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The Critical Reader: The Complete Guide to SAT Reading
Intended to clearly and systematically demystify what is often considered the most challenging section of the SAT, The Critical Reader, 2nd Edition, provides a comprehensive review of the reading skills tested on the redesigned exam for students who are serious about raising their scores.
Includes:
-A chapter-by-chapter breakdown of question types, with in-depth explanations and numerous examples demonstrating how to work through each type.
-Techniques for comprehending complex passages and identifying key information quickly and efficiently.
-Extensive strategies for simplifying and answering paired supporting evidence questions as well as informational graphic questions.
-A list of alternate definitions of common words, plus strategies for using context clues to decipher the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary.
To allow students to apply the strategies outlined in this book to College Board material while focusing on the specific areas in which they are seeking to improve, this book also includes a list of all the Reading questions from the Khan Academy exams/College Board Official Guide, 3rd Edition (2015), arranged both by category and by test.
Note: If you are preparing for the AP English Language and Composition exam, a separate AP Edition is now available in beta form (multiple-choice reading only) at https: //www.createspace.com/7045612.
Includes:
-A chapter-by-chapter breakdown of question types, with in-depth explanations and numerous examples demonstrating how to work through each type.
-Techniques for comprehending complex passages and identifying key information quickly and efficiently.
-Extensive strategies for simplifying and answering paired supporting evidence questions as well as informational graphic questions.
-A list of alternate definitions of common words, plus strategies for using context clues to decipher the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary.
To allow students to apply the strategies outlined in this book to College Board material while focusing on the specific areas in which they are seeking to improve, this book also includes a list of all the Reading questions from the Khan Academy exams/College Board Official Guide, 3rd Edition (2015), arranged both by category and by test.
Note: If you are preparing for the AP English Language and Composition exam, a separate AP Edition is now available in beta form (multiple-choice reading only) at https: //www.createspace.com/7045612.
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354 pages, Paperback
First published July 28, 2015
35 people are currently reading
531 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 10, 2025
pretty solid. liked the grammar one better though.
November 2, 2017
The Critical Reader: The Complete Guide to SAT Reading, 3rd Edition by Erica L. Meltzer (2017)
This review is for the 3rd Edition of Ms. Meltzer's popular Critical Reader series. This version was released in September 2017, and if you are wondering whether it is worth it to buy the newest version...yes, absolutely it is.
While this edition of the book contains much of the same materials that the 2nd edition did, the practice sections have been improved and expanded greatly. You might not think there is anything new as the page counts for both books are the same, but the 3rd edition uses a smaller font allowing for more information to be packed in on each page. Also, since the 2nd edition was published the College Board has released 4 more official tests and analysis of all 8 released tests is included. Ms. Meltzer has gone through the entire book and adjusted her guidance to conform as close as possible with the new SAT.
This is not a book to rush through, complete all of the practice questions and expect your score to magically improve. Rather, I have suggested 2 approaches for students who wanted to self study with this book.
Option A for students with limited experience with the SAT or scoring below 330 on the READING section
Start at the beginning and work through the book 1 chapter at a time. Split the practice questions in half, so that you can see if you retained your understanding of lesson. Do half one day and do the rest another day. Pay attention to why you are choosing wrong answers as this is key to making progress in the Reading section.
When doing practice tests, try to identify the question types for yourself and apply the lessons that relate to those question types.
Option B for students who are scoring above 330 or have limited prep time (less than 3 weeks)
Go through the College Board tests you have completed (or do 2-4 of them) and identify the types of errors you make the most.
Identify the chapters you need to work on, but don't skip to them immediately. (patience, grasshopper)
Start with the first chapter and if it is NOT one of your problem areas, start with the practice questions and do about half. If you are consistently getting them right, then you probably are solid in that area and can move on. If not, then back track to the lesson part of the chapter and do the the lesson and then finish the practice questions. This will prevent you from thinking you understand a question type when in fact you were just a good guesser.
I am now going to repeat what I wrote for the previous version of this book.
