Kaplan SAT 2011 Premier with CD-ROM (Kaplan SAT (w/CD)) Review

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Kaplan SAT 2011 Premier with CD-ROM (Kaplan SAT (w/CD)) ReviewKaplan SAT 2011: Strategies, Practice, and Review (SPR)
subtitle: "Everything you need to score higher"
$19.99 list
Kaplan SAT 2011 Premier with CD-ROM (Premier)
subtitle: "More of what you need to score higher"
$34.99 list
As the parent of a HS junior and an Amazon Vine reviewer, I got both of these books because I wondered how they differed and which we would prefer.
There is all sorts of evidence that SAT scores can be coached, so it is well worth your money and your and your child's time to make some sort of investment in preparing for the test-taking process. Some students will, of course, benefit from more structured classes, but for many of us, buying a book is the right cost-benefit tradeoff.
I have complete confidence in Kaplan, so from the get-go, I know that one of these two books would be right for our family.
Quip with the books: The printed tests in the books are not as helpful as they were back in the day because they do not replicate the experience of electronic testing. They will help, of course, with learning how to answer the questions. And there are the online (and on-disk) tests to provide the electronic test-taking practice. But I think Kaplan might get rid of the printed tests and put more online, and make these books about half their size and easier to schlep around.QUICK COMPARISON: Having looked at both of these products, I would definitely get the Premier. For about $10 more at today's prices, and $15 more at list prices, the extra disk seems worth it to me. My child will be more engaged with the disk version than anything in the book itself. However, since the online tests are available with both versions, you might find that the SPR version works fine for your family. Also, it appears that the SPR version has word roots and vocabulary sections that are not in the Premier version. Those do seem handy to me. I would get Premier over SPR... but I think both are excellent.What's included, Premier:
757-page book
CD (Windows & Mac compatible)
Access to online companion site
What's included, SPR:
733-page book
Access to online companion site
The Premier book contains a multi-page "quick-start" guide that overviews the whole process for you, and I like that.The book:
The books for the two versions are not identical, but very similar. The major sections in both are:
1. KKNOW THE SAT
2. HOW TO ATTACK THE WRITING COMPONENT
3. HOW TO ATTACK THE CRITICAL READING COMPONENT
4. HOW TO ATTACK THE MATH COMPONENT
5. HOW TO PREPARE FOR TEST DAY
6. PRACTICE TESTS AND EXPLANATIONS
7. RESOURCES (SPR version only, word roots and vocabulary word lists)
I feel like Part 7 must be somewhere in the Premier materials, but can't find it. That section looks very helpful to me.
There are four practice tests in each book.The online companion site:
(This is the same for the two versions of the book.) This contains an online diagnostic quiz, help with building a study plan, review, and five additional full-length tests. I can't go there right now because I'll let my son do the registering, so this information is from the description inside the book.The CD:
I have a Mac, as does my son. I was disappointed that an installation was required instead of just running off the disk, but it's not all that big a deal. It did totally ignore my specifified installation location, and installed on the desktop, but worse things could happen. Oh geez, and even after you "install" it will work only with the disk in, so it's not clear to me why they made me install anything.
The CD is full-screen and includes a sound track. I found these both annoying in my little test run, but I realize that it will be very helpful in focusing attention for some learners.
The CD contains a diagnostic test and five more full-length practice tests, as well as 12 focused practice tests for special skills (e.g., four for critical reading, two for math, two for writing, two for grid-in practice, and two for essays.) Note: I think these are five distinct tests, so that you have a total of 10 electronic tests with this version (5 on disk and 5 online), but it would be hard for me to check that they're distinct.
I don't like some of the details of how they implemented the CD, but overall, I like the CD. I think for my son, this extra level of engagement is worth the extra money.
Kaplan SAT 2011 Premier with CD-ROM (Kaplan SAT (w/CD)) Overview

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