SAT Vocabulary Flip-O-Matic

This book does exactly what was intended - it gives a pretty complete list of common vocab words seen on the SATs. I purchased this book a week before my PSAT test. Unfortunately, it arrived in the mail the very afternoon AFTER I had taken my test, but when I flipped through the book, I realized that all of the vocab words I was not sure about on the PSAT were in the book! If I had just been a bit more prepared and bought this book earlier, I'm sure I would have gotten those questions right. Other books may give you a list of words, but the list is either incomplete (and you spend forever on words that aren't even on the test) or the definitions are too long and hard to remember. This book is prime SAT material. It was too late for me this time, but, oh well, at least I know this book will help me when it comes to the actual SATs in March. I recommend this book to anyone who's willing to spend a few weeks ahead of time studying up on vocab. A lesson to all: don't procrastinate!

I was pleasantly surprised when I found this book at a local bookstore. It's small, efficient, and extremely easy to quiz yourself with. The list of words not only reviews frequently-appearing SAT words, but also words that are easily confused (such as the verb consummate and the adj. consummate). The only qualm I have with this book is the lack of a pronunciation guide, but a quick search in a dictionary resolves this if you have any doubts.

Here's how it works: On the top half of the first page is 'abase.' Just the word. Below it, upside down, is a short definition for 'zealot' and a sentence using it in context. On the other side is the opposite: a definition for 'abase' and the word 'zealot', upside down. That's it.

For the student who needs a convenient way to learn words (in this case 500), without getting to deep into the pronunciation and etymology, this is a good choice.

Unlike many of the guides by Barron's, Peterson and the Princeton Review, this Kaplan book has the advantage of being small. The flashcard-style is handy for self-quizzing. There is no need to cover up words, or to laboriously write out lists.

These aren't the obscure words meant for Scrabble and crossword puzzle champs. These are the words which have historically meant something to the preparers of SAT.

A short selection of roots is provided as well, but it is the full words which makes it a worthy purchase, to augment a more complete study of SAT vocabulary.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com