No, not all SAT workbooks are created equal. If you venture into the academic section of any Barnes & Noble, you will find shelf after shelf of SAT preparation material. Which book(s) will be the most affective in helping your child to raise his/her SAT scores?

Here are the most popular companies that write SAT workbooks:

Barron’s

Princeton Review

Kaplan

College Board

Barron’s: I recommend staying away from Barron’s. Their SAT exams are not as similar to the real exam as some of the other workbooks out there. I have found numerous typos and errors in their books. Additionally, many of their questions involve mathematical calculations that are too time-consuming to appear on a real SAT. Students need to be taught that if calculations are too time-consuming, they are attacking the problem incorrectly. Barron’s teaches students the opposite, which could negatively affect their SAT score.

Princeton Review: In terms of SAT preparation, Princeton Review is my second favorite company. Their tests could be mistaken for an actual SAT. My only criticism of Princeton Review is that they basically re-release the same book every year with a different cover. Therefore, if changes are implemented on the SAT, Princeton Review’s test material does not always reflect them. Luckily, the SAT rarely changes.

Kaplan: I would rank Kaplan below Princeton Review. Their questions are mediocre with an occasional good question thrown in here and there. I find their layout and font to be distracting. I would only recommend using a Kaplan workbook if your child has already gone through all of the Princeton Review and College Board material.

College Board: Since College Board is the creator of the actual SAT, it makes sense that College Board is able to create the best workbook out there. This book contains ten official practice tests and every question is better than the next. If your child can work his/her way through this workbook, there will be no surprises on the actual exam. My only complaint about this book is that the book does not provide explanations, only answer. If your child arrives at an incorrect answer, he/she will only be able to determine that it is wrong, but not why it is wrong.

If your child is working alone, I would recommend using a Princeton Review book so that he/she has explanations to each question at his/her disposal. That way your child can make mistakes and learn from them. If your child is working with a knowledgeable adult or tutor, I would recommend using the best material out there, a College Board workbook!