<p>One other reason somebody might use an AP prep book: if they took the IB course but also want to take the AP test. This can be useful if the colleges you are looking at provide acceleration or credit based on AP tests, but not on IB SL tests. And the AP curriculum is often a bit different from IB, so the prep book is useful.</p>
<p>JHS, Thanks for the clarification on English Lit. If someone has taken that since middle school I really don’t understand why they should any additional prep for the SAT, but may be I am wrong. I agree that the SAT is an useless examination. Why do you think the most selective universities use it? I would think that they would be the first ones to figure out that SAT scores mean nothing.</p>
<p>Hunt, Can anyone take the AP test even if it is not offered in school?</p>
<p>Yes, you can take it.</p>
<p>IndianParent,</p>
<p>The textbook we used for class was a college textbook called American History: A Survey. It was a great book, and I learned a lot from reading it, taking notes from it, talking about it with other students, listening to the teacher lecture/ask questions, etc in class. If the class had used the review book as a textbook, it would have been shallow. The review book was something that I did on the side because it was what I decided would work for myself. I’m not even saying that it was needed as there were some people in my AP class who passed the exam without using such a book. </p>
<p>And I don’t know what you mean by costly. The book that I used currently costs about $10 to buy new on Amazon. That’s not a whole lot to spend on a book. In my case, it made even more sense because my brother and I were both able to use it. And there is always the used book store for cheaper used books and the library for temporary free books. The Internet had similar content for another way to get it free.</p>
<p>It’s called “self-studying.” Many students self-study AP courses along with their AP classes either to further their learning in self-interest, to earn college credit, or both.</p>
<p>David, are there any other restrictions like age restrictions on when you can take it?</p>
<p>I am not sure about age restrictions. There shouldn’t be any.</p>
<p>My DD1 aced 11th grade AP English Lit, and while it is not ‘difficult’ in the same way AP Calc is difficult, it requires a lot of ‘advanced’ skills in reading and writing about some very complex stuff. I had a chance to read some of her stuff in the class and talk to her teacher and it was much more about maturity and understanding rather than pure academics and mechanics of reading XX and writing YY.</p>
<p>I’ve taken Freshman English Lit at Directional State U and I’d say it was easier than DD1’s AP class. Doesn’t always happen, but once in a while it does.</p>
<p>So IP, in India there are no test prep books, cram schools, ‘Cliff notes’ type books, etc.?</p>
<p>When SAT test takers constitute only a small percentage of the student population at some high schools, you’ll rarely hear the test being emphasized. Not all AP courses adequately prepare students for the exams, even if the schools call their courses “AP”.
And as others pointed out, what is taught in classrooms has little to do with what’s tested on the SAT reasoning test.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The SAT math section asks you to apply very basic math knowledge to new situations, to in a way think logically and outside of the box, whereas classroom math tends to be about understanding more complicated formulas and using standardized ways of solving problems, don’t you think? The SAT writing tests grammar, something rarely taught in school these days, and the critical reading section focuses on how well you “close read”, something that becomes very important in college.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You do not have the SAT like exams in India. At the very top level - say the top 0.1% of the colleges, and only for engineering and medicine - there are entrance examinations which are like the Math and Science Olympiad exams in the USA, for which there are test prep classes (I never took them, I think they are a waste of time, and I did fine). </p>
<p>But for 99.9% of students, they are admitted based on their 12th grade state examination scores, which tests the material taught in the schools. All the schools have the exact same curriculum within a state, and pretty much across the states as well. The uniformity enables not requiring another examination.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Dude, come on now.</p>
<p>IndianParent, this is an email from Collegeboard from January 2010:</p>
<p>"We do not set an age requirement for students to take AP exams. In accordance with AP Policy, teachers, department chairs, tutors, individuals involved in test preparation services, and educators of any kind (including but not limited to, curriculum specialists, guidance counselors, and administrators) are prohibited from taking or reviewing the content of an AP Exam.</p>
<p>College and post-high school students may take the AP exam only if they can find a high school willing to admit them. Only the college can let you know whether or not you can obtain credit for an AP exam.</p>
<p>Students register for the AP exams through their high school. If you want to take an AP Exam, you must locate a school willing to test you. Once you locate a school willing to administer the exams, that school’s AP Coordinator is responsible for ordering your exam materials, telling you when and where to appear for the exams, and collecting your fees (which he or she may negotiate to recover additional proctoring or administration costs).</p>
<p>Bear in mind, the schools are not obligated to accommodate you. A photo ID is required for students not known personally by the school administrators."</p>
<p>Thanks, GG94.</p>
<p>I don’t believe there to be age restrictions on AP tests, but there’s no need to take them early just to take them early. There’s no reason that a student couldn’t just wait til soph or jr year to take the AP tests. the colleges aren’t going to be impressed if a kid takes them much earlier. They’d rather see a younger kid do activities than sit in a room taking tests.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>IP, your original question wasn’t just about SAT. </p>
<p>Don’t Indian school kids buy test prep books for the state examinations? Especially if they are so uniform, it should be easy to drill for them.</p>
<p>iP, just out of curiosity. What % of Indian students have access to high school?</p>
<p>Do you know why Mallory went to climb the Everest, PG? Because it was there.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t know of any such books. Bear in mind I left India a few decades back. Old exams were easily available. I agree that it is very easy to drill for those exams. They used to be quite simple. Harder than SAT, but still very simple.</p>