The Perfect Score Project

 

About The Book:  The Perfect Score Project is an indispensable guide to acing the SAT – as well as the affecting story of a single mom’s quest to light a fire under her teenage son.  It all began as an attempt by Debbie Stier to help her high-school age son, Ethan, who would shortly be studying for the SAT. Aware that Ethan was a typical teenager (i.e., completely uninterested in any test) and that a mind-boggling menu of test-prep options existed, she decided – on his behalf -- to sample as many as she could to create the perfect SAT test-prep recipe.  Debbie’s quest turned out to be an exercise in both hilarity and heartbreak as she took the SAT seven times in one year and in-between “went to school” on standardized testing. Here, she reveals why the SAT has become so important, the cottage industries it has spawned, what really works in preparing for the test and what is a waste of time.  Both a toolbox of fresh tips and an amusing snapshot of parental love and wisdom colliding with teenage apathy, The Perfect Score Project rivets. In the book Debbie does it all: wrestles with Kaplan and Princeton Review, enrolls in Kumon, navigates khanacademy.org, meets regularly with a premier grammar coach, takes a battery of intelligence tests, and even cadges free lessons from the world’s most prestigious (and expensive) test prep company.  Along the way she answers the questions that plague every test-prep rookie, including: “When do I start?”...”Do the brand-name test prep services really deliver?”...”Which should I go with: a tutor, an SAT class, or self study?”...”Does test location really matter?” … “How do I find the right tutor?”… “How do SAT scores affect merit aid?”... and “What’s the one thing I need to know?”  The Perfect Score Project’s combination of charm, authority, and unexpected poignancy makes it one of the most compulsively readable guides to SAT test prep ever – and a book that will make you think hard about what really matters.

About the Author:  Debbie Stier is the author of the forthcoming book, The Perfect Score Project: Uncovering the Secrets of the SAT. A veteran of the book publishing industry, she was responsible for publicizing dozens of iconic books ranging from The Notebook to Marley and Me. Frequently covered by the media, including MediaBistro, New York Observor and New York Magazine, Debbie regularly speaks on topic pertaining to social media and technology as well as, most recently, standardized testing. She lives with her son and daughter in New York City, but you can find her writing daily advice about education and SAT test prep at theperfectscoreproject.com.

My Thoughts On The Book: The Perfect Score Project by Debbie Stier is a wonderful book.  It is only 281 pages that are broken down into 20 chapters filled with SAT prep information wrapped in the true story of a mom who tries to get her son to do his very best and not settle.   As a high school teacher, who teaches students who take the SAT it was a story that grabbed me from the start.  It is an imformative, yet easy to read book.   I loved the boxes in each chapter that contained nuggets to enable the test takers, and their coaches to do their best.  Any high school parent with students planning to go to college should read this book.  I donated my copy to our school library.  The advice given was very helpful and some of the things she offered up I had never really thought of.  Our school uses classrooms for testing on a large scale, but using full-sized desks and chairs and not the desks we have was eye opening.  In the state of Alabama proctors and test administrators go through training and can lose their teaching licenses if they do not adhere to the test rules.  We take testing seriously here.  I agree with Debbie in that good scores mean money for college.  There was some offensive language in the book, but for the most part the subject matter of the book was a real eye opener.  If you have a child in high school, or teach high school aged students who is going to be taking the SAT or ACT this book is a must.  I think every high school library should have a copy in it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.* Thank you for allowing me to participate in this review.