<p>^My friend said that thats the only place where you could get it, but I’d look on eBay or a site like that first- I bet it’d be alot cheaper</p>
<p>
You can buy it on Amazon and from Barnes and Noble (online). But for some reason, it’s listed at $42 on the Barnes and Noble website ([United</a> States History, John J. Newman, (9781567656602) Textbooks - Barnes & Noble](<a href=“Online Bookstore: Books, NOOK ebooks, Music, Movies & Toys | Barnes & Noble®”>Online Bookstore: Books, NOOK ebooks, Music, Movies & Toys | Barnes & Noble®)) lol…</p>
<p>I will list the prep books that I think to be the most effective, in order of preference.</p>
<p>AP Chem:
PR (Only if you need a brisk review, having taken the class)
Barron’s</p>
<p>AP Calc BC:
Peterson’s
Barron’s
PR
Kaplan</p>
<p>AP Econ:MIC
5 steps to a 5
PR</p>
<p>AP Psych
Barron’s (TOTALLY! Unlike any other subjects of Barron’s, this one reads like a novel; the wording is succinct, a characteristic which I like about this Barron’s prep book in particular. Also self-study friendly.)</p>
<p>AP Physics B
PR</p>
<p>Definitely use FRQ’s. Solve everything that College Board gives you as well; for some AP subjects, there are also previously administered tests. Again, I cannot emphasize the usefulness of official exams that have been administered in the past.</p>
<p>AP Human Geography-5
Buy Rubenstein’s book along with the Princeton Review book, honestly, you don’t even need to take the class to get a 5. Read through Rubenstein’s, learn about religion/migration/etc. and then work through Princeton, which, albeit having multiple typographical errors, has lots of condensed information. Finally, work through released FRQ’s online, don’t time yourself, there’s no way a human being could spend 75 minutes on three ridiculously easy FRQ’s. Going at a reasonable pace, self-studying, you can go through the aforementioned material in two or three months.
This information comes from my perspective in this class and I already had a large amount of background knowledge on history and the world in general which made the class and test easy as hell.</p>
<p>I’ll add what I thought of Physics B and Calc BC later</p>
<p>Human Geography…only one I have…I was only a freshman last year.</p>
<p>1 week before the exam read content parts of PR. Do the practice FRQs but screw the practice MC, it’s hardly like the MC on the actual test…emphasize religion, screw types of maps, graphs, things like that. Screw the information like who coined the word geography. It’s useless. Focus on politics, religion, urbanization, Agriculture, Culture, and Vocabulary. When I say vocabulary I mean terms like cultural ecology, globalization, etc…One more piece of advice to all of you self studiers: Do NOT buy the Barron’s, get the PR or Kaplan and the textbook is not necessary. The Barron’s leaves out crucial information and gives you loads of **** that you have no use for come exam day.</p>
<p>AP Psych:
Just review Barron’s AP Psychology the week leading up to the test and you should be fine… literally! I found that 99% of the info covered on the test was covered in that review book.</p>
<p>AP English Literature and Composition:
Doing well on this test isn’t about memorizing information, it’s about possessing skills. Hopefully your AP English teacher will help prepare you in the multiple choice, interpretative and writing skills that you need for this test. Also, as for preparing works for the open work essay- my teacher only had us prepare two works: one that we studied very intensely and another “back-up” work that we studied in less depth. I didn’t use any external review guides.</p>
<p>AP Calculus:
With a good grasp of the basic concepts, you’ll do well. Get used to the format of the test, and for the FRQs, write EVERYTHING that you know, even if you don’t know how to solve the problem. You’ll get points for just writing the formula. I didn’t use any external review guides.</p>
<p>AP Spanish:
Really practice!! Hopefully your teacher will provide orals and writing prompts in the same format as the exam- it’s important to have a feel for the routine and timing of the test. Again, this test is definitely more about skill than factual knowledge. I didn’t use any external review guides, and there isn’t even a grammar section! Yay!</p>
<p>AP English Language And Composition:
This is definitely an exam you need to have some kind of your own skill for. i did very close to nothing for this exam. I used Barrons just because it had more pract tests (that i never used…) and read the first dozen or so pages about how to analyze rhetoric. i didn’t have a very good teacher, we didnt do much. he just kind of gave us a practice book to use in class and we would take practice tests. any practice test you take is going to be harder then the exam, the exam is soooo simple. the essays are pretty easy too. just know rhetoric terms, and how to write a good essay.</p>
<p>seekinguni, that seems to be the older version of the amsco book?</p>
<p>^ Yeah, the one on the B&N site is. The newest version is available from the publishers directly. Either way, the price is roughly the same, if not exact.</p>
<p>Chemistry
