize the vocab in each of those two books (make flashcards).
8. Continue taking practice tests until 36 hours before the exam. Get a good night’s sleep for the TWO nights prior. Do something relaxing and fun. Be confident. Don’t talk to your friends because they will psych you out even if they mean well.
I would suggest spacing this schedule over 2 weeks/full weekends. Develop a ritual before you start every practice exam, such as aligning your pencils. Then, when you do the ritual the day of the test, it will clear and center your mind, and relax you so you will perform optimally.
Review by Great Faulkner’s Ghost for Up Your Score (2011-2012 edition): The Underground Guide to the SAT
Rating:
If you are reading this review, you don’t need this book. You already have what it offers-motivation. If you care enough about the SAT to read reviews of the best practice books, you will do well; trust me. This book is for students who need a push to prepare. While not a bad book for its purpose, it spends too much time motivating, and not enough time teaching. There are relatively few practice exercises, and the answers are too basic for motivated students. Instead, I recommend buying Cracking the New SAT 2005 from the Princeton Review. It has three complete tests, and the main text provides excellent strategies for attacking questions in math, verbal and writing. With time and practice, you will definitely do very well on the SAT.
Review by Kristin for Up Your Score (2011-2012 edition): The Underground Guide to the SAT
Rating:
I teach an SAT Prep course, and I recently was thrilled when I found this book. It is totally in tune with a teenager’s sense of humor. I was even laughing out loud in some instances! Even better, it is an excellent preparation tool that identifies tried and true techniques. They have updated this edition so that the jokes are new and fresh, and the writers are completely down-to-earth. They truly seem to recall what it is like to be an eleventh grader who is extremely anxious about taking this test. Additionally, it’s not too long and cumbersome that it will scare away students who truly wish to up their scores; I read the book in one evening. (I wish I had read it when I was in high school!!!) It’s a necessity for any college-bound high school student!
Review by for Up Your Score (2011-2012 edition): The Underground Guide to the SAT
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Very nice book! This book is a very concentrated book which takes strategies from all the current SAT/PSAT courses out there and binds it into one book! Very very nice for any student who wants to master the SAT! I personally raised my score 140 points after I read this book. I have have taken Kaplan, Princeton and Score Prep and this has all their strategies and more. What I loved about this book was the fact people not that much older than me wrote it and could relate to me. Very funny boook. I laughed my way to a 140 points and anybody else can do the absolute same.
Review by for Up Your Score (2011-2012 edition): The Underground Guide to the SAT
Rating:
There’s one thing that separates this book from all the other SAT books — it’s written BY students FOR students. That, and you actually WANT to keep reading it. There’s nothing dry and boring about this book. It’s funny, it’s helpful, and I give it more credit for helping me raise my Verbal & Math scores than any of the other books that I bought. I believe that the only books you really need to prepare for the SAT I are “Up Your Score” for insight on the test, tips on how to master the different types of problems, and a no-fail vocabulary builder, and “10 Real SAT’s” for the practice tests. I’ve recommended “Up Your Score” to all my friends– it’s the only SAT book I’ve read that was fun to read & helpful at the same time.