Are Older Edition SAT II Prep Books Still Effective?

[Prabs]

Hi

I need some help with my SAT II prep. I need to give the test on 5th Nov. I am giving Physics and Math II. I have searched all book stores in my city and can't get the books. Called up Ahemdabad and few stores in Mumbai with the same result. Some book stores have older editions of the books (Kaplan), like ones printed in 2000 or 2003. I don't know whether I should buy them or they would be too old. (Please advise me on this!)

Also, Princeton Review is supposed to be the best for these 2 subjects (from information on amazon.com and postings on the forum) but I can't find this book anywhere!

I have following questions, that I would appreciate your reply on:

1. Where can I find these books in India? I would call them up and ask them to courier the books to me! If that doesn't work out, I guess I would just have to get them from amazon.com - which brings me to my next question:

2. If I buy Princeton Review then would it give me sufficient practice/information about the 2 subjects(Phy & Math II)? Or should I also buy Barron & Kaplan for the 2 subjects?

3. Also, for my exam on 5th Nov 2005 - should I buy the 2005 or 2006 edition of these books? The SAT format has changed, but have the SAT subjects format also changed?

Please advise, as I need to give the test on 5th Nov 2005, and I haven't studied these subjects for the passed 2 years. So I would have to burn the mid-night oil.

Almost panicky!
Prabs

 

[jai6638]

btw, Barrons is good for Math IIc.. It'll overprepare you a little bit but that way, atleast you know that your chances of getting a perfect score are higher.. Visit the following link for more SAT book recommendations: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com for book recommendations..

Dunno about availability in India...

 

[samoth1]

College Confidential is a great board; very informative.

If you are willing to pay for an overseas phone call, you can call Princeton Review at 800-2Review. Or visit PrincetonReview.com and ask, perhaps?

Personally, I would strongly recommend buying the newest version of the prep book if you have the option. The SAT, ACT and GRE have all undergone significant changes over the past couple years, and you will be better prepared knowing what to expect ahead of time. I don't *think* the SAT subject tests have changed (except the writing one), but don't quote me on that.

 

[amcavoy]

btw, Barrons is good for Math IIc.. It'll overprepare you a little bit but that way, atleast you know that your chances of getting a perfect score are higher.. Visit the following link for more SAT book recommendations: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com for book recommendations..

Dunno about availability in India...

Barrons is overkill though. The curve is generous enough as it is. To tell you the truth, I found the REA book to be very accurate and helpful.

Good luck!

 

[zwtipp05]

If you're going to get a review book, I'd suggest getting one from the company that administers the test (Collegeboard). I bought some books for the SAT a couple years ago from otside companies and I questioned the quality because of mistakes in the book.

One part it gave the answer as B and then the explanation told why A was the correct answer. I realize this is a rather trivial mistake, but it made me wonder how good the rest of the content was if they managed to screw up something small like that.

Besides, the books from collegeboard will have actual problems used on past tests, whereas many of the questions in other books are made up by them and may not fully reflect the test itself.

 

[amcavoy]

Just don't get Kaplan whatever you do.

 

[PRodQuanta]

I'm also taking the test on Nov. 5, MathIIC, Physics, Chemistry. I have the Princeton Review book in all 3. It works great. The test over-prepare you a little, which is to your benefit.

Paden Roder

 

[FluxCapacitator]

I got an 800 on both Math IIC and Physics last year, my advice is to get any book that has practice tests in it, and the Princeton Review if you aren't too sure on some physics concepts.

The best way to study for math is to just do every practice test, check your answers, and redo all of them till you get them all right.

For physics, I took one practice test first, and then looked up all of the concepts that I was unsure of, and then took another practice test. Repeat that again a few times and you should be fine. Last minute reviews help a lot too, just in case you forget anything minor.

For books, I found the Sparknotes extra tests for Math really helpful, and the Princeton Review was great for Physics.