Narrative Essay Sample - How to Get a Sad Ending

Narrative Essay Sample - How to Get a Sad EndingThe most important factor when writing a narrative essay sample is to ensure that it flows well. In order to create the best possible conclusion, it is important to think about the ending and the beginning of the story, as this will help ensure that the story flows in the way that is desired.Begin the ending of the story at the beginning. By doing this, you will have more control over the flow of the narrative, meaning that you will be able to determine the length of the opening and the conclusion. A good example of a beginning that ends well would be one where the main character has been injured.Effective storytelling will always start with an incident or set of events that are beginning to affect the lives of the characters. Using the introduction to offer insight into the main character's emotions is a great way to begin the narrative. This will make the reader feel that they are privy to the details of the character's life and will add a personal touch to the essay.Another good example of a beginning that ends well would be one where the main character has gone through a series of hardships and is suffering from a disease. In this case, the beginning of the narrative will revolve around how the character deals with these struggles and their eventual victory. In order to conclude the story on a happy note, it is important to give a short and sweet summary of what it was like to experience the events leading up to the end of the story.Good story telling does not have to be done solely through the use of dialogue and description. By creating an effective scene, it will help set the tone for the story and will add depth to the story being told.Not all scenes are created equal, though, and many people will have different tastes. It is important to remember that some scenes are better than others and some scenes should be avoided. One example of a scene that is not suitable for a sad ending is when a character tells of his/her torture and then attempts to solve the problem at hand.When writing a tragic story, the ending must be as perfunctory as possible, as this will show that the author does not care enough about the character to fully understand the character and their plight. It is therefore important to know the length of time that the character has been in the story before the end of the chapter.There are several other ways to achieve a successful sad ending to a narrative essay. This includes including flashbacks, using subplots, using multiple viewpoints, and even using hints and innuendos to bring about a happy ending. With a little creativity, you can ensure that the story is a success, with or without a sad ending.

The Sultans of the Ottoman Empire 1300 to 1924

Repressed Memories - 5487 Words

â€Å"Repressed memories are a figment of the imagination†. Critically discuss this statement. The concept of repression – which is the bone of contention between those who believe in the mission of recovery therapy and those who denounce it – presumes a peculiar power of the mind (Loftus and Ketchum, 1994). The current dispute regarding the existence of repression has mainly focused on whether people remember or forget trauma. Repression, however, is a multidimensional construct, which, in addition to the memory aspect, consists of pathogenic effects on adjustment and the unconscious (Rofe ´, 2008). The challenges of memory recovery have not escaped judicial attention. Courts have increasingly found repressed memory testimony to be†¦show more content†¦Psychoanalytic theory maintains that repressed memories are preserved for an indefinite period of time, and can be recovered in their original form through hypnosis and psychoanalytic therapy (McNally, 2003). This concept has been challenged, particularly around the manner in which retrieval happens. Ferracuti, Cannoni, De-Carolis, Gonella, and Lazzari (2002) argue that retrieval through hypnosis can yield confabulations (such as memories from previous lives). Gardner (2004) argues that psychodynamic therapists can place patients at risk for developing false memories. The notion of false memory has gained some clinical validation (Kaplan and Manicavasagar, 2001), increasing skepticism regarding the authenticity of recovered repressed memories. Ganaway (1989) proposed that if memories are not authentic, they could be due t o fantasy, illusion, or hallucination-mediated screen memories, internally derived as a defense mechanism. Furthermore, memories combine a mixture of borrowed ideas, characters, myths, and accounts from exogenous sources with idiosyncratic internal beliefs. These inauthentic memories could be externally derived as a result of unintentional