AP books, really worth it?

Question

Next year, my junior year, I will be taking AP Bio, AP Calc AB, and AP US History. Lately, I've been reading about how these "get a 5 on the AP test!" books are lifesavers and can save you from the tedious work of weeding through the wordy text books. Are they worth the price? Do they really help? Also, should I buy these books around August, hoping they come out with a new edition for the 2007 - 2008 school year?

Thanks!

Answer 1

They will help if you actually take a notion to study them. Sometimes you may read parts of them to understand things that didn't get explained well in the text book. Sometimes they can help you get prepared for not just the AP test but the teachers' in-class tests. You can go ahead and buy them in August or use an old book, if the test format didn't change.

Although I would say, if you are going to wait until the last 3 or so weeks to study for the AP exam, I wouldn't advise you to buy wordy books like Barron's. I have a couple of Barron's books I scarcely used because they read like textbooks.

For AP Calculus, I would buy at least Peterson's AP Calculus book (simply the best) and maybe the Princeton Review AP Calculus book. For AP US, the Princeton Review book will suffice if you actually do some studying in class next year. That book isn't too long, so you will actually read it. I never took AP Biology, so i cannot tell you what to buy.

Answer 2

I'd say they're worth the price.

I took AP Chem and AP US History this year. I'm taking AP Calc and AP Stat next year (and I'm in the middle of the two year IB English course, and also planning on taking the English Language AP Test and the Physics B AP test next year.)

I got the Barron's book for Chem, and it really helped me with a few areas I was weaker in. I got the REA book for History. It's long, but it was terrific in helping. The 6 practice tests it includes are a huge help. All of them are full length (75 Multiple Choice, 1 DBQ, and 4 Free Response that you choose two from) and come with answers and explanations to the multiple choice, and sample essays.

The main reason I'd get them, if I were you, was for the review of weak areas and the practice tests. I didn't study for more than a couple months, but by just bolstering my weak areas and doing all the practice Multiple Choices and essays (for the History) and open ended (for the Chem) really helped me. I felt like I got at least a 4 on both of the tests I took.

I'd actually recommend to wait until a couple months into the school year before buying the books. It may help you to see what the class is like (the workload, the teacher's techniques, how YOU handle it) before choosing a specific book.

Answer 3

There is no reason to take that many exams unless you plan on skipping a year of college, in which case, you'd need fives on all. All are helpful, especially math and sciences. You need problem examples. And for calculus, the AP test requires very specific uses of concepts that you may as well practice with problems at the very least. Maybe sparknotes can replace a book. Bio is a lot of memorizing, so that would help. The least helpful would be Lit. Find something online outlining it instead of the book. Then it's repetition.

Answer 4

Trust me the books really help! I took AP Bio, AP Economics, and AP History this year. Every edition has the same material in every book so u don't need to stress about getting the latest edition. And don't just buy actually use them in August!
along with AP studying study for the SATs over the summer because junior year gets very crazy!

Answer 5

The books are lifesavers! Buy them all if your school doesn't provide them for free. Even if they come out with a new edition, it won't matter at all. The books deal not so much in facts, but in methods of taking the exams. Don't delay, get thee to your bookstore this minute!