Here is a different approach to preparing for the SAT. SAT and College Preparation Course for the Christian Student ensures regular practice because it is designed to be used as a part of your high school student's regular school day.

The book is comprised of 150 lessons and can be completed in one, two, or three years beginning in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade respectively. Each of the 150 daily lessons opens with a scripture verse, a charge, and an application question. I appreciate the author's emphasis on daily family and personal prayer for the student as he prepares for the SAT. In fact, family involvement is a common thread throughout this curriculum. Parents are to help the student weekly with vocabulary review, and students are to okay each book they read with their parents.

After this opening, each lesson contains these components:

Devotional Journal: It is suggested that the student spend thirty minutes each day studying a scripture passage using the Prayer Devotional Journal page in the appendix. This journal page is an excellent tool for organizing one's quiet time with the Lord. A couple of the genius features of this page are a focusing time at the start where you clear your mind of extraneous thoughts by jotting down the to-do's running around in your head and two periods--one at the beginning and one at the end--where you practice being silent and listening to the Lord.

Read/Vocabulary Cards: The student is to read thirty to fifty pages per day in one of the recommended books in the appendix, write down words from the reading that are unfamiliar, look up the definitions, and make 3x5 vocabulary flash cards for weekly review with a parent. After finishing each book, the student should record the book on the Reading Journal page in the appendix. This form is like a mini book report including main characters, the setting, point of view, and theme as well as a brief summary and personal evaluation.

SAT practice through one or more of the following: Critical Reading, Sentence Completion, Vocabulary, Math Problems, Critical Thinking Writing Assignment, and Grammar. There is a huge variety of exercises here, and while each and every one may not specifically mimic the types of questions asked on the SAT, they will surely stretch your thinking skills. All of the answers are included in the back of the book, including example answers for the writing assignments.

Five separate tip pages on reading, writing, and math are scattered through the first twenty or so lessons of the book, and the author frequently adds personal book notes, test tips, and scripture ponderings in the margins. Don't skip over these! There are some real gems of information here.

The book is nicely laid out with a smattering of black and white photos, nice fat side margins for notes, and easy-to-see page and lesson numbers.  

A good portion of the book is devoted to helpful appendices:   tips on building your vocabulary, an annotated suggested student reading list divided by year in highschool, a reproducible reading journal page and prayer journal page, a suggested list of scriptures for study, test-taking strategies, and a critical thinking resource list. The reading list is particularly interesting and helpful with its generous book descriptions.

The last section of the book concentrates on college admission and includes essay writing suggestions as well as fifty example essays. Here also is a sixteen plus page article by the author on college in general from a Christian perspective. There is much wisdom here, but I wish the information had been organized differently; so many specific topics are addressed that it is difficult to find exactly what you are looking for. Section titles (history of higher education, choosing a secular or Christian school, and advice on taking the SAT, for example) would have made this part of the book easier to access and read.

Overall, this would be a worthwhile, challenging, and enjoyable book to use while preparing for the SAT. It is well organized and scripturally based.

Product Review by Kathy Gelzer, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November 2011