This is my #1 book suggestion for students who struggle with the reading section of the SAT, with some reservations. If English is your second language, and you never read for pleasure, this book won't get you a perfect reading score. Most ESL students have holes in their vocabulary, cultural knowledge, and reading abilities that get them stuck in the mid-600s for the Reading/Writing Section. No SAT study book will fix fundamental Reading and Writing Skill problems. Also if you are not good at self-studying, then you might need some hand-holding with this book because the contents are dense.
If you didn't fall into one of the previous categories, then I would suggest you buy this book. The book is broken down into an overview of the test and test taking skills and then a chapter on each of the types of Reading questions you will encounter. Each chapter takes a question type and breaks it down to the smallest details and explains how to approach the question and what constitutes a wrong answer. There are thorough explanations of both the correct and the incorrect answers and then practice questions to practice your new knowledge. In the back of the book is a break down to the first 8 College Board tests, identifying each of the reading questions type, so that students can identify the questions that give the the most trouble and review those chapters.
Just The Facts:
349 Pages
Targeted practice for the Reading section only
No full tests, just targeted practice questions
Paper Quality: Excellent. You can write and erase without worrying about tearing through
Quality of Answer Explanations: Excellent
This book is available through Amazon. Why are you still here? Go buy the book!
www.internationaltester.com
This review is for the 3rd Edition of Ms. Meltzer's popular Critical Reader series. This version was released in September 2017, and if you are wondering whether it is worth it to buy the newest version...yes, absolutely it is.
While this edition of the book contains much of the same materials that the 2nd edition did, the practice sections have been improved and expanded greatly. You might not think there is anything new as the page counts for both books are the same, but the 3rd edition uses a smaller font allowing for more information to be packed in on each page. Also, since the 2nd edition was published the College Board has released 4 more official tests and analysis of all 8 released tests is included. Ms. Meltzer has gone through the entire book and adjusted her guidance to conform as close as possible with the new SAT.
This is not a book to rush through, complete all of the practice questions and expect your score to magically improve. Rather, I have suggested 2 approaches for students who wanted to self study with this book.
Option A for students with limited experience with the SAT or scoring below 330 on the READING section
Start at the beginning and work through the book 1 chapter at a time. Split the practice questions in half, so that you can see if you retained your understanding of lesson. Do half one day and do the rest another day. Pay attention to why you are choosing wrong answers as this is key to making progress in the Reading section.
When doing practice tests, try to identify the question types for yourself and apply the lessons that relate to those question types.
Option B for students who are scoring above 330 or have limited prep time (less than 3 weeks)
Go through the College Board tests you have completed (or do 2-4 of them) and identify the types of errors you make the most.
Identify the chapters you need to work on, but don't skip to them immediately. (patience, grasshopper)
Start with the first chapter and if it is NOT one of your problem areas, start with the practice questions and do about half. If you are consistently getting them right, then you probably are solid in that area and can move on. If not, then back track to the lesson part of the chapter and do the the lesson and then finish the practice questions. This will prevent you from thinking you understand a question type when in fact you were just a good guesser.
I am now going to repeat what I wrote for the previous version of this book.
This is my #1 book suggestion for students who struggle with the reading section of the SAT, with some reservations. If English is your second language, and you never read for pleasure, this book won't get you a perfect reading score. Most ESL students have holes in their vocabulary, cultural knowledge, and reading abilities that get them stuck in the mid-600s for the Reading/Writing Section. No SAT study book will fix fundamental Reading and Writing Skill problems. Also if you are not good at self-studying, then you might need some hand-holding with this book because the contents are dense.
If you didn't fall into one of the previous categories, then I would suggest you buy this book. The book is broken down into an overview of the test and test taking skills and then a chapter on each of the types of Reading questions you will encounter. Each chapter takes a question type and breaks it down to the smallest details and explains how to approach the question and what constitutes a wrong answer. There are thorough explanations of both the correct and the incorrect answers and then practice questions to practice your new knowledge. In the back of the book is a break down to the first 8 College Board tests, identifying each of the reading questions type, so that students can identify the questions that give the the most trouble and review those chapters.
