Consolidated book suggestions for AP - Page 29

a_coolname · 02-25-2008, 05:19 PM

Could I get suggestions for the following books?

APUSH (Already have AMSCO and REA, so I think i'm good in here)

AP Physics (Only have the 2007 PR Book)

AP English Language (I've been recommended Cliffs by my teacher)

soap · 03-02-2008, 06:47 PM

I have AMSCO and Cliffs for US and English, respectively, and AMSCO is definitely the best book available and Cliffs I did extensive research on before buying and it looks good.

spiraljetty · 03-03-2008, 09:53 AM

Our class is using Amsco for AP US History and REA for AP Art History. Both books are great!

ColumbiaLover · 03-03-2008, 08:58 PM

which book is better for AP Stat?
PR or Barron's
cuz im confused...
in the recommended list both book r listed
but then
on the other list wat NOT to use
Barron's is listed

i already have Barron's

so.... should i just forget it and get PR instead?

SENI08 · 03-03-2008, 11:33 PM

I have used only Barron's for the APs I took and those I plan on taking. I found them well organized and helpful, though the plethora of practice exams was definitely the most useful part. So...though everyone here has been saying PR for AP Chem, I used Barron's and it was great.
The books I bought:
Chemistry...very good...I would definitely recommend it.
US History...didn't use as much, but it did help me organize my thoughts and get the chronology straight.
Spanish V: This did help, but what worked better (and was a lot cheaper) was to buy a book that I knew REALLY well in English (Ender's Game) and read the translation. It really gives you a feel for sentence structure and vocabulary...and reading it out loud helps listening and speaking.

I didn't buy Calc because I wasn't sure studying would help in math. English is definitely unstudyable.

This year I got Biology, Gov't, Calc BC/AB, and am trying to find a Comp Sci one.

Anyways, Barron's has worked well for me! (well, last year anyways...) Btw, I received 5's on all 5 last year, and in some cases it was NOT the teacher's doing. In case that info helps.

mc1600 · 03-13-2008, 09:34 PM

any feedback on princeton review for lang/comp, biology, and us history? are the tests realistic?

im think about buying cliffs for lang/comp and bio if PR isnt sufficient
(i already have amsco for us history and its awesome)

rade88 · 03-15-2008, 02:41 PM

any opinion on 5 Steps to a 5 for Bio

jinxmanduh · 03-17-2008, 03:50 PM

I haven't read through all 29 pages of this thread, so I'm not sure if something along these lines has been mentioned before, but I think the difference in purposes should be noted in the various textbooks. A lot of you have mentioned books that are helpful for self-studying for an AP, but I haven't seen as much on which ones are the most helpful if you feel relatively confident in the class, and want the most useful info per page, or such.

That said, what do you all think are the relative strengths and weaknesses of various Stat, Psych, US History, US Gov't, English Lit, English Lang, Calc AB and World History books? I'm looking for more thoroughness in stat, but more simple review for US history and gov't. I'm still deciding whether I'm taking the exam for World History, having taken the class last year w/o a sufficient score to earn credit at the school I'll be attending, and whether I'm looking for more review or thoroughness.

Thanks in advance and sorry for potentially redundant posting.

mumbo124 · 03-22-2008, 08:32 PM

After going through all 29 pages, I've come to the conclusion that this is the best list of books to get:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/lis...Fencoding=UTF8

Michiyo · 03-25-2008, 09:03 PM

I felt that I should mention that anyone that decides to self-study AP Chemistry without taking a class should most definitely pick up both the Barron's prep book and the Princeton Review prep book. Read the Barron's thoroughly to get a good understanding of the concepts while taking all the section tests. Then use the Princeton Review to review those concepts. Take many practice tests, and then use the PR to review once more before the test. That's my strategy anyway. Buy both books.

pdoshi88 · 03-26-2008, 06:09 PM

Is it ok if my AP Psych book is a few years old (2004)? Has the info changed at all?

chickenboi8008 · 03-29-2008, 11:30 PM

my friend is taking ap spanish lit. any suggestions for books plz?

bitCCh · 05-08-2008, 07:06 PM

I noticed that they've shortened the newest edition of the cliffs ap bio by about 70 pages. Why did they take out so much? It still the best and what other alternatives do I have?

skze · 05-08-2008, 07:45 PM

I am currently using the 5 steps to a 5 AP Lang book and the Barron's Phys B book to review material just prior to the test. These seem to be good choices overall but I was wondering if these books come short in any areas that you might know about? Is there anything I should emphasize while using these books as they do not cover the said topic well?

rra0917 · Today, 04:02 AM

i usually go crazy buying all types of review books.

ap bio - i have cliffs, sparknotes ap bio power pack, and the sparknotes ap bio book. cliffs is the best for material, while the sparknotes book is good for practice tests.

ap us - i have cliffs, REA, 5 steps to a 5, sparknotes ap ush power pack, and sparknotes ap ush book. REA is the best for extensive material review. cliffs is absolutely horrible in terms of providing information - it's good to look up what you should know though. 5 steps to a 5 is the best, in my opinion, for material review. and the power pack and sparknotes books are once again good for practice tests.

good luck to everyone!