<p>I'm a senior and have already been accepted to Vandy. I took a regular US History class last year. I've decided to take the APUSH exam this year for one reason - to get a 4 so I can save some money. Vandy is not cheap.</p>
<p>I discovered AP US History Crash Course on CC and ordered a copy from Amazon for $9.57. Everyone should take a look at this new book. All of the other prep books are just condensed versions of textbooks. Crash Course takes a totally different approach. The book is focused like a laser beam on key topics that regularly appear on the exam. For example the Amsco chapter on the Civil War includes all the key battles. The Crash Course chapter only discusses the battle of Antietam since the other battles are never asked. The book also has a number of very good thematic chapters on topics such as African American history, Women's history, Key Supreme Court cases etc.</p>
<p>I'd really like to hear what other CCers think of this book.</p>
<p>Crash Course is an amazing book. Very different from all the other prep books. The author focuses only on key events, terms, themes that have been repeatedly asked. Chapter with 41 key terms is especially valuable. This book will really help those in classes like mine that are behind.</p>
<p>I took the APUSH exam last year and made a 4, My best friend is taking it now. Her teacher ordered a set of the Crash Course book saying that it is a great review book. I took a look at it and can say that if I had had this book last year I would have made a 5. It really is a great prep book - direct and to the point.</p>
<p>^ Good question. I have both books. They are very different. Amsco is a very good condensed textbook. It includes lots of practice questions. However, Amsco does not really provide a strategy and does not differentiate between primary and secondary points. Crash Course is not a condensed textbook. It begins with a very useful mini-dictionary of 41 key terms. It then has 19 chronological chapters that follow the CB Course Description booklet. Crash course then provides 9 very useful thematic chapters on topics such as African American history, Women's history, Native American history. These chapters are really good. The author emphasizes the importance of having a strategy. You don't have to get 180 points to receive a 5. On the 2006 released test you only needed 106. The key is to build a "coalition of points" built around frequently tested topics. And that is exactly what I am doing.</p>
<p>^ I agree. Both books are very useful. Everyone knows about Amsco. Crash Course just came out. My teacher is way behind. So I am using Crash Course to guide me to the key topics. I am then reading more about these topics in Amsco. BTW Crash Course has an excellent chapter devoted to the Vietnam War. Exams usually have 2 - 4 MC very predictable questions ie French withdrawal, Domino Theory, Tonkin Gulf Resolution, Tet Offensive etc</p>
<p>Thanks, dark knight. I'm ordering it for my daughter, who's in APUSH now and does not want to take history in college. She already has the Princeton Review book, but at that price, you can't go wrong!</p>
<p>I'm with Old Hickory. Honestly we're not trying to prep for actual college classes with these books, just the one test that we hope will get us out of them :) so Ice, yes, it will be outdated, but once we've all gotten our 5s on the test it won't matter anymore :D</p>
<p>Thank you for the suggestion. My APUSH required the AMSCO but I dislike the format. This Crash Course book seems to be my style! Ordered from Amazon!</p>
<p>for a 5 on the ap exam it could work. But I am also taking the SAT Subject Test and am wondering if it is enough to get an 800, or at least high 700's?</p>
<p>41 terms? ... only. ehhhh, i'm in honors right now and am taking the exam in may. i dont know if im totally convinced. ill probably buy both. well crash course and amsco that is.</p>
<p>Amsco + crash course = amazing.
I just got crash course and its amazing.
amsco of course is also amazing.
amsco - textbook
crash course - everything simplified and the latter chapters are arranged by themes (i.e. blach history, womens rights, etc)</p>
<p>smilemyonly - You raise a very interesting point. Prep books, textbooks and teacher course outlines all contain extensive lists of terms. Teachers of course have a responsibility to teach a full course; their job is not exclusively to prepare students for the APUSH exam. The prep books want to be comprehensive so they can say, "see we had everything." Crash Course is actually the first book devoted to preparing APUSH students for the College Board rubric as published in their Course Description booklet. Let me illustrate my point with real examples. Here are the key terms specifically asked on the 2008 Practice Test (ie the one sent to audit teachers like me), the 2006 Released Exam and the 2001 Released Exam:</p>
<p>2008 Practice Exam
Deism
Republican motherhood
Frontier Thesis
Gospel of Wealth
Social Darwinism
Mercantilism
Great Awakening
Reaganomics
Containment</p>
<p>2006 Released Exam
Social Darwinism
Containment
Perfectionism
Black Power
Popular Sovereignty</p>
<p>2001 Released Exam
Jacksonian Democracy
Republican Mother
Social Darwinism
Reaganomics
Containment
Detente</p>
<p>Now note that the test writers in fact do draw upon a limited number of key terms. They are very good at asking different questions about the same subject ie Reaganomics, Containment etc. Perfectionism (2006 exam) was actually the only new term. Now check these terms against the Crash Course list of 41 terms and see what you find.</p>