implantation of suggestion by a therapist. Advocates of repression used clinical cases indicating that child abuse victims may become amnesic of their trauma and that therapeutic interventions may generate a genuine recollection of their repressed trauma (Brenneis, 2000; Cheit, 1998; Kluft,Show MoreRelatedElizabeth Loftus and Repressed Memories2121 Words   |  9 PagesElizabeth F. Loftus: The Reality of Repressed Memories Alyssa Ellis Killebrew 11/9/2010 Elizabeth Loftus Brief Biography Childhood amp; Personal Recollections Elizabeth (fondly known as Beth) Fishman Loftus parents met and married while stationed at Fort Ord, during World War II. Sidney Fishman, Elizabeth’s father, was an Army doctor and her mother, Rebecca was an army base librarian. Beth was the oldest of three children. In 1944, Elizabeth Fishman was born and then her twoRead MoreRepressed Memories Essay3891 Words   |  16 PagesRepressed Memories Abstract In recent years there has been a hot debate between repressed vs. false memories. Neurobiological studies show that both suppression and recall and the creation of false memories are possible. This paper evaluates the evidence but forth by both sides of the controversy and concludes that both are feasible and separate phenomenon, which occur at significant rates in our society. Further biological research on the effect of psychological trauma on the neurochemistryRead MoreRepressed Memories : Truth Or Fiction1129 Words   |  5 Pages Repressed Memories: Truth or Fiction Talia E. Shuman The University of Tampa â€Æ' Repressed Memories: Truth or Fiction When people think of memory repression, people think of child sexual abuse scandals, parental abuse, traumatic injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Memory repression is thought by some to be a defense mechanism of the brain in the event of extreme distress. The memory of the event is pushed back into the corners of the unconscious, and is only recovered after a longRead MoreRepressed Memories And Other Memories Essay1374 Words   |  6 PagesFrom what I remember that night it had been like any other. Repressed memories and such. I had been mom’s helper in the kitchen and dad’s little grease monkey in the garage. It was nice being the happy family, everyone would imagine us to be. Mom and dad were paid well and known around town for being the kind hearted Argo’s with the perfect life. No one would have had a second thought about anyone wanting us dead for any sort of reason. I was 5 when all hell had broken loose in my house and my lifeRead MoreThe Dem on Lover By Elizabeth Bowen894 Words   |  4 Pagesone woman s introspective psychological journey to face suppressed memories of her past. Externally, Mrs. Drover is described as a â€Å"prosaic† woman whose normal expression was that of â€Å"controlled worry, but of assent† . She seems like a typical ordinary middle-aged woman who is the mother of multiple children, married and is currently living in the country. Internally, Mrs. Drover was a woman suffering and scarred by a repressed emotional trauma. Mrs. Drover’s journey into her old house representsRead MoreThe First Golden Age Of Television1278 Words   |  6 Pagesemotional advances from anyone. Later during the show, Bezzerides goes undercover at a sex party to find evidence towards who killed the corrupt city official. During the process of being groomed to enter, she is forced to ingest MDMA. A repressed childhood memory surfaces during advances by an older male. It is a bearded face of a man, wh o stayed at her father’s spiritual retreat when she was a child. This man called her pretty and lured in into his VW van to proceed to sexually abused her for twoRead MoreEssay on Character Analysis: Stew1979 Words   |  8 Pagesdislike. â€Å"Tiny, Smiling Daddy† is told in the third person limited point of view through the father, Stew. This point of view is vital to our understanding of events, in that the progression of the story evolves only through Stew’s recollection of memories giving a very limited perspective. Using this style of writing puts a lens, so to speak, on how the reader is going to read the story, there are no outside details from other characters that Gaitskill gives us to help us understand, it is only throughRead MoreThe Accuracy And Validity Of Autobiographical Memory Among Individuals Who Have Experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse ( Csa )1478 Words   |  6 PagesThe accuracy and validity of autobiographical memory among individuals who have experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been questioned since these experiences are highly emotional and traumatic. Some individuals may believe that recovered memories through the use of therapy or spontaneously may be recalled in an e ffort to gain money in a court case or seek revenge against an individual. In order to examine whether this statement of a disbelief in the accounts of individual’s experience withRead MoreCognitive Psychology False Memory Essay2269 Words   |  10 PagesRunning head: False Memory Theoretical and Applied/Practical Perspective of False Memory The human memory is subject to a multitude of errors, including source misattributions, distortion and creation of false memories. In order to do justice to this paper one must first determine what is â€Å"False memory†? False memory is memory for an event that did not occur or distorted memory of actual events (Gleaves, Smith, Butler, Spiegel, 2004). This type of memory has been an area ofRead MoreEssay on Decay Theory in STM and Theory of Duration in STM820 Words   |  4 Pagesstate as when they first learnt the information. Godwin (1969) investigated the effect of alcohol on recall and found individuals were better able to recall information learnt when drunk if they were drunk. Other drugs seem to affect memory similarly. Bower (1981) however found that the same principle applied to mood did not have such a convincing effect but only a tendency to produce State-Dependent Retrieval.SPANSTYLE=COLOR:RED 3. Thirdly, recall may be by the

New Learning And Clinical Reasoning Cycle †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the New Learning And Clinical Reasoning Cycle. Answer: While reflecting on the process and new learning from the clinical reasoning cycle by Levett-Jones et al. (2010), there were many emotional and intellectual responses throughout. The case scenario made me realize that I need to consider my learning needs on the needle phobia and develop my communication skills so that patients overcome their phobia. The incident took place when I was placed in the mental health ward and was asked to take blood from a patient named John who is anxious in nature. As I approached for the bedside consent and prepared myself for the procedure, he declared that he was needle phobic. I said him that I am experienced at taking blood and might explain the whole procedure, however, he was not convinced and at the last minute, he ripped his arm away as the needle touched his skin. The positive approach during the whole incident was that I stayed calm and composed. John apologized, insisted me to try again. I was in peace and tried a new technique by making him listened to music. However, the technique did not work and as there was urgency for the test, I contacted the doctor and assured John that if he needs anything, the doctor would be around. Finally, keeping the urgency in mind, I informed in-charge nurse that I was unable to get the sample by trying reasonable techniques. After the incident, I realized that I failed to make connection with John as I lacked communication skills and unable to obtain the blood sample. It did not work well as I lacked techniques that helped to overcome needle phobia and so need to look for best practices and techniques. I was feeling distressed and disappointed. I also need to enhance my professional communication skills so that I act in a better way and do differently when I encounter such situation in the future. In mental health, effective communication is an essential skill as identified byNursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) required by mental health nurses. It is important that the nurses should build rapport and develop therapeutic relationships, as it is not instinct for everyone. It is important to exercise and encourage reflection that help to develop communication skills while practicing reflection-in action (Ellis 2016). If I were able to establish rapport with John through interpersonal communication skills, he would have agreed for the blood test. While gaining insight from the incident, I realized that I should have communicated with my colleagues regarding the techniques and that might have helped me in obtaining the blood sample. Interpersonal communication is required that help to improve patient satisfaction levels and their adherence to the diagnosis and treatment. After the incident, I communicated with my peers as it can help me promote learning. When I consulte d with my peers regarding the incident, I realized that I have to acquire new skills as well as construct understanding on how to talk and collaborate in learning bets practices on needle phobia. If I would have consulted my peers, I would have been able to solve and handle the situation in a better way by building on their knowledge, asking questions and get suggesting ideas that would have helped me in convincing John for obtaining the blood sample. The social interactions with the colleagues have a positive motivation effect where I gained an insight that I have to enhance my communication skills with the patients so that they overcome their fear and anxiety. After this, I looked for the best practice techniques in the literature and the communication skills that can help patients to overcome needle phobia in the future. The most effective technique for overcoming needle phobia is systematic desensitization and behavioural exposure. According to Iglesias and Iglesias (2013) for the treatment of phobias and anxiety, systemic desensitization is used where the phobic individuals are exposed to situations and through repetition and practice, the anxiety provoking power is gradually lost. For the behavioural exposure method, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be used for injection phobia treatment. The management of negative thoughts that lead to anxious situations can be dealt using this intervention (Hofmann et al. 2012). As John mentioned that, the site of blood and withdrawing technique makes him anxious and sick, the anxiety management strategy would have been useful instead of convincing him verbally. The breathing exercises like relaxation technique would have helped him alleviating the anxiety symptoms (Leichsenring et al. 2013). With this technique, the patient overcome fear and phobia by ge tting engaged in relaxation exercise and gradually getting exposed to anxiety-producing stimulus (needle). Creation of trusting dialogue through effective communication with the patient helps to reduce anxiety. It enhances patients self-efficacy and ability to overcome fear and be soothing in the present moment. An important step is to ask the patients about their concerns and feelings regarding needle phobia. Empathetic communication is important to be sensitive and understand the feelings of the patients (Tregoning, 2015). Interpersonal communication skills are important in mental health for developing the capacity to transform and enrichment of patient experiences. Good communication skills help to overcome resistance by providing an appropriate environment and establishing a therapeutic relationship with the patient. According to Peplaus interpersonal theory, empowerment is important for the individuals that provide confidence and strength to overcome their fears (Deane and Fain 2016). At times, anxiety impairs the communication process and therefore, as a nurse, one should attempt to alleviate the anxiety symptoms that help in overcoming the barrier to effective communication. In the case scenario, I should have not given any false assurance to the patient saying that I am experienced in drawing blood and the patient is safe. This acted as a conversation stopper that led to the anxiety and unwillingness of John in sharing his concerns, thoughts and fears to me. I need to develop my active listening skills to understand the underlying feelings and fear of the patient regarding the needle phobia (Cunico et al. 2012). It also helps to gain trust and interpersonal communication can be established. Therefore, while reflecting on the incident, I ensure to consider these learning needs while helping needle phobic patients in the near future. References Cunico, L., Sartori, R., Marognolli, O. and Meneghini, A.M., 2012. Developing empathy innursing students: a cohort longitudinal study.Journal of clinical nursing,21(13-14), pp.2016-2025. Deane, W.H. and Fain, J.A., 2016. Incorporating Peplaus Theory of Interpersonal Relations to Promote Holistic Communication Between Older Adults and Nursing Students.Journal of Holistic Nursing,34(1), pp.35-41. Ellis, P., 2016.Evidence-based practice in nursing. Learning Matters. Hofmann, S.G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I.J., Sawyer, A.T. and Fang, A., 2012. The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses.Cognitive therapy and research,36(5), pp.427-440. Iglesias, A. and Iglesias, A., 2013. I-95 Phobia treated with hypnotic systematic desensitization: A case report.American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis,56(2), pp.143-151. Leichsenring, F., Salzer, S., Beutel, M.E., Herpertz, S., Hiller, W., Hoyer, J., Huesing, J., Joraschky, P., Nolting, B., Poehlmann, K. and Ritter, V., 2013. Psychodynamic therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy in social anxiety disorder: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.American Journal of Psychiatry,170(7), pp.759-767. Levett-Jones, T., Sundin, D., Bagnall, M., Hague, K., Schumann, W., Taylor, C. and Wink, J., 2010. Learning to think like a nurse.HNE Handover: For Nurses and Midwives,3(1). Tregoning, C., 2015. Communication skills and enhancing clinical practice through reflective learning: a case study.British Journal of Healthcare Assistants,9(2).

The British and US State

During the interwar period, the traditional concept of propaganda was changed with the idea of the national projection as an approach representing the state in the international arena in the context of public diplomacy. The lessons of World War I made nations revise their way of looking at cultural propaganda and the role of the national and international image of the state to influence its position in the world.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The British and US State-Funded National Projection specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this context, it is essential to compare and contrast the approaches of Britain and the United States toward developing their state-funded cultural propaganda or national projection. In spite of the fact that both Britain and the United States revised the approach to propaganda during the interwar period, these countries followed different strategies related to the national projection, and Britain focused more on democratic tools when the United States paid attention to a particular type of isolationism and internal communications. After World War I, the British authorities concentrated on the idea that the political propaganda had negative consequences, as this practice was rather manipulative in its nature. This opinion was developed during almost two decades. However, in this period, Britain admitted the necessity of creating an international image while allowing foreign nations to know the truth about Britain. Thus, the national projection as a way to make other countries learn about the nation and its cultural background was rather democratic in its nature because the British authorities rejected the need for using aggressive and manipulative techniques. From this point, the image of Britain should have been based on truth and facts broadcasted with the help of the BBC as the main channel of information. The use of democratic tools for the state-funded projec tion meant that the authorities did not use unreasonable or unfair approaches to creating the image of the state during the interwar period.  Focuses on the accurate content of the news and on broadcasting, as well as the slight shift in the public policy in contrast to the secret policy, were typical for the early stage of the interwar period. That was the period of using such democratic tools as the English language teaching and the active cultural propaganda. The goal of the British authorities was to demonstrate advantages of the democratic institutions and principles developing in the state. However, in 1938, the international understanding of Britain was not enough to state the world position and to unite the forces of allies against the developing fascism and its principles. Thus, politicians and diplomats saw that the used democratic measures typical for Britain in the field of public diplomacy and foreign policy were rather ineffective, and they needed to be strengthened with the focus on promotion of activities of such agencies as the Tourist Association and the British Council. The Tourist Association was one of the essential organizations to promote propaganda as the element of the national projection.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The British Council was used as the useful tool for addressing the problem of fascism in Europe and for developing the cultural propaganda appropriate for the democratic course of the British authorities.  The way made by the United States to the development of the pattern of national projection was rather different from the way chosen by the British authorities. The US leaders had the experience of following a rather aggressive policy of propaganda during World War I, but this pattern was changed during the interwar period. The focus was on more slight measures in order to promote cultural values with the help of such mass-produced goods as broadcasting channels and films. This strategy was selected as an alternative to the previous aggressive scenario followed by the Committee on Public Information in the country. The United States also began to focus on expanding channels for internal communications while following the strategy of isolationism rather than concentrating on the national projection overseas. As a result, the scenario of using traditional aggressive ways of propaganda in the international arena was changed with the policy of the cultural propaganda that was oriented to creating particular opinions in Americans, rather than about Americans in other nations. The emphasis was made on strengthening the American’s opinion regarding their power and values. Still, the patterns of the aggressive and rather hostile propaganda remained influential for the development of the US new approach to the national projection. In order to support the image of the United States, it was necessary to focus more on improving the information policy and on expanding the private agencies for cultural propaganda. As a result, only the most effective instruments of propaganda were selected for the cultural projection. It is possible to state that the methods used in the United States regarding the propaganda differed significantly from tools used by the British authorities. The reason is states’ orientations. When Britain was discussed as oriented to the national projection and to the creation of the country’s positive image, the United States paid attention to strengthening the internal propaganda while ignoring the oversea propaganda. On the one hand, both Britain and the United States aimed to respond to the threat of fascism with the help of cultural and political propaganda tools. On the other hand, the followed approaches were different, and they reflected the currents moods of politicians in terms of development of public diplomacy principles. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The British and US State-Funded National Projection specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although the courses of Britain and the United States towards the national projection were different, both states understood the critical role of the media for the effective propaganda. Broadcasting was used as one of the critical tools to inform and persuade the public according to the needs of the concrete nation’s information policy. During the period of 1935-1938, the media of both Britain and the United States began to present the more aggressive propaganda as the part of the national policies on projection and response to the threats of fascism and totalitarianism. This period was the time when nations began to refer to rearmament ideas and to the extensive black propaganda in spite of patterns and strategies followed previously. It is important to note that the national projection p layed the critical role in developing the images of countries in the international arena during the interwar period. However, such states as Britain and the United States followed two different courses while developing their principles of public policy. If Britain aimed to proclaim the democratic patterns and rules with the focus on the active cultural propaganda, the United States discussed the elements of the political propaganda and internal communications as more effective means. Moreover, the United States realized the principles of the national projection in a less direct way, while ignoring formal propaganda, but proposing mass products as the elements of cultural propaganda widely. This essay on The British and US State-Funded National Projection was written and submitted by user Mia Sharp to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Collective Security

Should the Concert of Europe be viewed as an example of collective security? The Napoleonic Wars, lasting from 1789 until 1815, were unlike any previously fought on continental Europe. For the first time, it was fought between nations and not just the ruling elites of each state . In addition, the terrible toll in lives lost and damage done was of a previously unthinkable scale. When, therefore, Napoleon was defeated and France was restored to its original (pre-Revolutionary) frontiers, the Great Powers of Europe sought to create a system between them that would ensure a lasting peace. This system came to be known as the Concert of Europe, and acted to sustain a viable peace from 1815 until the Crimean War in 1848. This essay discusses whether this system acted in a way consistent with the theory of Collective Security. This essay will begin by discussing the theoretical framework of Collective Security, its key principles and objectives. Following this, a look at the structure of the Concert of Europe will show its theoretical incompatibility with Collec tive Security doctrine. The two systems show two clearly different approaches to power among states, and the principles of Collective Security are not the same as those of the concert. Thirdly, it will be shown how the Concert acted in practice, not in line with collective security, but with balance-of-power, the system that theorists of Collective Security attempt to replace. Nevertheless, the following section of this essay will show how some of the key participants in the Concert of Europe, particularly Metternich of Austria, did sometimes act with collective security, rather than balance of power, in mind, and that many of the Concerts techniques seem at odds with traditional balance of power logic. Thus, the theory of ‘Concert collective security’, put forward to explain this discrepancy, will be explained and examined. This will lead to the conclusion that, while t... Free Essays on Collective Security Free Essays on Collective Security Should the Concert of Europe be viewed as an example of collective security? The Napoleonic Wars, lasting from 1789 until 1815, were unlike any previously fought on continental Europe. For the first time, it was fought between nations and not just the ruling elites of each state . In addition, the terrible toll in lives lost and damage done was of a previously unthinkable scale. When, therefore, Napoleon was defeated and France was restored to its original (pre-Revolutionary) frontiers, the Great Powers of Europe sought to create a system between them that would ensure a lasting peace. This system came to be known as the Concert of Europe, and acted to sustain a viable peace from 1815 until the Crimean War in 1848. This essay discusses whether this system acted in a way consistent with the theory of Collective Security. This essay will begin by discussing the theoretical framework of Collective Security, its key principles and objectives. Following this, a look at the structure of the Concert of Europe will show its theoretical incompatibility with Collec tive Security doctrine. The two systems show two clearly different approaches to power among states, and the principles of Collective Security are not the same as those of the concert. Thirdly, it will be shown how the Concert acted in practice, not in line with collective security, but with balance-of-power, the system that theorists of Collective Security attempt to replace. Nevertheless, the following section of this essay will show how some of the key participants in the Concert of Europe, particularly Metternich of Austria, did sometimes act with collective security, rather than balance of power, in mind, and that many of the Concerts techniques seem at odds with traditional balance of power logic. Thus, the theory of ‘Concert collective security’, put forward to explain this discrepancy, will be explained and examined. This will lead to the conclusion that, while t...

Book Review The Official SAT Study Guide, 2020 Edition

Book Review The Official SAT Study Guide, 2020 Edition SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The College Board recently published a new versionof The Official SAT Study Guide (2020 edition). What’s the book like? Is it helpful? In this review, I’ll break down the strengths and weaknesses of this newest edition of the official guide, discuss how students feel about it, and tell you whether it’s ultimately worth buying. Should You Buy theOfficial SAT Study Guide? While the Blue Book (as it was called by students)used to be the must-have source for SAT prep, The Official SAT Study Guide,2020 Edition, is mostly not worth purchasing. The book in its entirety - including its eight practice tests - is available for free online, so don't waste your money buying the book. Why did the College Board release this edition for free?It’s part of the College Board's attempts to make the SAT more accessible and to reduce SAT inequality based on socioeconomic background.This is a wonderful move by the College Board, but it now means buying the book is a complete waste of money. If you have the time, is it worth reading The Official SAT Study Guide, 2020 Edition, free online?Yes and no.The eight practice tests from the book (which are all available online for free)are absolutely crucial to your SAT prep. However, the book doesn’t provide you with details of how to score your practice test; you have to go online to do that, rendering the book useless. If you can’t even score your tests using the book, why buy it? Also, the educational material other than the practice tests doesn’t give much helpful test insight or strategy.The educational material just provides surface-level details about the test.It doesn’t teach you the content needed for the SAT.There are far better, more in-depth SAT study guides out there including the free ones that we’ve written: check out our Reading, Math, and Writing study guides. The educational material also mostly just tells you to go learn more on the Khan Academy SAT prep site, which is free for anyone to access, regardless of whether you purchased the book. Strengths The strengths of the books are very limited: Eight College Board practice tests are pre-printed for you, so you don't need to spend money printing them yourself (including two, Practice Tests 9 and 10, that are not yet available on collegeboard.org) You can recycle the book (AKAuse it for kindling in your bonfire or use it for a paper machà © project). Weaknesses Unfortunately, there are many: The entire book is available for free online (including two extra practice tests not included in the book!) The book doesn’t provide you with scoring information for your practice tests; you have to go online to get the information. The book only provides surface-level descriptions of each section and doesn’t offer instructional material, so you can’t actually learn skills and content from the book. There are no content lessons, so if you’re, say, struggling with geometry questions, you won’t get any assistance from this book; you’d need to seek additional help. Just taking SAT practice tests without a method of learning from your mistakes will not help you improve. The book sadly offers no guidance on how to learn from your mistakes or how to study content. How Students Feel About theOfficial SAT Study Guide 2020 If you don’t believe me, check out how other people feel about it.On Amazon, the book is currently rated 4.3 out of 5 stars, with 69% percent of raters giving it 4 or 5 stars (remember, it's still full of official practice problems!). That said, the 2016 edition of the book (which contained fewer practice tests and was also available for free online) has several hundred more reviewers. Of these reviewers, 82 percent gave it 4 or 5 stars, and 7 percent gave it 1 star: The 1-star reviewers of both editions of the official guide generally agreed with my feeling that the book was a waste of money, noting that everything in the book is available online for free. The 5-star reviewers, on the other hand, generally felt that although the material is available for free online, the book was worth the money since it’s a hassle to print out the practice tests. HowYou Should Use the Official SAT Guide I recommend that no students buy the book, but all students should be using the free practice tests available online. I don’t think any student needs to read the additional information included in this guide.The information is superficial yet difficult to parse: it discusses the types of question and content covered without giving many, if any, examples.We’ve created better free guides forReading, Math, and Writing. If you’re a worrywart (like me) and are stressed that you don’t know everything you can about the test, then go ahead and read the extra material for free online.You should be able to read all of it fairly quickly.As I said, it’s pretty sparse and superficial. However,reading this book alone will not prepare you for SAT success.You need to review your SAT practice tests to learn from your mistakes.You should also do in-depth content review of subjects you don’t know well or might've forgotten, such as systems of equations or semicolons. You still need to study! What SAT Prep Material Should You Use? Now that you know not to buy this book and to print the free practice tests from the College Board website, what other resources should you use to help you prep for the SAT? First, I recommend our free SAT study guides forReading, Math, and Writing. As I mentioned before, these guides are all available here on our blog at no cost to you. If you find yourself still struggling to improve after taking a few practice tests and using our free guides,consider using a highly rated SAT prep book, hiring a tutor, or enrolling in an online program. Whatever option you choose, make sure the program is specialized to you.You want a program that will identify your strengths and weaknesses so you can improve your weak areas as well as your SAT score. What’s Next? Studying for the new SAT? Check out our complete guide to test changes and our ultimate SAT study guide. Looking for extra help? Check out our guide to the best SAT prep books. Trying to decide whether to hire a tutor or do an online prep course? We can help. Getting ready to apply to college? Unsure of where you want to go? Check out our guide to finding your target school and how to find out what your target SAT score should be. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: