APUSH SHOWDOWN - Which prep book did the best?

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
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<p>There is a general CC consensus that Amsco and Crash Course are the two best APUSH prep books. However, other prep books also have supporters. The 2009 APUSH exam included 6 multiple-choice questions devoted to literary movements and works of literature. The six topics were: Transcendentalism, Century of Dishonor, The Jungle, The Grapes of Wrath, Harlem Renaissance, and Michael Harrington’s The Other America. So how did the major APUSH prep books perform on these six topics? Here are the results:</p>

<ol>
<li>Amsco - 6 for 6. Excellent discussion on all six topics.</li>
<li>Crash Course - 6 for 6. Crash Course has an excellent chapter that discusses 31 key literary trends and works of literature.</li>
<li>Kaplan - 5 of 6. Kaplan has acceptable discussions on all of the topics except The Grapes of Wrath.</li>
<li>PR - 4 of 6. PR has acceptable discussions on four of the six topics. PR does not discuss The Grapes of Wrath or The Other America.</li>
<li>Five Steps - 4 of 6. Five Steps has an acceptable discussion on four of the six topics. Five Steps does not discuss Transcendentalism or Century of Dishonor.</li>
<li>REA - 3 of 6. REA has good to acceptable discussions of three of the six topics. REA does not discuss Century of Dishonor, The Other America, or the Harlem Renaissance. REA does note that Harlem was the center of cultural activity but does not use the term Harlem Renaissance.</li>
<li>Barrons - 3 of 6. Barrons does mention three of the six terms. Barrons does not discuss Century of Dishonor, Harlem Renaissance, or The Other America. Does anyone else find Barron’s confusing and poorly organized?</li>
<li>Cliffs - 1 of 6. Cliffs has Transcendentalism in its glossary and omits the other five topics. Does anyone else find Cliffs a poorly organized book with very weak content?</li>
</ol>

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<p>Amsco and REA are generally considered the leading books in APUSH.</p>

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<p>AMSCO FTW!!
I’m glad I got the book</p>

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<p>^This really does support my belief that Amsco and Crash Course make for a super combination. Amsco is particularly good for long-range studying. Crash Course provides a very efficient review as the test date gets closer. No doubt about it, Amsco + Crash Course = 5.</p>

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<p>AMSCO.</p>

<p>I haven’t taken the exam yet but reading the American Pageant and then AMSCO to sum it up. Amazing results.</p>

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<p>^I totally agree. Last year I read American Pageant and then read Amsco. I used Crash Course to review key points. Crash Course has excellent thematic chapters on African American history, women’s history, and a really great glossary of terms that showed up on the exam. BTW - great job DK and yes, I looked at Barrons and found it very confusing. Oh, I made a 5!</p>

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<p>Do you think I can get a 5 with Amsco alone or should I buy Crash Course?</p>

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<p>^same thing , can I get a 5 with just AMSCO considering that I read up to 4 times every chapter in the American Pageant when
it comes to tests</p>

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<p>Something I’m concerned about when it comes to prep books and even teachers in general is whether if they teach you how to write a proper DBQ or not. </p>

<p>Is there a prep book that can teach that better than AMSCO? Because honestly, my teacher doesn’t teach us how to write DBQs and she tells us that only “Shakespeare” or “Rousseau” can get 7, 8, and 9s. Ridiculous.</p>

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<p>Lol^… My teacher is the same</p>

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<p>my apush teacher, who is actually an essay grader for the ap, suggested the REA book. i decided to get the 5 steps because it helped me get a 5 on world history…plus apush is extremely easy to me and i really don’t need that much comprehensive review</p>

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<p>I believe you should also buy Crash Course. It is only $8.50 at Amazon. For DBQs and Free-Response questions the best source is AP Central. You will find every DBQ and Free-Response question from 1999 to the present. They have sample graded examples for each question.</p>

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<p>Here is the AP Central link:</p>

<p>[AP</a> Central - The AP United States History Exam](<a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board)</p>

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<p>@MrWheezy
Lol, talk about discouraging. I think the best way to do a DBQ is to just do the practice ones at College Board/AP Central till you get the hang of POV, groupings, bringing in relevant outside info, using all the docs etc. Make sure to look at the scoring guidelines for the 6 core points and 3 additional points as well. I did this for AP Euro and by the second DBQ, my teacher gave me a 9 on a practice one we did in class (he was an actual DBQ grader in past years).</p>

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<p>^ APUSH does not use the same grading system as AP Euro.</p>

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<p>^Oh then, never mind. Sorry.</p>

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<p>How long/thick is the AMSCO book? It’s very elusive; I’m having trouble locating it. I’ve been hearing so much about the famous “AMSCO + Crash Course” duo, but I want to make sure AMSCO is foremost a REVIEW book, not another, extremely dense textbook. </p>

<p>Advice appreciated.</p>

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<p>I have the same question as college55. How long is the AMSCO book and how long before the actual exam should I start studying with it?</p>

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<p>The AMSCO book is actually a little thick, but small in size. However, it is indeed a review book, and an excellent one at that. A very good supplement to the textbook, it helps break down topics very well.
I don’t think I actually found it on sale at a retailer, so I just resorted to Ebay. Try a search there!</p>