Just The Facts:
349 Pages
Targeted practice for the Reading section only
No full tests, just targeted practice questions
Paper Quality: Excellent. You can write and erase without worrying about tearing through
Quality of Answer Explanations: Excellent
This book is available through Amazon. Why are you still here? Go buy the book!
www.internationaltester.com
June 4, 2021
Normally, I don't leave book reviews, but I feel like I just had to for this book because of how awful it was. I got the third edition, and I learned about almost nothing. I guess there were some tricks, but it wasn't something that helped me too much, and I feel like I could do just as well without knowing them.
Also, this book is pretty overpriced for a book that only helps with one subject. I got this book for about $25 dollars I think, and I got the Black Book for about that same price (maybe like a couple dollars more), and that book has all subjects, not to mention that it is actually helpful.
This book is like very beginner as well. I feel like it might be good for like a middle schooler who wants to get a head start, but for someone who is in high school, I know what a counterargument is, and I don't need multiple pages for ideas that are pretty easy to comprehend (I guess I am exaggerating a bit here, but most of the ideas that she expresses are very beginner).
I like that this book has practice questions though, but I'm like 99% sure that the author made up those questions, and the best way to practice for the SAT is through actual SAT questions, and I feel like for the most part, her questions are not a very accurate representation of SAT questions- they are pretty similar, yes, but nothing is as accurate as the actual questions. Not to mention that most of the answer explanations for her questions are not very good.
Also, there are a good amount of typos. I'm pretty sure my book only had one, but I've heard from others that they've had multiple. I don't mind typos when you can tell what they are saying, but the typo I had made everything so confusing, and made me very frustrated. For anyone wondering- the typo was on page 293-294, and the little information provided above the passages indicated that the first passage was by Booker T. Washington while the second by W.E.B. DuBois. However, when I got to the questions for the set of passages, it implied that the first passage was by DuBois while the second was by Washington, so you can imagine my frustration when I went to answer them, and they made absolutely no sense. Again, I don't mind typos, and I get that writing a book is difficult, but how does someone completely miss over the fact that their questions (all of them actually), don't correspond with the passage. It kind of makes me think that they did not even take the time or effort to reread the book to make sure everything made sense.
Basically, this book is not completely awful, but it is very very beginner, and as someone who is aiming for a 1500+, this book was not helpful at all. I just don't think it is worth the price when there are much better books out there. Personally, I recommend the Black Book, it was very helpful for me!
Also, this book is pretty overpriced for a book that only helps with one subject. I got this book for about $25 dollars I think, and I got the Black Book for about that same price (maybe like a couple dollars more), and that book has all subjects, not to mention that it is actually helpful.
This book is like very beginner as well. I feel like it might be good for like a middle schooler who wants to get a head start, but for someone who is in high school, I know what a counterargument is, and I don't need multiple pages for ideas that are pretty easy to comprehend (I guess I am exaggerating a bit here, but most of the ideas that she expresses are very beginner).
I like that this book has practice questions though, but I'm like 99% sure that the author made up those questions, and the best way to practice for the SAT is through actual SAT questions, and I feel like for the most part, her questions are not a very accurate representation of SAT questions- they are pretty similar, yes, but nothing is as accurate as the actual questions. Not to mention that most of the answer explanations for her questions are not very good.
Also, there are a good amount of typos. I'm pretty sure my book only had one, but I've heard from others that they've had multiple. I don't mind typos when you can tell what they are saying, but the typo I had made everything so confusing, and made me very frustrated. For anyone wondering- the typo was on page 293-294, and the little information provided above the passages indicated that the first passage was by Booker T. Washington while the second by W.E.B. DuBois. However, when I got to the questions for the set of passages, it implied that the first passage was by DuBois while the second was by Washington, so you can imagine my frustration when I went to answer them, and they made absolutely no sense. Again, I don't mind typos, and I get that writing a book is difficult, but how does someone completely miss over the fact that their questions (all of them actually), don't correspond with the passage. It kind of makes me think that they did not even take the time or effort to reread the book to make sure everything made sense.
