This is the one book I could not have done without on the SAT. I noticed that a lot of people criticized it for the techniques it uses, but it does teach you a lot about the material tested on the SAT and it gives you myriads of helpful tips.
It is not intended to be funny. The authors do not try to help readers along with jokes and suchlike. They deliver their information in a no-nonsense, concise fashion that may not be good for people who grow bored easily or for those who do not enjoy working. I found it very interesting, but I am considered by many to be unusual regarding my tastes in extracurricular activities.
Something that I found particularly helpful about the book was the included CD with practice tests. Taking one of these helped me see what parts of the SAT I was having trouble with.
The techniques WORK. They really do. They give you a better understanding of the material that the SAT tests and of how the SAT is created, and of what it actually tests. (Vocabulary, some reading comprehension, first-year algebra and geometry. I found this to be true when taking the test.) In only three weeks of studying for one hour a night, I was able to raise my scores from a 480 verbal and a 440 math to a 750 verbal and a 650 math (for a total of 1400) on the final test. I am thirteen and in junior high. I took it for applications to a Johns Hopkins CTY summer program and a high school scholarship.
I would really recommend this book along with 10 Real SATs (which I used only for the tests) to anyone taking the SAT. The amount of help that it gave me was phenomenal, and I am sure that I would not have done nearly as well without it. So thank you, Princeton Review!