The Princeton Review is very thorough for this exam. If you have competed in an ACS local exam or prepared for the USNCO, this test should be a piece of cake. Obviously, though, you probably knew that.</p>
<p>US History
Even if you don’t finish the curriculum in your school class, as was my case, if you read the Princeton Review cover to cover within a week of the exam, you will be fine. I hadn’t even finished World War II in class, and I had no difficulty with the post WWII questions on the exam because they were so ridiculously easy. Make sure to jack up your DBQ score as a cushion for your other essays. That’s what I’ve done this year, and the past two years for World and European history.</p>
<p>Statistics
I don’t know what to say. Everyone says this exam is incredibly easy, but I basically blew off the class the whole year and thought it was relatively difficult. However, I managed a 5. Bottom line: you’ll probably end up doing better than you thought you did.</p>
<p>Literature
If you are a good writer, you will have no trouble with this test. I got a 660 Critical Reading and still got a 5, most likely because my essays were good. However, I thought the multiple choice was relatively painless. The best preparation is to just do some practice multiple choice questions so you can get a feel of how the questions are worded and what kind of answers they are looking for.</p>
<p>Calculus BC
Make sure to think critically. Always search for a justification for your answer, because there are a decent number of curve balls on this exam. Also, if you leave a whole problem blank, don’t worry about it. If you come out of the test saying, “Holy shat, problem 6 was so hard. I’m only going to get a 4 now,” you have to realize that everyone else who took the exam probably thought the same thing.</p>
<p>Macroeconomics
The best thing you can do is go through all the past FRQs and find out what kind of answers the College Board is looking for. Also, the Sparkchart for macroeconomics does wonders. I neglected to do both of the above.</p>
<p>What I’ve learned from AP exams though is that one should not stress over them, for scores tend to be better than he/she thinks they are.</p>
<p>Human Geography - 5
Rubenstein + Barrons = 5 for me (I’ve heard PR is also very good). Good luck!</p>
<p>US History - 5
We used American Pageant. I like how Bailey writes, and personally enjoyed reading from the textbook. The textbook is very informative, and if you can, read it (not cover to cover - skip from chapter 39 on the 13th ed.) For review, AMSCO + REA Crash Course + skimming American Pageant = pretty comprehensive.</p>
<p>English Lang and Comp - 5
We didn’t read much in class but reading American classics (The Jungle, Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court etc) helps a lot during FRQ’s. Learn the literary terms, and do a LOT of FRQ’s from previous years. For review, Cliff’s + FRQ’s from previous years + reviewing lit terms = pretty comprehensive. Note: All these things won’t ensure a 5 because the class is about writing coherently and cogently. That’s why practicing FRQ’s and MC helps hugely, but doesn’t guarantee a 5.</p>
<p>Biology
Gauge when to start studying by how much of the book you will have covered by the test. The best review book is Cliffs.</p>
<p>Eng Language
Practice timed writing so you won’t run out of time like I did! I don’t really think a book is necessary for this one. There are 3 types of prompts: synthesis (DBQ), analysis, and argument. Practice each type. Memorize rhetorical devices and strategies (similes, allusions, bathos, metonymy, etc. your teacher should give you a long list) and use them in the anaylsis essay. Write for content and style, both are important.</p>
<p>Calculus
This is probably the most repetitive test. If you know antiderivatives, derivatives, and how to find the volume and area of shapes on graphs, you’re good to go. Do as many practice tests as possible because the questions will start to become monotonous after a while. For this test you only need to know only a few concepts, but you really need to practice application so no question will be a surprise.</p>
<ol>
<li>STATISTICS
I used an REA guide that was about 300 pages long and just read through it the night before to review concepts. This class is more conceptual even though it is referred to as math. If you understand the concepts in the review guide then you are golden for the test. The test itself is not particularly difficult. Do well on the MC and you will have wiggle room on the FRQ’s. </li>
</ol>
<p>Conclusion: Do not waste tons of your time studying for this test. There are plenty of other AP’s that are much more difficult and time consuming that you should devote your time to.</p>
<ol>
<li>CHEMISTRY
Books: Zumdahl and Barrons (for reference purposes)</li>
</ol>
<p>Chemistry came easy to me therefore I spent less time studying for this test than others might. However, I would say it is imperative to get a good text such as Zumdahl and just read through the chapters that cover AP concepts. I thought this book explained things excellently and also provides other interesting insight into industrial applications that make the reading more bearable. Also, DO PRACTICE FRQ’s FROM PREVIOUS YEARS. THIS IS IMPERATIVE. </p>
