... to learn detailed meanings of the words and is useful for students to understand documents on the SAT
932719
This book is helpful for students who want to learn detailed meanings of the words and is useful for students to understand documents on the SAT.
4039635
This is a valuable primary source documents text.  It is meant to be used in conjunction with other texts, though, to thoroughly process its information.
2645724
Does a great job helping you visualize and understand the concepts as opposed to just memorizing equations and information.
3536526
The Direct Hits Toughest Vocabulary of the SAT 4th Edition contains a carefully researched list of 210 words, all different than the ones in the Core Vocabulary book, that students should know if they wish to earn a perfect score on the vocabulary portion of the SAT critical reading section. Unlike other SAT vocabulary lists, the Direct Hits collection includes literary, historical, and popular examples that nicely complement each of the words contained within it. While some of the examples may seem cheesy and irrelevant at times, they make reading through the Direct Hits books more fun and otherwise memorizing vocabulary less monotonous and boring.

The 4th edition of the Direct Hits books contain some notable changes from their predecessors. First, rather than having a review at the end of each chapter, the books now have a cumulative test at the end. While the tests better represent the vocabulary portion of the SAT critical reading section, they are not as helpful in reinforcing learned words as students will not have a chance to apply the vocabulary in each chapter until the end. The change is not a major complaint and may even benefit some students. Another interesting addition is the "Know Your Roots" boxes. These boxes take the root of select words in each book and not only provide the definition of the root but also other words sharing it. As the saying goes, these root boxes help students kill two birds with one stone, that is, learn multiple words simply by learning the definition of their shared root.

As far the Toughest Vocabulary book goes, there is little to criticize about it. One thing I will note, however, is that the book contains only level five words (as categorized by the SAT test makers), so it alone may not guarantee a perfect score on the vocabulary portion of the SAT critical reading section.

As a whole, both the Direct Hits Core Vocabulary of the SAT 4th Edition and the Direct Hits Toughest Vocabulary of the SAT 4th Edition are highly recommended. However, be warned that nearly all of the words are repeats from past editions.
1110393
The Amazon description of the format differences from those of more traditional dictionaries was very accurate. I have always used  dictionaries frequently. The aforementioned description gave me pause. So, I bought this one ; but offered  two aspects that I hope will be useful. First, it ought to be first rate ( given the Oxford University scholarship connection) on current and contemporary meanings and usages. Second, it ought to give more thorough treatment of modern and new words that are likely to remain in use for decades to come (i.e., discounting words that will likely fade from use because they are merely fashionable or trendy.

With those caveats  it likely won't meet my usual needs. I am often looking for alternate or archaic meanings and uses of a word. Too, I rely heavily on comparisons to synonymous and antonymous words to arrive at the precise shade of meaning I wish to convey when writing essays or important communications. The Oxford doesn't really lend itself well to that. I also find it satisfactory but mediocre in learning about the origins of a word from other languages like Greek or Latin.

I recently discarded my old Webster's that was nearly 50 years old. It was outdated and the binding was shot. I'll be getting a large Traditional dictionary like that or a Merriam's soon. However, for a thorough treatment of the most current and contemporary usages, I find this dictionary does its designed job very well indeed
3890383
I write for newspapers and finding the precise phrase takes time but it help to find how books such as this which portrayed the thinking of others are so useful for this.
3304884
This is a positive addition to the SAT test-preparation market for a few reasons.  For starters, this is meant to be combined with the _Official Guide to the SAT_ (Blue Book), which is the essential resource for serious students wishing to maximize their SAT scores.  That book provides ample opportunity for both targeted practice as well as an overall familiarity of the test (not to mention the ability to take complete tests and get used to testing for almost four hours).  What the author here has done is break down the few math concepts that the test covers so students can see things clearly and understand what they need to do.  Then, in combination with the Blue Book as a reference, he has located similar questions (or questions that students can solve using similar strategies) in each of the practice tests.  That means that if you are having trouble with functions, for instance, you can familiarize yourself with a critical aspects of functions in this text, complete the practice sets, and then quickly turn to the function questions throughout the Blue Book.

