The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests

The College Board, the body that produces and administers the SAT and SAT Subject Tests, publishes The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests. This is the most popular and most thorough SAT Subject Test study guide, and the only guide that contains actual questions from previous SAT Subject Tests given in years past.

The inclusion of those previously-administered practice tests on all 20 SAT Subject Tests sets this book apart from its competition. At 816 pages, this 3 pound book is the only guide a student needs to ace any of the 20 SAT Subject Tests given each November. These Subject Tests are means for a student to show proficiency in subjects outside the scope of the basic SAT test and are sometimes required for entry into certain universities.

About SAT Subject Tests

According to The College Board, 600,000 high school students take at least one SAT Subject Tests. Ivy League schools, MIT, and other highly selective schools require specific tests either for placement or even for general admission. The College Board's The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests is the only book on the market that contains actual questions and answers for each of the 20 SAT Subject Tests. A new edition, released in 2011, contains practice tests for all 20 Subject Tests, test-taking strategies compiled by the company that created the tests, two audio CDs for foreign language SAT test prep, six Subject Tests with Listening (Spanish, German, French, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), and further practice tests for the SAT Subject Tests without listening in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Modern Hebrew, Italian, and Latin.

About The College Board

The College Board is a not-for-profit group that administers the SAT and SAT Subject Tests and reports scores to student's university's of choice. They also offer nationwide test-prep programs and services to help students apply to college, assessment of their skills, and even financial aid and enrollment assistance. The College Board developed the SAT, the PSAT/NMSQT, and the Advanced Placement tests. The Official SAT Study Guide, the College Handbook, the Book of Majors, and a series of other college-themed books are the best-selling books in their subjects, all published by The College Board.

The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests - Pros and Cons

Some students will be disappointed with the scope of this "all in one" guide to SAT Subject Tests. The sheer size of the book means that there's only room for one previously-administered practice test per Subject Test, and none of the previously-administered tests are newer than six years old. It would be helpful for some of the more difficult Subject Tests for a student to have at least two practice tests to use. Of course, as with all College Board test prep materials, there have been plenty of complaints about errors in the tests and incorrect answer guides, but newer printings of the most recent edition have corrected these errors.

Another problem students have with this book is the lack of explanations for question answers. In certain subjects, especially mathematics and the sciences, it is useful to include explanations of how to arrive at an answer. In fact, this is a big part of the power of reviewing for test material, the ability to understand how an answer appears not just what the correct answer is.

On the plus side, new copies of The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests are available for just $10, and as of this writing, there were dozens of used copies available on Amazon for as little as $1 or $2. Also, since The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests is the only Subject Test prep book containing actual tests administered previously, it is the only place that a student preparing for Subject Tests can get a taste of the kind of test material they'll actually be facing on test day.

The Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests is the only source for actual previously-administered SAT Subject Tests, so students interested in preparing themselves for Subject Tests will have to but this College Board book if they want to prepare with real-life test examples. Are there problems with the book? Of course, but combining the practice Subject Tests and answer keys found here with other test prep methods is probably the best way to steel yourself for the Subject Tests you plan on taking this coming November.