Dr. John Chung's SAT II Math Level 2 ---- 2nd Edition: To get a Perfect Score on the SAT 2nd Edition

My third daughter finished the SAT prep and Chung's book provided important practice exams and the explications were very clear. My daughter self-taught herself using the SAT guide book. Versus working with other programs or expensive coaches, a book like Chung's can be an incredible substitute for a student willing to have the initiate and responsibility to push herself.

I took the October SAT II for Math II (the most recent one) so this review reflects the most recent SAT material. As mentioned in many reviews, the tests in here are HARD. I was only able to complete 4/5 tests out of 12, and each time I averaged in the high 500s and low 600s. As an Asian high school student who took AP Calculus her jr year and aced the AP calc exam, these results made me cry. Actual tears.Pay attention to this review if you haven't mastered Precalculus well. Because it's been two years since I've touched Precalculus, I needed a serious overhaul. If I had taken this fresh out of sophomore year I probably would have gotten an 800, just because I wouldn't have forgotten all of the basics.If you're a sophomore or a jr, you're in great hands. Any book will suffice. I would choose this book if I were you because Barron's will re-teach everything you should already know. This book takes it to the next level, while still accurately reflecting the actual test. it gives you the shortcuts that you ABSOLUTELY need. The actual test was much easier, but the wording of the problems and the type of problems are very similar.If you're a senior (like I am), and it's been a while since you've taken Precalc, buy a supplement to this book (like Barron's) to review basic concepts as you simultaneously bulldoze through Dr.Chung's 57 tips. I didn't purchase another book so I struggled (hence the 500-600 scores). These tests are gold. Please try to take as many of them as possible. One of my major regrets while studying for the SAT II was not taking practice tests earlier. I spent a month going through the perfect tips thinking that building a foundation would be more valuable, but actually, taking the tests will help you much more because you can learn through your mistakes. As a senior, you don't have that precious time to waste.Lastly, if anyone is reading this, please don't lose faith. You guys will do great. TLDR; Whether you're prepared or not, buy this books and focus your energy on taking the practice tests, no matter how much they hurt. Supplement with a textbook or Barron's to review the foundations that you might have forgotten. If you take most of these tests, you should do just fine. Keep your eye on the goal and don't get discouraged for too long at a time. Take your mistakes and use them to fortify yourself. Understand why you made the mistakes, write them down on a notebook, and review them just before taking any practice test (or actual test) to refresh yourself on your common mistakes and how to fix them.Practice tests in this book, average 550. Actual SAT - 200 point difference.You can do it as long as you work hard! Don't just depend on the book for a 200 pt boost just because everyone else has! Expect a much better actual score but use your low scores to fuel you. Good luck.

I bought this book as prep for the Subjects since I haven't taken them yet. It is a really good book, but it does lack some explaining on a few problems. This wasn't too bad for me because I'm used to having to figure out math problems on my own, but it definitely would have been nice to have a little more explanation on some problems.Like the cover says, this book has tips and complete practice tests. That means there are NO short review lessons and NO practice question sections. The way the book is set up is:Part 1: TipsEach tip takes up about one page; and goes by the format TIP, 3 practice questions, VERY short explanations, and answers all on one line.Part 2: Practice TestsThe tests are full length and like the tips, do not go into great detail on explaining the answers.There was a previous review that said that one needs background knowledge on precalc, algebra 2, and other covered subjects. That couldn't be more true. The knowledge also has to be fresh in your head if you want to be able to understand this book fully. I just finished AP Calc BC so I thought I wouldn't struggle at all with this because I do have prior experience with precalc and alg 2. But, this book really goes into equations that need to be memorized and approaches to questions that I would have been very good at when I was taking precalc and alg 2. However, I don't often need to figure out an equation of a parabola based on two points, so I did struggle with my background knowledge.All in all, this book is a great review book because it's very challenging. But like I said in the title, do NOT buy this book alone. You definitely need an accompaniment to help refresh topics and go through practice sections instead of diving straight into neat TIPS on how to approach certain topics faster. I'm going to buy another review book to go with this because I also want to get a better understanding of what the test will be like since everyone is saying this book is much harder than the real test.

This book is great prep book for SAT Math II. Ideal for a student who has completed the Pre-Calculus curriculum at school - this is review/practice book. The review section provides a quick recap of all the necessary concepts. For some reason set theory is not covered although there are questions in the SAT II on this topic. There are a few over the top topics like components of a force etc., which can be ignored. The tests are rigorous and probably more difficult than the actual SAT. My son took a majority of the tests in this book and his time for completing the test came down from 75 min to 55 min. This is the key to a good score - basically you barely have enough time to complete the test in 60 minutes. Try to take all the tests in this book - you will definitely increase the chances of getting a 800. My son has tried other books and this is easily the best prep book.

Before purchasing this book, I was skeptical. After all, John Chung's isn't near as popular as Princeton Review, Barron's, etc.After studying this book, I got 800s on two practice tests (one from this book and one from another), thus convincing me of the effectivity of this book. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is serious about getting that 800, because it (I guess) over-prepares you so that the test becomes really easy. Don't let that scare you away, though, because the book makes it easy to learn.I'll edit this review after I get my scores back (I'm taking it in a couple weeks) and provide a more thorough evaluation. Good luck to everyone studying for this test! :)

This book makes you rage and depressed, but it gives you a great score.