Second, the author sets out in the first few pages to give some general strategies, like plugging in the answers, or, as he calls it, substitution.  This is helpful and I think a savvy student can already ascertain that the SAT math sections, like the reading and writing, are more about how to take the test and less about the content.  I have been tutoring SAT at my center in Tempe, AZ for more than a year now and i drill into students that the SAT does not really test them on content but rather on a short-list of skills.  They can significantly improve their scores by using strategies like substitution, which simplifies matters and removes some of the mystery from the test.

The final reason that I like this book is that in addition to some good strategies, it does provide the basic rules and math laws that a high-scoring student will need for success.  Not to contradict my earlier paragraph about content being almost irrelevant, I do admit that having a solid base and knowing the fundamentals will help immensely, at least on the math portion (you must know the area of a triangle, for instance is 1/2 of base x height or else you cannot follow directions and apply the strategies).  Yet, since these math concepts are so few in number, the author here is able to lay them out clearly and with ample practice in a book of 156 pages.  That is a welcome fact by itself, as the Princeton Review book, alongside countless others, believe in complexity and quantity over quality.  Therefore, those books can be six to ten times as large and not provide anything more significant than this book.
4325618
Though I got to cover speed reading in high school, I got this to see if it would be useful for people who are interested - absolutely! Great for students.
4078889
My daughter is a junior in high school. I always thought all dictionaries were the same, until this year. The vocabulary assignments required finding information not included in most dictionaries. This is a great tool for in depth word studies required in the advanced english classes, and preparation for the SAT.
1694504
It allows the reader to understand the material in a short, but explanatory method for high achievement and understanding. The product is laid out in an orderly fashion which makes the study process more easy. Overall, the product itself prepares one-self for the state exam in a precise and organized manor. Thanks to this product, I feel more prepared and have more of an understanding on certain material I did not grasp in previous years.
3531366
There are a lot of good exercises and practice units for students to learn and expand their vocabulary.  Good book
1038278
This book is exactly what it says. It is a glossary of 100 words every high school freshman should know. The book begins with a short preface, followed by a guide to the entries in the book, and a pronunciation guide. Each of the 100 words is followed by it's pronunciation, the part of speech, the plural form of the word if it is a noun, the definition, and between one to three related words. Some words also have a note going into more detail about the word. For certain words, e.g. polygon, there are illustrations, too. Scattered throughout the book are passages from famous pieces of literature that have one or more of the words in the preceding page within the passage. The 100 words in the book go from A-Z, from accentuate to zoology. The last few pages of the book have some tips on how to increase your vocabulary. This is an inexpensive book to give as a small gift to someone who is really interested in doing well in high school as well as for someone to study for the SAT or ACT tests. It's aimed at 8th grade students and freshmen in high school, but could be useful even for seniors in high school.
4791408
The book was I was looking to be, it helps a lot to prepare for the SAT.
1680150
Most of us have the experience of trying rote memorization to learn and remember study material and remember how painful that was!  Learning is best done in an atmosphere of fun that involves our senses.  Visualize Your Vocabulary does just that--uses fun pictures and humor to help us learn vocabulary, especially for words that are not common or in regular verbal use.  It's a great book for preparing you for the SAT.  I am having all of my children use it.
2153857
A great help and incentive to memorize important scriptures.
3836073
(100 math tips for the SAT) is a guide to help you navigate through challenging math SAT questions. This study book has helped me to understand the kinds of questions on the math SAT and how to solve them as quickly as possible using logic, common sense and simple math. The book is a useful study guide because it clearly shows the steps for solving a problem plus its easy to read and understand. Although i have not taken the SAT yet i feel more confident in my math abilities because this book has helped me to see how easy math can be if you understand the mathematical language.
3784084
It shows me many strategies that I did not know before, and you can apply some of those strategies not only to the SAT but many other tests or normal daily practices. It does have some few typos but one can easily recognize what the word is originally. The Math Refresher and the Grammar Refresher are particularly important because they show you what you're supposed to know by the test and maybe even by college.