Basically, this book is not completely awful, but it is very very beginner, and as someone who is aiming for a 1500+, this book was not helpful at all. I just don't think it is worth the price when there are much better books out there. Personally, I recommend the Black Book, it was very helpful for me!
July 22, 2019
Few experiences have been more thrilling
January 20, 2019
Since I still need improvement on my reading for the SAT, I bought this book especially since this was in many of peoples recommendation. This book dives into all the parts of the reading section and gives the reader a detailed explanation on the tips and tricks to score a high score on the reading portion of the SAT. On top of that, the author gives the reader practice problems so that the reader can master all tips and tricks and use them in the real SAT.
I recommend this book to all who are still in need of improvement regarding the reading portion of the SAT.
I recommend this book to all who are still in need of improvement regarding the reading portion of the SAT.
May 20, 2017
very good
November 8, 2018
This books is so crucial for anyone taking the SAT test.
Want to read
November 5, 2019Heidhdj
December 23, 2020
I'd just do her ACT English workbook cuz it's shorter n this is mostly redundant content
April 29, 2021
DIDN'T INCREASE MY SCORE LMAOOOOO
March 16, 2023
el oh el
September 30, 2023
I've read the one for Digital Sat
pretty cool.
pretty cool.
November 2, 2016
Erica Meltzer is a critical reader. She has spent years working with the SAT (and ACT), breaking down the Reading and Writing sections and disseminating their secrets. The Critical Reader is the culmination of that work.
This is my #1 book suggestion for students who struggle with the reading section of the SAT, with some reservations. If English is your second language, and you never read for pleasure, this book won't get you a perfect reading score. Most ESL students have holes in their vocabulary, cultural knowledge, and reading abilities that get them stuck in the mid-600s for the Reading/Writing Section. No SAT study book will fix fundamental Reading and Writing Skill problems. Also if you are not good at self-studying, then you might need some hand-holding with this book because the contents are dense.
If you didn't fall into one of the previous categories, then I would suggest you buy this book. The book is broken down into and overview of the test and test taking skills and then a chapter on each of the types of Reading questions you will encounter. Each chapter takes a question type and breaks it down to the smallest details and explains how to approach the question and what constitutes a wrong answer. There are thorough explanations of both the correct and the incorrect answers and then practice questions to practice your new knowledge. In the back of the book is a break down to the first 4 College Board tests, identifying each of the reading questions type, so that students can identify the questions that give the the most trouble and review those chapters.
Just The Facts:
349 Pages
Targeted practice for the Reading section only
No full tests, just targeted practice questions
Paper Quality: Excellent. You can write and erase without worrying about tearing through
Quality of Answer Explanations: Excellent
www.internationaltester.com
This is my #1 book suggestion for students who struggle with the reading section of the SAT, with some reservations. If English is your second language, and you never read for pleasure, this book won't get you a perfect reading score. Most ESL students have holes in their vocabulary, cultural knowledge, and reading abilities that get them stuck in the mid-600s for the Reading/Writing Section. No SAT study book will fix fundamental Reading and Writing Skill problems. Also if you are not good at self-studying, then you might need some hand-holding with this book because the contents are dense.
If you didn't fall into one of the previous categories, then I would suggest you buy this book. The book is broken down into and overview of the test and test taking skills and then a chapter on each of the types of Reading questions you will encounter. Each chapter takes a question type and breaks it down to the smallest details and explains how to approach the question and what constitutes a wrong answer. There are thorough explanations of both the correct and the incorrect answers and then practice questions to practice your new knowledge. In the back of the book is a break down to the first 4 College Board tests, identifying each of the reading questions type, so that students can identify the questions that give the the most trouble and review those chapters.
Just The Facts:
349 Pages
Targeted practice for the Reading section only
No full tests, just targeted practice questions
Paper Quality: Excellent. You can write and erase without worrying about tearing through
Quality of Answer Explanations: Excellent
www.internationaltester.com
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February 20, 2018hfxkz'giciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews