Recommended Books & Materials

At McElroy Tutoring, we understand that every student learns differently, and that every tutor has his/her own unique teaching style.  We also recognize that there are many excellent test-prep materials already on the market.  For this reason, we have chosen not to handcuff our tutors by forcing them to use incomplete/inferior proprietary tutoring materials, or requiring them to follow a "one size fits all" test-prep curriculum. 

Like most other tutoring companies, we provide our tutors with training, advice and proprietary (self-created) materials.  But we also think it's foolish for any tutoring company to pretend that its proprietary materials are the only ones worth using.   And while we readily acknowledge that using realistic and well-written test-prep materials is an essential part of the tutoring process (we always keep our tutors and students up-to-date with the very best test prep and tutoring materials on the market), we also believe that it is the experience, ability, and dedication level of one's tutor that matters most when ensuring student success. 

The problem these days is that most mainstream test-prep companies have turned into nothing more than glorified booksellers.   All these companies so are caught up in trying to quickly write and market their own preparation materials that they end up making careless errors in the books themselves, and overlooking valuable sources of third-party information. 

Instead of spending countless hours trying to "reinvent the wheel" by writing yet another test-prep manual, most tutoring companies would be better off using a variety of quality materials from reliable sources.   Think about it: would you write your senior thesis after consulting only one source?  There is no one "right way" to teach a test, and tutors who say or think otherwise are doing a disservice to their students.    As the Google and Wikipedia movements have proven, the knowledge of everyone is almost always superior to the knowledge of one.  

For example, did you know that most SAT and ACT tutoring companies don't even use official tests in the preparation process?  Princeton, Kaplan, and Ivy West, for example, write their own "imitation" tests that they distribute to their students instead of real tests, despite the fact that official tests are readily available for purchase from the College Board and ACT Inc.  While in some cases it is necessary to use these "imitation" tests (when preparing for the ISEE or GRE, for example, because the official materials are insufficient), official tests should be used whenever possible because they provide a more realistic test-prep experience. 

Below you will find links to a series of books, videos and other types of test-prep materials that are highly recommended by Brian McElroy and the McElroy Tutoring staff.  These materials come from all different sources, even our direct competitors.  Unlike our competitors, however, we always give credit where credit is due! 

When possible, we have provided hyperlinks so that you may view or purchase these materials online. 

SAT Prep Books

ACT Prep Books

ISEE Prep Books

1)  What to Expect on the ISEE, by the Educational Records Bureau.  This is the only ISEE manual that is offered by the maker of the test.  It includes practice questions, answer explanations and half-length practice tests for students taking the Middle and Upper-Level ISEE (grades 7 through 12).  Much like the Real ACT Prep Guide, this book is a helpful resource, but it does not contain enough practice material for a full preparation.

For test dates, preparation tips and ISEE registration information, you can visit the ERB website at www.erbtest.org.

Coming Soon - Book Recommendations for:

LSAT & MCAT

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