Are the history teachers “supposed” to prep for the AP exam using a prep book? Like is that part of their year curriculum?
Also, which prep book do/does you/your school use?
When I took AP World History last year our teacher dedicated about a week before the exam to review for the AP exam, and I think my APUSH teacher will do the same this year. In APWH they gave us Princeton Review as a prep book but this year in APUSH they’re giving us AMSCO. I think I’m going to go buy PR before the exam as extra review material just for myself.
lmao my school does not care about AP exams at all! The day before the APWH exam we watched a documentary on the Cuban Missile Crisis, even though I still got a 5 (ALL through self-studying) - and btw we JUST finished Civil War, gosh were so behind you guys…
@purplepuffin Civil War are you serious? =)) My class is going through the material backwards (kind of weird) and we’re on the Age of Jefferson right now. =))
You’ll do fine though, especially with a 5 in AP World History.
@greninja I’ve never heard of going through APUSH backwards, but it certainly sounds like an interesting approach. \
We just wrapped up American Imperialism and are moving on to the Progressive Era. I have a princeton review book, but my school/teacher does not have an official recommended review book.
What is this magical AMSCO book you all speak of? Our class is using Tindall and Shi’s * America: A Narrative History, * and we’re currently on the Jazz Age. Our supplement is the TCI * History Alive! Pursuing American Ideals * book that the regular USH class uses. The prep book we got was Princeton Review, and it got me a 100 on the final, but I might stock up on other prep books soon.
I’m so sorry @purplepuffin =)) =)) =)) =)) My class is in the middle of the Great Depression/New Deal, currently. We probably are way ahead but I think it’s because my teacher is devoting the last two or three weeks to review.
By the way, @SingHar17 AMSCO is like the holy grail of APUSH prep books that I think pretty much everyone on CC recognizes as the best? Of course, it probably varies with who you ask but the majority will recommend AMSCO.
Sorry, I feel like I’m clogging up the thread but I forgot to ask this. So, my teacher told me that the AP tests are newly redesigned just this year? She said that we can’t use the same strategy that we used to take the APWH test. Is she just talking about how we need to be more specific in naming certain acts, evidence, etc., or did they completely change everything about how they score things? I’m worried that even though I got a 5 on the APWH exam I won’t do well on the APUSH exam.
@SingHar17 AMSCO is arguably the best prep book for APUSH. It’s the most comprehensive and its practice questions are well-written. Since it offers a ton of content I’m using it to mainly to study the period after Reagan (the book goes up to Obama’s election in 2008!), since my class likely won’t review that. The only downside about the book is that the answer key for its questions is only available to teachers. Also, unlike the other prep books, it only has one practice test.
@tupac4ever It’s different from the APWH test in that it only contains stimulus-based questions. So, the only questions you will run into on the test are the ones that come with an excerpt. It won’t have questions that require basic evidence unlike in APWH (i.e. Which of the following was NOT exported to the Old World in the Columbian Exchange?). Personally I prefer this approach more to APWH. Although I got a 5 in APWH as well I think I struggled the most with the multiple-choice. Now, I feel as though the questions require knowing more about historical significance and themes rather than basic evidence.
Thanks so much! Getting that book ASAP.
Will the DBQ’s be scored differently?
How many questions are document-based versus free-standing?
@stressedout18 They’re technically all document-based, though some are free-standing questions that relate to the time period of the passage.
@tupac4 I’m not sure but I think they’re different. The new one is out of seven points and I think the old one was out of nine points (I know the APWH one is), but I may be wrong.
Do you have any recommendations on what to use amsco with? I’ve heard good things about barrons, so I was going to use that… should I get both? Do you think it would be useful to use those two combined?
@DisneyAlways Adam Norris’s Youtube videos are the best I have seen.
I want to start reviewing for the apush exam now, so I have about 1.5 months to prepare for this. I realize AMSCO is good but realistically I don’t have time for that dense of a book. Adam Norris and other Youtube videos might be helpful but in general I’m more of a read/write person. What prep book do you guys think would be best? I’m looking for something similar to books like Barron’s/Princeton/etc. also I’m in an apush class, not self-studying.
@tryptophanoverload I’m also looking for prep books and concerned that AMSCO is too dense! From the minimal research I’ve done, it sounds like REA Crash Course, Princeton Review, and The Essential Content are all also quite good and a lot less dense. I have no personal experience with any of these books though. Speaking of which, does anyone have any suggestions as to which one is best?
Princeton Review is excellent if you’re in need of thorough cramming (excellent oxymoron on my part), however, AMSCO will go by fast. At most, you will need to read fifteen pages a day in order to finish the book around 5 days before the AP exams, leaving nearly a week for reviewing topics you have difficulty with. I have an EXTREMELY busy schedule, but I’ve managed to fit in around fifteen minutes a day of AMSCO and I have about half the book left, but I’ve only had it for about two weeks or so. I’d go with Princeton + Adam Norris if you know you’re easily distracted/not motivated, but AMSCO will be the most beneficial if you’re dedicated to getting the 5.