Includes index.

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 Debbie's attempt to help her high-school-age son, Ethan. 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. The result is both a toolbox of fresh tips and an amusing snapshot of parental love and wisdom colliding with teenage apathy.