Choosing the right study guide for SAT preparation is your first step to a high SAT score. There are hundreds of options to choose from when it comes to SAT prep, but not all books are made equal.
A good SAT prep book should have clear answer explanations, explain the concepts, and the practice questions should resemble the actual SAT questions. Keeping all this in mind, I have collected the 10 best SAT prep books and listed them in today’s article.
However, do keep in mind that no one book is all-encompassing, so you might have to purchase more than one book to get the benefits of both. Moreover, the more practice you can get in, the better your chances of scoring high, so make sure you purchase a book or two with multiple full-length practice tests.
In this Article
- 10. SAT Prep with Practice Tests by Accepted Inc.
- 9. McGraw-Hill Education SAT Elite
- 8. SAT Prep Book by TPB
- 7. 10 Practice Tests for the SAT by Princeton Review
- 6. Cracking the SAT Premium Edition by Princeton Review
- 5. SAT Premium Study Guide with 7 Practice Tests by Barron’s
- 4. SAT Total Prep by Kaplan
- 3. SAT Prep Black Book by Mike Barrett
- 2. Princeton Review SAT Premium Prep by Princeton Review
- 1. Official SAT Study Guide 2020 Edition
10. SAT Prep with Practice Tests by Accepted Inc.
The first book on our list comes from Accepted Inc. Their SAT prep has been updated to the latest edition and comes with two full-length practice tests. It includes a quick but full overview of all the contents of the SAT. As for the book’s contents, you will find all the topics that are tested on the SAT – from Reading Passages to Probability. You will also find test tips and strategies throughout the book for all the different question types.
Key Features:
- A full review of what you need to know for the SAT exam
- Practice questions for you to practice and improve
- Test tips and strategies to help you score higher
Get it from here.
9. McGraw-Hill Education SAT Elite
SAT Elite by Mc-Graw Hill offers eight full-length practice tests, 5 of which are in the book and three are online. It includes a variety of different strategies and realistic practice questions.
Key Features:
- Eight full-length practice tests (5 in the book + 3 online)
- Realistic practice questions with thorough answer explanations that reflect Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, Heat of Algebra, and all other question types you’ll see on test day
- Hundreds of Math practice questions like the ones on the SAT, covering both grid-ins and multiple-choice answers
- Challenge Problems throughout the book that reflect the SAT’s most complicated concepts
- Reading Comprehension tips, you won’t find anywhere else
- Student-tested strategies by expert authors who prepared thousands of exam takers for success
Get it from here.
8. SAT Prep Book by TPB
SAT Prep by TPB publishing has a comprehensive overview of the SAT. It covers all the different topics, sections, and question types. It also provides three study plans for you to choose from and has detailed answer explanations for all the practice questions included in the book.
Key Features:
- Quick Overview: Find out what’s inside this guide!
- Test-Taking Strategies: Learn the best tips to help overcome your exam!
- Introduction: Get a thorough breakdown of what the test is and what’s on it!
- Study Prep Plan: Use one of our three prep plans to get ready for test day
- Reading: Covers sections such as Command of Evidence, Words in Context and Analysis in History, Social Studies and Science
- Writing and Language: Covers the Expression of Ideas and Standard English Conventions sections
- Mathematics: Covers sections such as Algebra, Problem Solving, Data Analysis & Advanced Math
- Essay: Covers the Essay Prompt section
Get it from here.
7. 10 Practice Tests for the SAT by Princeton Review
This book is more to do with practice than teaching you the concepts. However, I have added it to the list because you need plenty of practice if you are aiming to score high on your test. It has a total of 10 full-length SATs with 1500+ combined practice questions.
Key Features:
- 10 full-length practice tests with detailed answer explanations
- Hands-on exposure to the test, with more than 1,500 questions, 9 sample prompts for the optional essay and one experimental section
- Self-scoring reports helping you assess your test performance
- Diagnose and learn from your mistakes with in-depth answer explanations
- See The Princeton Review’s techniques in action and solidify your SAT knowledge
- Learn fundamental approaches for achieving content mastery
Get it from here.
