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I am helping my son prepare PSAT/SAT/ACT, because he came U.S when he was 11-year-old, I think he missed some formal education on English grammar. In the recent days, I have done a lot of research trying to find a good grammar book, which can provide a good review, in the same time, hope it can help my son prepare for PSAT/SAT/ACT. At last, I found it. “Grammar Smart, 2nd Edition (Smart Guides)” is an excellent review grammar book for test-takers, which covers all sorts of grammar problems.

This book is well organized, concise, and simply written in a fun approach with great practical exercises. It also highlights common grammatical mistakes that usually show up on exams. By reading it, not only does the reader get the explanations in an easy way but also get recognition exercises for each point he or she is studying. This is a really great grammar book for both adults as well as teens in high school.

Research has shown that putting a student in actual testing conditions while doing a “practice” exam is one of the best methods of preparation for the tests. Get some of the official released practice exams and practice over and over again is a great strategy to help the student familiarize himself with the exam format and the type of questions. Remember not only should the student do the questions, but also should do a very careful analysis of the type of questions he is wrong and right. Focus on weakness, seeking additional resources for help.

The very experienced SAT instructors recommend the best ways to prepare the tests.

1. Get the book “Hot Words for the SAT”, and learn a few chapters each week.
2. Get the book “Cracking the PSAT”, read all the test-taking strategies, do every practice test, and understand the answer explanations.
3. Get the “Barron’s SAT” book first, do every test, read and understand the answer explanations.
4. Get “the Official SAT Study Guide”, take the practice tests, sitting straight through for each exam, 4 hours with the break.

Good luck on the exam!!

Hot Words for the SAT I

This book is called SAT Verbal Breakthrough, the best book for the verbal section, and recommended by a lot of SAT instructors as a must buy! There are three sentences made for each vocabulary word so the student can understand the meaning of each word thoroughly. Words being used in sentences with chapter’s theme instead of a list of words, which really aid the memory and will totally boost the students’ vocabulary and help scores on the SAT! It is the most popular book of its kind.

Cracking the PSAT

This book is published by Princeton Review, it provides proven techniques from the test preparation experts. In this book, “General strategies and advanced strategies” are two must read parts, which not only help the student to prepare PSAT, it also serves good principles for other tests to get higher scores. The 2008 edition includes 2 full-length practice tests just like those on the actual PSAT, but with detailed answers and explanations for every question.

Barron’s SAT 2009

This book has more practice tests than any other books, and the tests in the book are harder than the real test. It also has detail explanations compared with Princeton or Kaplan’s books. Student used the book like the vocabulary cards in the back as well. It is one of the most recommended SAT books!

The Official SAT study guide

This is a must read book for preparation of SAT, because it is the only book created by the test maker, the College Board. Although the student can not learn the hardcore test-taking strategies from the book, it does include the information students need to get ready for the exam. The student will gain valuable experience by taking the practice tests and can receive estimated scores.

Here we recommend two best books for preparing ACT, “Barron’s How to Prepare for the ACT” provides insightful preparation knowledge and test-taking strategies with competitive depth; “The Real ACT Prep Guide” is the only Official Prep Guide from the makers of the ACT.

Barron’s How to Prepare for the ACT

This book covers each section of the ACT exam, which are Math, Reading, English, and Science. It also has the practice exams with a bit harder than the actual exam, so it can give the student an edge over the competition, it is an excellent book recommended by successful test-takers and test preparation instructors for improving students’ score. Barron’s can help the diligent, dedicated student crack the ACT.

In English and Math section, the book has a grammar review and math review together with examples and exercises. In Reading section, the highlight is that the book gives the student strategy and tactics at the beginning of each ‘Review and Practice’ section and great tips. In Science Reasoning section, it contains a ‘Words You Should Know’ section and other relevant, useful advice for tackling the Science Reasoning section.

Barron’s encourages the students to actively participate while studying the book; it is definitely a good choice.

The Real ACT Prep Guide

This book is from the makers of the ACT, which comes with 3 REAL ACT EXAMS! It also gives the fullest explanations of the correct and incorrect answers. Parents looking to help their kids get prepared should buy THE BOOK.

This guide is essential because it is the only one that provides authentic ACT questions. However, it does not give the student insightful strategies about how to handle the test. Therefore, use this book strictly to practice the test and estimate the score.

In order to help students to ace ACT, we recommend to use “Barron’s How to Prepare for the ACT” to study test-taking strategies and review each section completely, to use “The Real ACT Prep Guide” to practice ACT test with time limit and estimate score, find the student’s weakness, focus on it and improve it.