With so many SAT books on the market, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. What if the strategies lead you astray or the practice tests aren’t accurate? Choosing the correct practice material ensures you the best opportunity of improving your score.
So here are the ten best SAT prep books we’ve reviewed. This list has pros and cons for each one to help you make the right choice on study materials.
1. The SAT Black Book
The Pros: This classic SAT prep book comes highly recommended by many companies. At FLS Tutors, we agree! Written by a top-notch professional SAT tutor, the Black Book customizes its advice based on your target score. We love the “hidden patterns” he discusses for SAT Distractors and its detailed strategy coverage. Barrett also re-explains the every question from the College Board’s SAT #1-4.
The Cons: We don’t necessarily agree with every recommendation that Barrett makes (we absolutely think you should take notes on the reading section!). It’s also important to recognize this book for what it is—a strong and compelling coverage of strategies. It is weaker on covering fundamental concepts and doesn’t contain any practice tests. The Black Book is best paired with strong practice tests and additional concept coverage.
2. The Official SAT Study Guide from College Board SAT
The Pros: There is nothing like authentic practice material, and you cannot get more authentic than from the creators of the SAT. You can purchase this book off Amazon, but the CollegeBoard has made eight practice tests, as well as a suite of material from Khan Academy, available online. We would only recommend purchasing this book if you are unable to print the pdfs from the CollegeBoard’s website.
The Cons: These are just practice tests. You will need more preparatory material to cover strategies and concepts. Although they do provide explanations of the answers, they often are limited in how useful they are.
3. Princeton Review: Cracking the SAT
The Pros: This is the first comprehensive test prep book we recommend, including practice tests, strategies and content review. This book has four practice tests and access to a fifth online, and its premium version has five in the book and an additional three online. They explain their answers well, which helps you to determine where you may have gone wrong. Their coverage of the math is extensive (300 pages!) and unlike many other preparation books, they also address the verbal section well.
The Cons: This is a very traditional prep book, so it can get very dull at times. The Princeton Review also relies on strange acronyms sometimes (including the particularly awful POOD) which can make it harder to follow their teaching.
Related: FLS Tutors SAT Bootcamp
4. Kallis’ Redesigned SAT Pattern Strategy
The Pros: Kallis includes six practice tests that realistically match the official SAT. They cover in-detail logistics of the test, so you’ll know exactly what to expect on test day, and strong coverage of the fundamental math, reading, and writing concepts that you’ll need to know.
The Cons: Although Kallis’ tests are generally one of this test prep book’s strengths, we’ve found the writing questions to be a little more difficult than usual. Also, their “learn by doing” approach means students may struggle without a walk-through. They also miss out on more advanced strategies—for instance, plugging in the answers rather than solving complex equations algebraically.
5. Barron’s SAT Premium Study Guide
The Pros: This book offers five tests in the book, including a diagnostic test, as well as two more online. It offers a strong and thorough review of the strategies, including walking you through exactly how to apply each strategy. This is one of this book’s strengths. Its coverage of fundamental concepts is also good, especially in the math section.
The Cons: Barron’s does tend to reuse material, so this won’t be a good investment for someone who already has used a prior edition. For some students, the coverage of algebra is too light, especially for those who struggle to solve simple equations.
6. 10 Practice Tests for the SAT
Pros: A massive number of practice tests, with accurate questions and clear explanations. This is a great supplement to the authentic practice tests from the CollegeBoard.
Cons: Be careful! In 2017, the Princeton Review published a book entitled 6 Practice Tests for the SAT. Those six tests make up the first six tests in these book, so it may not be worthwhile if you already own the previous book. Additionally, the math questions are accurate, but don’t ever become quite as difficult as they might on the SAT.
7. Ivy Global New SAT 2nd Edition
Pros: This is a lesser-known publisher that is still produces a good product. It offers clear coverage of concepts with realistic tests and strong explanations.
Cons: There are only two practice tests, although Ivy Global offers another book with six practice tests. Their explanations are also only online, which, while easily accessible, does add another step towards your practice. This book is also a little light on strategy.
Related: FLS Tutors Test Prep
8. McGraw-Hill Education SAT 2020
Pros: This book has five practice tests included, as well as additional tests online. Their content review is strong on the math (although sometimes too thorough, which we’ll talk about in the cons). Their writing language strategies are great—we love their discussion of trimming and each bite-sized lesson is followed up by a targeted practice set.
Cons: Their practice tests do not closely mimic the SAT. Particularly, the math section includes elements of trigonometry not covered by the SAT and their Reading section fails to replicate the structure of the official test (with passages and questions in a specific order). Their math content review also goes too far and it leans heavily into vocabulary in the Reading section, which chapters like “The Language of Truth and Beauty,” rather than specific strategies. Use this book for a comprehensive math and writing and language review, but then go elsewhere.
#9: Kaplan SAT Prep Plus 2021
Pros: Kaplan has a strong and comprehensive coverage of the math section, along with five practice tests—one in their book and four more online.
Cons: Although Kaplan makes four tests available online, they are significantly more difficult to access than Ivy Global’s. We would recommend using another textbook for the verbal section.
10. Bootcamp for Your Brain: A No-Nonsense Guide to the SAT
Pros: This book is listed so low on our list, because it has a very unique style of teaching. It uses plenty of cartoons and mnemonics in a clever and creative approach. If your learning style dovetails with their teaching style, this shoots right up to the top of the list! They also include a Panic Level Module for those last minute studiers!
Cons: This format could be off-putting for more traditional learners.
Wrap up
With this many options, there’s bound to be an SAT Prep Book that’s right for your style of learning. If you’re self-motivated, they can be a great way to see examples and run through practice tests. However, they won’t be tailored to your exact needs. That is why FLS Tutors offers programs like our one-on-one test prep or our virtual SAT Bootcamp. These classes are led by SAT experts who shape them based on your needs. Contact us today to find out more.
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