6. Cracking the SAT Premium Edition by Princeton Review
Cracking the SAT Premium is Princeton Review’s key SAT prep book. This book has all the strategies and tips you need to tackle all the SAT questions. However, do keep in mind that this is not a concept-based SAT prep book but a strategy based book, so don’t expect to find any detailed concept-based lessons.
Key Features:
- A comprehensive review of every section of the SAT
- Drills and practice questions to help maximize your score.
- Premium online content
- 8-full length practice tests.
- Online video Tutorials.
- Extra online practice.
Get it from here.
5. SAT Premium Study Guide with 7 Practice Tests by Barron’s
Barron’s SAT premium study guide offers seven practice tests; however, one of them is a diagnostic test to help you identify your current strengths and weakness to pinpoint your trouble spots.
It also includes an overview of the SAT, test-taking strategies, and Barron’s extensive vocabulary list in an online flashcard format.
Key Features:
- Four full-length practice tests in the book
- Two full-length online practice tests
- One full-length diagnostic test to help identify strengths and weaknesses so you can pinpoint your trouble spots and focus your study
- Barron’s extensive vocabulary list in an online flashcard format
- An overview of the SAT, an explanation of the test’s scoring method, and study advice from experienced teachers
- Test-taking tactics for the exam as a whole, and unique strategies for each part of the test, including detailed instruction in writing the SAT essay
- Subject reviews covering all sections of the test, including Reading, Writing and Language, and Mathematics
Get it from here.
4. SAT Total Prep by Kaplan
Kaplan is one of the most prominent players in the standardized prep market, and their SAT books are also quite popular. This Kaplan book, the SAT Total Prep, has been updated to the newest edition and contains over 2000 practice questions plus a new layout based on student feedback.
Key Features:
- Five full-length Kaplan practice tests: two in the book and three online.
- More than 1,500 practice questions with detailed explanations, including hundreds of brand new problems.
- Pre-quizzes to help you figure out what you already know and what you can skip.
- Mixed practice quizzes after every chapter to assess how much you’ve learned.
- Longer quizzes after every unit.
- A practice question at the beginning of each lesson to help you quickly identify its focus.
Get it from here.
3. SAT Prep Black Book by Mike Barrett
This book surprised me because it doesn’t come from one of the industry’s big players. However, it does contain significant insight when it comes to SAT prep. This is an enormous book and offers everything from test-taking and prep advice to explaining the many SAT topics.
Key Features:
- It covers every aspect of the test with advice that works, making it unique in the SAT prep field. It doesn’t just review material from your high school classes! Instead, you’ll learn to exploit design flaws in the SAT, using its own “SAT tricks” against it.
- The Black Book contains 600+ detailed, systematic, easy-to-follow walkthroughs for real SAT questions from the College Board.
- The Black Book is a clear, concise roadmap to the SAT.
- Many ways to approach an SAT Math question, and which ones are likely to work best for you.
- The simple formula that allows you to crank out a top-scoring essay.
Get it from here.
2. Princeton Review SAT Premium Prep by Princeton Review
Princeton Review’s SAT Premium Prep is their most comprehensive SAT guide. It includes a variety of different strategies and a detailed explanation of how to utilize them.
Key Features:
- Powerful tactics to help you avoid traps and beat the SAT.
- Pacing tips to help you maximize your time.
- Detailed examples of how to employ each strategy to your advantage.
- Eight full-length practice tests (4 in the book, four online) with detailed answer explanations.
- Drills for each test section
Get it from here.
1. Official SAT Study Guide 2020 Edition
Nothing beats the Official SAT study guide when it comes to real practice questions and high-quality answer explanations. THE official SAT Study guide has been written by the very same people who make the actual SAT, making it highly credible.
Key Features:
- Eight official SAT practice tests, written in the same process and by the same team of authors as the actual exam
- Detailed descriptions of the math and evidenced-based reading and writing sections
- Targeted practice questions for each SAT question type
- Guidance on the new optional essay, including practice essay questions with sample responses
- Seamless integration with Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy.
Get it from here.