Review
I went through a crapload of resources while studying for the SAT. If you want one that results in EFFICIENT studying, PWN the SAT's book is, without doubt, the best. His problems are also hilarious--you might even enjoy studying for the SAT. :)
Jeff L., Seattle, WAYou raised me up from a child to a grown man. I can now say I pwn'd the SAT!!!
Sulman K., Brooklyn, NY --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Author
This seems like a good place to answer a few Frequently Asked Questions:
What does "PWN" mean?
Basically, it means "to completely dominate." It comes from old school videogaming, when trash talk had to be typed, not shrieked into a headset. Because time spent typing was time spent as a sitting duck, nobody ever fixed typos in those days. So "pwn" was a frequent typo of "own" that got legs and is now used in gamer circles on purpose. It's pronounced "pone," not "pawn."
Why on earth would you call your book that?
My girlfriend and mom are the most frequent askers of this question. They're convinced that if I changed the name, I'd suddenly sell a million books! But I had a very specific student in mind as I wrote this book: my 15-year old self. I was my school's top math student, but I was dogmatic in my belief that problems could only be solved "the math way." That served me well in every arena except for the SAT, where my insistence on brute-force math, rather than nimble problem solving, cost me a perfect 800.
How do I know it cost me a perfect 800? Because now, years removed from that experience, I get perfect 800s doing the test the way I describe in this book--and I have fun doing it. I wrote this book to try to help kids like the Old Me (strong math students who aren't happy with their SAT scores) learn to approach the test like the New Me. I love math, and there's plenty of it in the book, but there's also a plethora of alternative solutions.
Will I like this book if I didn't know what "pwn" meant until just now?
If you're a strong math student who's looking to improve your SAT score, then I think so. The book isn't full of words like "pwn"--just the title.
What makes this book better than all the others available?
"Better" is in the eye of the beholder, but here are a few things that make my book unique:
- Each chapter is followed by a listing of all the questions in the College Board's own Official SAT Study Guide (AKA "Blue Book") that are susceptible to the techniques I've just described. This is not the kitchen-sink approach to test prep--the techniques I advocate will apply on the real test.
- The back of the book contains another breakdown of each test in the Blue Book. This one helps students keep track of their mistakes and identify topics they need to work on.
- Each of the drills in my book has hand-written solutions. I think it's helpful to see math worked out the same way a student will have to do it on test day.
- I don't spend too much time on the basics kids already know; I get right into the stuff I always see students struggle with.
Note: typos that appeared on pages 98, 100, and 164 in early printings have been fixed. If you purchase a new copy today, you need not take any action. If you purchase a used copy, please visit mathguide.pwnthesat.com to download replacement pages.
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