<p>what book would be the best. is barron's good? how about kaplan? princeton review? which one would be the best to get a really good understanding of chemistry and get a 5 on the exam? </p>
<p>for the people that took the exam who got 4-5, what did you guys use? any other helpful information?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Most ppl say PR</p>
<p>had a friend who said 5 steps to a 5, but he's pretty good at chem? so i dunno. never took it myself.</p>
<p>i want to get a good idea of chemistry and prep for ap chem during the summer...will barron's help me since it's sort of more than a review considering it's size? would using both pr and barron's help?</p>
<p>I didn't use a review book and I got a 5... my textbook was actually very good and provided me with enough examples that there was no need for a review book.</p>
<p>My ap chem teacher swore by Princeton review and that was all I used. I had never taken a chem class ever before ap chem and I still passed using P.R.</p>
<p>I actually prefer Kaplan to both PR and Barron's. I definitely do not like Barron's that much, because their molecular model explanations were very confusing.</p>
<p>I got a 5 and I read over the PR a few nights before and did their MC problems. I often skipped chem class (or was asleep), so I found the review in the book useful.</p>
<p>i liked PR, i basically read it once and then did a bunch of real mc's and frqs and i was well prepared, ended up getting a 5 on the test.</p>
<p>I used ARCO, but...I'm regretting that I did. PR is probably the best.</p>
<p>What would you guys say is the most important subject/ concept to understand when studying chemistry?</p>
<p>most important subject? bonding, probably, since it explains a lot of things in chem. also, equilibrium because there's always a big question on that on the FRQ part. </p>
<p>and for the review books. i think PR's the best. it explains everything you need to know and nothing more. Barron's has wayyyy too much (and somewhat useless) information, and it's really confusing.
didn't use Kaplan, so i don't know.</p>
<p>(Acid-base) equilibrium, kinetics, electrochemistry, and thermodynamics are pretty much equally important.</p>
<p>I got a 3 on the AP :( and I used PR.
Maybe I just didn't dedicate enough time to study for it :p
But I still wouldn't recommend PR for Chemistry, (for me) it isn't detailed enough, and the practice questions are easier then the actual test, which I don't like.</p>
<p>PR is good for a more general review - it's good if you have a fair idea of what you're doing and just need to make sure you've covered the concepts that are on the exam.</p>
<p>If you want a really good review ... I've heard that Barron's is a bit over the top in terms of the amount of information it includes, but you could give it a try (personally, I've never seen it).</p>
<p>i thought ARCO was one of the best prep books out there for chem..?</p>
<p>I agree. I used ARCO for chem last year and thought it was better than barrons and PR. Our teacher recommended ARCO and i got a 5</p>
<p>Don't use 5 steps to a 5, there are way too many mistakes that could confuse. I really didn't use a book for my 5, I took the practice test in that book and was disgusted. It doesn't matter which one you get as long as you don't get 5 steps to 5.</p>
<p>Am I the only person that doesn't use any AP review books ever?</p>
<p>5 to a 5 - although there are "mistakes" - it was amazing!!! </p>
<p>get used chem. books - it helps having an extra reference whenever something is not making sense</p>
<p>it worked for me - i got a 4 :] - no one in my school got a 5 :( but w/e</p>