APUSH: Barrons vs. REA's Crash Course

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
1

<p>I'm currently using the American Pageant bk in class along with the Amsco Flag Bk.
My teacher's suggesting the Barrons APUSH prep bk but I've been seeing ALOT of posts about the Crash Course but not Barrons.</p>

<p>So which is better for someone who wants a 5 on the AP exam?</p>

2

<p>Crash Course is a relatively new book. A history of 3 CC members have strongly advocated for crash course (kinda makes me wonder if they are pitches for sale…). Nevertheless, Crash Course organizes the book into themes (albeit it’s still a set of notes). It has what’s “most likely” to be on the test so the breath is concentrated rather than extensive. So that’s why AMSCO is a good match. </p>

<p>I’m self-studying for the test, and I don’t plan on buying the crash course. If you already have AMSCO, then I think you should be okay. However I think crash course does help you “bring everything together.” Barron’s is relatively weak compared to others. If not crash course, the regular REA review is really good too (it has a bunch of practice questions).</p>

3

<p>hey, sorry I don’t have an answer for you question . but am wondering where i could study practice multiple choice questions like, chapter by chapter. thanks. By where I mean a good website.</p>

4

<p>^ here.</p>

<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.historyteacher.net/USQuizMainPage.htm]USQuizMainPAge[/url”>http://www.historyteacher.net/USQuizMainPage.htm]USQuizMainPAge[/url</a>]</p>

5

<p>I would recommend Amsco’s since it has a history of good reviews. I have the crash course, and all I can say is that it is very different from the other review books. The crash course isn’t about paragraphs of information. Rather, everything is narrowed down to the main points for each event. A sample excerpt: </p>

<p>The Proclamation of 1763

  1. The Proclamation of 1763 forbade British colonists to cross an imaginary boundary along the crest of the Appalachian Mountains.
  2. The primary purpose of the Proclamation of 1763 was to avoid conflict between the trans-Appalachian Indians and British colonists seeking inexpensive land.</p>

<p>And the next topic is the Stamp Act, which is laid out in a similar fashion. So everything is brief and to the point. You might prefer this over the conventional condensed textbook type of review books, or you might come to enjoy this since it cuts out a lot of the paragraph reading. I think you should give the crash course a try, especially since its only $11.95 list price.</p>

6

<p>Larry Krieger, the author of Crash Course, is also the author of Direct Hits. So if Direct Hits worked really well, then I’m guessing this one’s gonna be a hit (no pun intended).</p>

7

<p>I took a good look at Barron’s today at the local Border’s. I was really disappointed. The book seemed very unorganized. The poor organization made it very hard to find topics.</p>