Christopher Black (1)

McGraw-Hill study guides have long been among the best published, and the company's SAT 2016 study guide is no exception.

The study guide, which is geared toward the revised version of the SAT exam that will be used beginning in early 2016, includes an entire chapter on how the test is changing and how to best approach preparing for those changes. After that first chapter is digested, the student is expected to move on to the included Diagnostic SAT in order to assess her strong and weak points in Reading, Writing and Language, Math, and Essay writing. The next eight chapters of the study guide are a combination of coaching tips, instruction, and practice questions (and explanations) geared to correct the specific weaknesses that may have been identified in the Diagnostic SAT already completed by the student. The final chapter of the 600-page guide includes two more practice tests by which the student can judge progress made and adjust remaining study time accordingly.

I am impressed that the guide is so well geared to meet the needs of today's students - people who are as familiar with the online world as they are with their own bedrooms. McGraw-Hill offers an online study time scheduling app that should appeal to students and will, if consistently used, certainly keep their available study hours allocated correctly. In addition, the publisher makes additional practice tests available free of charge to students on its companion website.

But it is the little things that particularly impress me, things like: tips on setting up an "SAT Action Plan," "5 Top SAT Calculator Tips," and "The 40 Top Strategies for Test Day." All of these things seem to be geared toward building the confidence of test-takers while preparing them to maximize their scores when test day finally arrives.

Overall, this is an excellent study guide, and if students take it seriously and use the tools it provides, it will prove to be an important part of their SAT test preparation.… (més)