<p>Conclusion: This one requires a little more studying than the average AP exam depending on the test taker. Some will find this test to be much much easier than others will. As long as you prepare yourself with a good text and practice problems you will be fine.</p>
<ol>
<li>MACROECONOMICS
This is another straight forward test in my opinion. Buy a review guide. I used 5 Steps to a 5 and thought it did perfectly fine in teaching the concepts needed for this test. AGAIN STUDY ALL FRQ’s FROM PREVIOUS YEARS. The FRQ’s each year are similar in many regards if you compare them from year to year. Especially FRQ 1. </li>
</ol>
<p>Conclusion: This test to me is not a very difficult one to prepare for. Again, some will need one day to study for it while others will need weeks. Just get a review guide that is reputable and you are good to go.</p>
<ol>
<li>PSYCHOLOGY
Easiest AP test in my opinion. All you need to do well on this test is a good review guide such as 5 Steps to a 5. Go through the glossary the night before and be sure you know all of the key terms. This will make the test a breeze. FRQ’s are all just define and state the application. If you know all the key terms, there is no reason to not know all of the key words in the FRQ prompts. This test will not throw any surprises at you.</li>
</ol>
<p>Conclusion: KNOW ALL THE KEY TERMS IN THE GLOSSARY OF YOUR REVIEW GUIDE. the end.</p>
<ol>
<li>US HISTORY
This test took me the most time to study for. I think many would say the same thing. Get a good review book. I went with Kaplan and it did a fine job. Start reading through it a month before the test. Also, American Pageant, while long and at times a tedious read, is a great text. Use it. </li>
</ol>
<p>Conclusion: This test is not one to take lightly. Start studying early and know all key events, people, terms like the back of your hand.</p>
<p>US History: Prepare for a facts crunch. Every period, every important event and person, should be at the very minimum vaguely conceptual in your head. Books like REA and AMSCO will serve you well.</p>
<p>Comp Sci A: This should not be too much of a problem for most. Throughout the course, you’ll constantly be reusing things that you learned before, as coding is a gradual build-up process. As a result, review books and such shouldn’t really be necessary. Practice your FRQs, read the MC portions absolutely carefully, and be sure to remember to understand the concept of GridWorld, not simply memorizing the classes and methods.</p>
<p>Eng. Lang: Aristotelian Mode of Rhetorical Analysis. Analysis over summary. Syntax and diction over poor language but longer essay length. It all comes down to how you write, and not as much what you write about (stay on topic obviously). Practice writing essays from previous years, and be absolutely strict on timing yourself. As you progressively get better, reduce the amount of time you give yourself. That way you will be able to plan out your time better on the exam. As for the MC, practice makes for a better score. Aside from practicing MCs, you really can not improve (drastically) what you get on this portion, as the MC is pretty much a test on the culmination of reading and comprehension skills you have developed up till now.</p>
<p>Physics B: The plan is overkill. When it comes to the FRQs, aim to complete two sets (6-7 questions) every week. Since they give you the scoring guidelines as well, go back to every problem and correct yourself, showing what you would have done should you have a second chance on the question. This way, you will fully understand your mistake and learn how not to repeat it. For the MC, remember your equations and relations. Remember is the key, not memorize. Memorizing means that you understand letters and numbers. Doing this is dismal. Understand the concepts behind the equations. Why is it that force is the result of mass times acceleration? What does a higher frequency indicate? Answering questions like these not only implant the equations into your head, but on the exam you will use them unconsciously, rather than having to extract the information from your head and then visualizing the equation.</p>
<p>US Government:-4</p>
<p>actually I feel very interested in learning government. Watch TV and listen to their talk, for example, lawyers are suing Arizona on the Immigration reform because immigration matters are not up to a state, but to the federal government. You don’t need to know all of the constitution, but remember the power of the 3 branches, ex: Congress is the only branch that can declare war, president nominates candidates for federal offiice but congress approves. Know the formal ( specifically stated power in the consitution) and the informal one ( these are the things you cannot miss)
Specifically on the AP exam, good thing you don’t need to write a long essay. Write it in paragraph, and remember to BS if necessary. There is no penalty. Instead, the readers will TRY TO LOOK FOR YOUR MAIN POINTS. In order to do this, practice writing free-response question on the collegeboard exam with the answers provided up there. It’s best if your teacher has an exam session review to go over those.
This AP exam is very easy, you just have to memorize the facts. Two weeks before the exam, go through a review book ( i used Cliffnotes from my school’s library and then to Princeton review). The way Cliffnotes write it is very understandable, whereas Princeton has its own verbose style (which I hate). But Cliffnotes will not be enough, though I found a lot of information in there covered on the AP exam. It’s best to go over with the Princeton review as well
You don’t need a US History knowledge on this. I’m a recent immigrant ( been in the States for two years) and took the test the second semester of my sophomore year. Yet I receive a 4 on the exam. Good luck to you</p>
<p>AP World History: -4
First semester my teach didn’t teach. Then second semester I switched to a new AP teacher. This was her first year teaching AP, but she TEACH more than the last one. However, when I practiced online at Sparknotes and Princeton review and 25 or 30 official questions on the collegeboard website, I felt so dismal because my score was likewise dismally low.
Yet two weeks before the exam, I crammed the PR. A very good book. Take the Practice multiple choice again, and you’ll be set. I ended up getting a 4 coming from an inner city school.
On the free response again, make an essay, but BS. Like the AP Gov, you’re not penalized for BSing. Instead readers look for your points to award you ( My teacher was an AP reader and she let us on this secret).
But if you want to take the SAT II, DON’T USE THE AP BOOK. It will not do. SAT II put a real emphasis on the earliest timeline ( I forgot when). But use the Princeton review, as heard that was the best. I didn’t and use the AP book==> got 610, a dismally low score</p>
<p>AP gov (cont)</p>
<p>and about court cases, you only have to remember like 8 of them for the AP purpose. In class, they may ask more than that. Look for the thread in the AP section ( I forgot what it is, but do a quick research before taking the ap exam on this board for that thread).</p>
<p>Okay, here goes:</p>
<p>Biology - 5 (780 on SAT II)
Read Campbell, but not the AP edition (it’s a little TOO AP for the AP exam, =D).
Buy Cliffnotes and review throughout the year. Just make sure you memorize all of the concepts.</p>
<p>World History - 5 (770 on SAT II)
For any History AP, read the entire textbook with the class throughout the year, following the curriculum. Then, you really don’t have to do much review for the AP. Make sure you get PR!!! Please.</p>
<p>Environmental Science - self-study 5
This test was pretty simple. I used PR, but it was a little lacking. Barron’s is good, but very, very in depth. Make sure you know math too, that threw me off a little bit, because I hadn’t seen it in my prep.</p>
<p>Statistics - 5
Don’t get PR. 5 Steps to a 5 is a lifesaver for this test. I had no plan throughout the year for this test, and I discovered 5 Steps to a 5 before the test and read through it. You should be good at understanding very abstract math concepts.</p>
<p>US History - 5 (800 on SAT II)
AMSCO + The American Pageant = 5. That’s all I have to say. My favorite subject, so reviewing for this was cake.</p>
<p>Chemistry - 5 (780 on SAT II)
Obviously, this test is a big one. Make sure you pay attention throughout the year. I didn’t have a good textbook to rely on, and I had no solid review book. I can’t recommend any for this class, because PR and 5 Steps to a 5 seemed lacking. I just had an amazing teacher that made the class manageable.</p>
<p>Psychology - self-study 5
Lol. I self-studied this in 3 days and got a 5. It’s a simple exam, and an interesting one too. Just get Barron’s, it covers the exam material almost seamlessly.</p>
<p>English Language - 5
I just basically BSed my way through the class. We had dumb essay assignments and no real prep. I relied on the fact that I was a good writer and the MC was really easy this year. Don’t take the test lightheartedly though. Familiarize yourself with the test format, and also rhetorical terms/literary strategies.</p>
<p>Human Geography - self-study 5
Don’t take this test for granted. Psych is easier than this one. If you read something like the NY Times on a regular basis, you should be fine. Barron’s is recommended, which I used, but it actually didn’t cover material like it did for Psych. I recommend PR, and actually reading through it to avoid any surprises on the test.</p>
<p>AP Computer Science A</p>
<p>My class used an online textbook(Blue Pelican), if you learn from it and use the litvins book (or preferably the barrons book), you should be able to get a 5. I think this class is tremendously easier with a teacher, as the teacher can help you develop programming/coding ability which is essential on the FRQ. As always, barrons is harder than the real thing, and if you’re getting a high 4 or 5 on barrons, you should be able to get a 5</p>
<p>AP European History : : AP 5 </p>
<p>Understand trends through time, relationships between different eras, specific events. Dates are not very important. Flowing cause and effect really helped me (i.e. enlightenment leads to a backlash against rationalism, manifesting itself as romanticism, religious fervor, etc.)</p>
<p>Sources used: Viault’s Modern European History, quizzes on Historyteacher.net, Princeton Review</p>
<p>AP United States History : : AP 5 : : SAT II 800 (second try)</p>
<p>Memorize laundry list of people, novels, popular culture phenomena, notable groups (i.e. Black Panthers, SNCC), amendments, legislation, court cases. US History is less understanding and more memorizing than European History. The key to succeeding on the AP + SAT IIs is reading and studying A LOT. Different sources will give you different material so the key to getting good scores is to read and study relentlessly. Write down questions that you got wrong and memorize them because they will come up again. Take as many tests as you can get your hands on.</p>
<p>Sources used: SparkNotes (SAT II & AP), Princeton Review (SAT II & AP), Barrons, REA</p>
<p>AP Calculus AB : : AP 5 </p>
<p>Math is one of my weakest subjects, but fortunately I had a teacher who was very good at preparing us specifically for the AP test. The AP only tests very specific things so STUDY WHAT’S ON THE TEST. Do FRQs from the CollegeBoard site weekly and do lots of multiple choice questions.</p>
<p>Sources used: old FRQs from CollegeBoard.com, Princeton Review for Practice Tests.
In addition, if you don’t understand something in class, there are many good online tutorials that can help.</p>
<p>AP Chemistry : : AP 5 : : SAT II 800</p>
<p>I had a terrible teacher so ultimately I was forced to teach myself this class. Understanding is the key, and focus on things you don’t get (we are often tempted to practice the topics we already understand). Do lots of practice FRQs. MC is relatively easy, in my personal opinion, though time may be an issue for some.</p>
<p>Sources used: Memorize Princeton Review cover to cover. For SAT II, do the Princeton Review book specifically for that (AP & SAT II are very different for Chem!) Take lots of tests, on SparkNotes, from Princeton Review… etc. Understand why you are getting things wrong.</p>
<p>AP English Language : : AP 5</p>
<p>Honestly, if you are a talented BS’er and can deal with SAT Critical Reading, this test should be a breeze. Otherwise, take many practice tests and get a teacher to go over it with you and tell you how you can improve your essays, what is successful, and why you are getting MC questions wrong.</p>
<p>Sources used: skimming Princeton Review to familiarize yourself with literary terms. Practice tests can help with MC + familiarize yourself with the different types of prompts. However, if you are a decent writer & write in-class essays a lot, this test should be relatively easy.</p>