Larry Berger - Up Your Score: SAT, 2018-2019 Edition: The Underground Guide to Outsmarting The Test

UP YOUR SCORE

SAT

The Underground Guide

to Outsmarting the SAT

by Larry Berger, Samantha Bindner, Michael Colton, Manek Mistry, and Paul Rossi

Illustrations by Chris Kalb

WORKMAN PUBLISHING, NEW YORK

TO OUR PARENTS

Florence and Toby Berger

Ellen and Clark Colton

Virginia and Nariman Mistry

Charline and Faust Rossi

Cindy and Jim Bindner

Many people have helped with Up Your Score. Our heartfelt thanks to:

Chris Arp for his vast store of SAT wisdom and for keeping us laughing. We could not have done this book without him.

David Bock, Ithaca High School, for being a terrific math teacher, for the valuable ideas he gave us for the guessing section, and for his editing assistance.

Mom, Dad, and Meme for giving Samantha some good brain genes.

Milton Kagan, one of the few SAT coaches who really knows his stuff, for sharing some of his excellent ideas with us.

Andrea Kochie, Ithaca High School, for being an amazing college admissions advisor, and for helping us acquire so much of the information that we needed.

Rita Rosenkranz, the agent John Grisham wishes he had, for scoring a perfect 1600 on the Super Agent Test.

Bob Schaeffer and FairTest, for advice and information.

The folks at Workman Publishing, for their astuteness, audacity, alacrity, and ardorMargot Herrera and Evan Griffith for their brilliant editing, Kim Daly for her attention to detail, Orlando Adiao for great design work, and Noreen Herits for getting the word out.

This book really stinks, Paul yawned as he pulled the crust off his sandwich, scattering Miracle Whip all over page 12 of Barrons SAT guide.

Yeah, whats the point of the SAT, anyway?

To cause us pain and suffering, Manek mumbled.

You know whats wrong with these SAT review books?

No, what? asked Larry.

Theyre all written by embalmed educators who were born before the invention of the number 2 pencil, before the SAT itself, and before The Brady Bunch went on the air.

If I wrote an SAT review book, it wouldnt be so boring.

I know what you mean. If I wrote an SAT review book, it would be erudite, yet not bombastic. It would elucidate the turbid depths of this baneful examination and carry students to new heights of academic self-actualization...

Yeah, and have lots of skin.

You know, Larrys right. If we could write an awesome manual telling confused, bored, and frustrated students like us across this great land how to rock the SAT, we would

We would be making a contribution to society that

... could bring us enough funds to pay for college.

... and a chance to get on The Tonight Show.

Tonight? Do you really think so?

A few months later, after Larry, Manek, and Paul each scored over 1500 on the SAT, they began work on a review book that shared their secrets of SAT success. It was called Up Your Score, and it helped many students get into prestigious colleges that cost more than they could afford.

Over the next six years, Larry, Manek, and Paul grew old and joined bingo and shuffleboard leagues, and the SAT also changed. Because too many students had read Up Your Score and outsmarted the test, the SAT was revised. In order to meet this new challenge, Larry, Manek, and Paul decided to seek out some young blood, searching long and hard for a new coauthor to update the book. Eventually, they decided upon Michael Colton, a brilliant young rebel from Massachusetts who achieved a perfect 1600 by reading Up Your Score and who also baked award-winning chocolate chip cookies.

Michaels revision of the book enabled a new generation of youngsters to follow in his footsteps at Harvard, but age eventually caught up with him as well. His references to Full House and Vanilla Ice (both of which were very funny, trust us) now fell on deaf ears. So every two years, Up Your Score found new students who had used the book to earn perfect scores. What emerged over time is a condensed volume of pure, unadulterated test-taking wisdom from kids who have aced the SAT. These student editors all went on to prestigious universities and careers, including a few who became professional test-prep gurus in their own right.

Then, in 2005, the SAT made a bunch of big changes. Instead of a perfect 1600, students now had to shoot for a 2400, thanks to the addition of a Writing section, which included an essay and grammar questions. Accordingly, the book was overhauled, and student editors who had scored all 2400 of those points were quickly found.

Phew, said the Up Your Score editors. That was a ton of work, but luckily the College Board will never, ever completely change the SAT again.

Then in 2016 the College Board completely changed the SAT again.

We are going to tell you all about those changes in the very next chapter. But first, some good news: Weve found a ridiculously talented guest editor who will help guide us through the transition.

Hey, readers! My name is Samantha, and Ive been in your shoes. Many times. Too many times... and thats why Im here as the new guest editor. Most of the comments, tips, and totally-not-lame jokes in the margins of this new, shiny edition of Up Your Score are my doing.

Though my perfect SAT score helped me get a full-tuition scholarship to my dream school, I had to work to get itall the way from seventh grade to junior year (disclaimer from personal experience: You shouldnt have to take the SAT as many times as your grandmothers celebrated her birthday to get the score you want). Then... drum roll please... I met this book.

Up Your Score is designed to help you get the most done in the most efficient way possible. Great, right? Now, that doesnt mean it will be painlessthe SAT doesnt work that way. But I can tell you that this book will make your Saturday morning practice sessions a lot more productive and a lot more fun. And you might just end up with an SAT score your mom will want to hang up on the refrigerator. Now start reading!