SAT Study Guide

When preparing for exams like the SAT, you need a reliable source to ensure you are on the right path. Find out which all SAT study guides you can refer to. 

If you are one of those students who believe that they can clear the SAT exam only if they get to know the right source to study, then we have evaluated some reliable official SAT study guides for you. When talking about reliable study sources for the SAT exam, you have different options available to consider. This SAT study guide can help you learn the format, strategies, and content with sample questions. 

Let’s find out which SAT study guide you should choose for your SAT preparation and what is available with their respective pros and cons.

McGraw-Hill Education SAT Elite 2022

This guide is for those who want an informative approach to the content and structure of the SAT. This guide provides everything in detail about the number of questions and the time limit for each section to make you aware of the SAT.

Pros:

• This guide has eight complete SAT practice tests ( offering some in the book and a few online) and is practical with thorough explanations. 
• It strongly presents the concepts of the Maths section by breaking down all essential topics in detail into less common test problems. The math questions include real-world situations that you can expect in the SAT exam with questions relevant to the topics.
• It recommends a diagnostic SAT practice test to start the prep, leads the study action plan, and offers essential strategies to manage your time. 

 Cons: 

• While it is exceptional in providing a complete overview of the SAT exam, it has flaws in analysing the reading and writing sections. It presents the section more experimentally and conceptually but is not particular to the SAT section.

The Princeton Review’s Cracking the SAT, 2020 Edition

This SAT Study Guide 2020 Edition offers a detailed review of the SAT, including all the major concepts you should know, for instance, algebraic functions and grammar rules, plus strategic approach for test questions and time management. 

Pros

• It has four practice tests and an additional one that you can check online if you have premium access, you will have more practice tests).
• This guide provides complete explanations and helps you in how to approach similar questions on test day. Also, an online section assists your score in your practice tests. 

Cons

• Some of Princeton’s questions are elaborately elaborated and don’t resemble the official SAT study guide style well. 
• It also lacks in providing detailed content in some subject sections. Also, not every aspirant can benefit from its approach style, which seems dull.

Kallis’s SAT Pattern Strategy

This guide is the best SAT prep book based on the reviews of students and teachers. It offers six practice tests that do 24-hour practice.

Pros

• This guide has relevant SAT questions that match the official SAT study guide. It goes beyond the official SAT study guides, offers detailed explanations for each question, and helps you improve your scores.
• It offers a clear representation of significant concepts in literature, grammar, and math with its detailed review that makes you take a more strategic preparation approach.
• Kallis’s guide offers you a strong knack for logistics and helps you manage time as you will already know the format and topics of the SAT exam. 

Cons

• This guide requires the student to be more disciplined as it focuses on the learning-by-doing approach.
•  It is more expensive than other SAT guides. 

 The College Board’s SAT Study Guide, 2020 Edition

While previously the college board’s official SAT study guide, the 2020 edition proves to be the best official source of SAT study; it has offered students free access to its online SAT practice test. The material includes relevant video explanations for the SAT questions.

It offers a practice test that explains the structure, format, basic strategies, and answers with explanations. You don’t need to buy this guide if you find online learning convenient. 

Guides For SAT Reading and Writing

The Critical Reader’s Complete Guide to SAT Reading

The third edition of the critical reader by Erica Meltzer provides a complete breakdown of the significant parts of reading and allows you to improve those skills.

Pros

• This guide provides relevant strategies to answer questions as it assists you in identifying the answer to reading comprehension questions. It has questions and passages that match the SAT questions, including passages from history and social studies, US and world literature, and science.
• It offers relevant strategies for approaching data interpretation questions and paired supportive evidence, which needs you to read graphs and tables.
• Its questions resemble those of official SAT study guides such as the College Board SAT.

Cons

•  It is a costly guide compared to others as it covers only one section of the SAT. 
• Some students might find it boring as its writing style is very to the point. 

The Critical Reader’s Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar

The fourth edition of the ultimate guide to SAT grammar incorporates the essential grammar guidelines you need to know for the SAT writing section.

Pros

• This guide differentiates the critical grammar guidelines and skills to assist you in studying individually. 
• The questions in this guide are relevant and match the SAT writing section.

Cons

• The SAT questions have a  random order, and it’s complicated to know which rule to prioritise over others. 
• It is costly.

Guides for Maths

 Dr. Steve Warner’s 500 New SAT Maths Problem

This guide explores the maths chapters like a passport to Advanced Match, Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, geometry, and complex numbers.

Pros

• It aids in the comprehension of SAT complex maths concepts ranging from the most basic to the most advanced.
• The problems are relevant and help in better understanding. The explanations have clarity and offer different approaches to solving a problem.

Cons

• Some might find it limited when breaking down the content into smaller topics.

Dr. Jang’s SAT 800 Maths Workbook, New Edition

This guide is a massive source of SAT maths prep that you can consider.

 Pros

• The questions are arranged by their difficulty level, and you can customise the practice questions according to your needs. 
• This guide has more than a thousand maths practice questions and offers a learning-by-doing approach. Furthermore, it offers a strong presence of format, concepts, and rules that match the SAT math section. 

Cons

• This guide doesn’t include test-taking strategies like time management.

PWN The SAT: Maths Guide

The fourth edition of PWN, the SAT, focuses on motivating and disciplining students who aspire to top SAT scores in Maths. It has five major sections: Heart of Algebra, Techniques, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, Passport to Advanced Maths, and Additional Topics in Maths. They are segregated into concepts to help you understand the fundamentals of SAT maths.

 Pros

• The content is relevant and engaging to help you be interested. 
• You can visit the PWN SAT website to access additional study material with video explanations of the problems. 

 Cons 

• The target audience is limited and can’t help the students who struggle in the maths section and need foundational knowledge.  

Conclusion

Preparing for the SAT exam needs reliable and authentic sources. The above mentioned SAT study guides offer you the same, and you must focus on every section as per your need to score the highest. Practice, discipline, and focus are what you need in advance to approach all the study guides.