Tools for this page
My SAT Coach
(2008, Video Games - Educational, Rated E, Play it on: Nintendo DS)
-
Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 14. -
Is it any good?
-
Common Sense says
An enjoyable addition to an SAT course or tutor.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 14 and Up
The good stuff
-
Educational value:
What to watch out for
-
Violence:
-
Sex:
-
Language:
-
Consumerism:
-
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of My SAT Coach was written by Harold Goldberg
Parents need to know that this is a study aid for taking the SAT test. The game is not meant as a replacement for a tutor or more extensive book, but may provide some teens with a fun way to do SAT review.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about how the game adds to the general SAT knowledge you get from a course or a book. After doing the drills, where are your strengths and weaknesses? Do any of the questions make you want to do more research into the topic? Which ones? What do you think of the two sample exams that are included?
More on My SAT Coach
What’s the Story?
Ever since Nintendo had success with its popular Brain Games series, game makers have been experimenting with games to make them educational as well as fun. In MY SAT COACH, Ubisoft partners with SAT prep giants The Princeton Review to bring you a series of timed mini quizzes covering arithmetic, math, algebra, geometry, reading, and vocabulary.
So, is the learning fun? Generally, it is. To the strains of jazzy ambient music, pastel backgrounds, and down-to-earth language, the game gets down to business quickly. You'll use the touchscreen and the stylus a lot in the game. In fact, you'll feel as though you're taking a test when the stylus acts as a pencil on the touchscreen, and you blot out a small circle to add an answer. If you change your mind about an answer, you can also erase your answer.
CloseIs It Any Good?
But the game sometimes acts too much like a chiding tutor. If you try to go directly to the math section, you'll be told "Cheating includes moving forward to new sections or backwards to completed sections." Obviously, the game wants to get you used to the test itself (the timed nature of quizzes proves this as well). Being firm and being colloquial are not opposing qualities in a teacher, even a virtual one. But to mention this in the first half hour of the game is a bit heavy-handed.
Still, there's a lot here that's impressive. To do well on the SAT, you do indeed have to get used to the timed nature of the quizzes. And it's better to get used to it here than during the SAT exam itself. If you get a question wrong, the game explains to you the correct response. You even get two complete practice exams to work on once you've done many of the mini quizzes. While the game could use some fun graphics to enhance the everyday language that's presented as text, it feels like a worthy, generally comprehensive addition to your SAT book, course, or tutor.
ClosePublisher’s Details
Released on 09/23/2008, price $29.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: E (for Mild Language)
ESRB rating: E (for Mild Language)
Our Members Say
Give Recommendations, Get Them, Too!
Become a member and get recommendations from other parents based on your child's age.Tell us your child's age:
Already a member? Log inFor Your Family
Get age-based recommendations for your kids:
Customize based on your child's age
