i’m a rising sophomore, and i’m really confused as to which books to use to study. i’m kind of AP-obsessed, so i just wanted to know which books to get when i do take the tests. i’m planning on doing the following courses and am really conflicted on which books to buy. it would be super helpful if you could provide an opinion on which book helped u the most or is the most reliable for each respective course, if you took the test, and like what you got on the test.
AP Computer Science A
AP Biology
AP Psychology
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
AP Macroeconomics
AP Microeconomics
AP US History
AP Chemistry
AP Statistics
AP Music Theory
AP Human Geography
AP US Government and Politics
AP Physics C (Electricity and Magnetism)
AP Physics C (Mechanics)
let me know, and thanks for reading. any help is lovely :")
i’m planning on self-studying a few of these, but i’ll be taking the courses at school for the ones i don’t self-study. i love to challenge myself, that’s why i guess i’m AP-obsessed
You should take the course if your school offers it. If your school does not offer it, you should probably fine a more productive use for your free time than self studying a class. other than (perhaps) parents, self studying impresses nobody.
If you are determined to self study a couple, it is really pointless to advise on which courses without seeing your 4 year schedule. It is also pointless to tell you which book is best since while, for example, Barron’s might be strong in one subject, Princeton Review is better in another. And I doubt anyone here is going to match up your list of 15 subjects to the best book. However, you can do so by going through the 101 pages on the following thread: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/ap-tests-preparation/201793-consolidated-book-suggestions-for-ap.html#latest
Based on my kid’s opinion and what he got/what he thinks he will get. Note that by nature he is very smart, but not very efficient when it comes to studying and quite often not very motivated depending on the subject and teacher.
AP Computer Science A - easy, should be 5
AP Biology - hard, 4
AP Psychology - easy, should be 5
AP Calculus AB - medium, 5
AP Calculus BC - hard, 5
AP Macroeconomics -self studied since his class was Honors and not AP, medium, probably will get a 3. Lost a lot of motivation once he got accepted.
AP Microeconomics - self studied, medium, maybe 4, possibly 3
AP US History - medium, 4, some silly mistakes made on the test
AP Chemistry - very hard, 5
AP Statistics - easy, but class was time consuming, lot of homework but easy test, should be 5
AP Music Theory - self studied in 11th grade, a lot of work, had to give it up and didn’t sign up for the test once AP Calc BC and AP Chem work started to be overwhelming. He probably should have done this as a freshman or sophomore when he had more time.
AP Human Geography - didn’t take this
AP US Government and Politics - easy, should be 5
AP Physics C (Electricity and Magnetism) - very very hard first half, plus will be lucky to get a 3
AP Physics C (Mechanics) - surprisingly easier than E&M, medium, should be either 4 or 5
Also should add the following:
AP English Language and Composition - medium, 5
AP English Literature - very hard (he hated the class), probably a 4, outside shot at 5.
AP Comp Sci A - This class is a weird because you either have the mind and motivation for programming or you don’t. I had already been programming for 3 years and took undergrad level CS that’s actually way harder than AP CSA beforehand so obviously i was well prepped. Buy a Barron’s book, practice code, and if you’re good at it, it’s an easy 5. (I didnt get it back but i have very little doubt that i got a 5)
APUSH - This has the potential to be an easyish class if you take your time with it. Do all the work, study it, read your notes before the exam, etc. I found this class easy throughout the year but i felt underprepared at exam time because i only put in a day or two of studying because I underestimated by ability to retain. Probably got a 5, but a 4 wouldn’t surprise me either.
AP Stats - This class made me want to die because it was like putting my favorite guy math together with my least favorite guy english and seeing how much math can get less enjoyable. Later in the year I got more used to it and kinda liked it. Got a 5, exam was probably my second easiest so far.
AP Chem - Aaaaaaaaa. This class sucked so much because it was all so conceptually difficult and overwhelming. Barron’s book was my best friend. I basically had to self study because my teacher was garbage/non-existent. Either got a 4 or a 5 but only because i busted my butt off.