I just made similar threads over on the forums for AP English Lang and AP Bio. For a lot of us, especially the crammers, picking a prep book to study with for the AP exam can be a big decision. Although there is a general listing for all AP exams in the main forum, that thread’s lists often conflict each other and don’t always agree. What better review would come than from those who just took the exam less than a week ago? As an AP student, I feel like this would have been an immensely helpful resource for me in picking a prep book, especially since I had to buy two since my first one was practically trash.</p>
So, I’ll go first. Wheeeee.</p>
BARRON’S, ED. 9: Whatever you do, please don’t buy this. If anything, go to your local bookstore and save the fates of your fellow APUSH students and hide all the copies of this book somewhere they’ll never be found. (Or, if you’re into sabotage, do that to all the other prep books but this!) The book, in my opinion, is terrible. There is no course review. There are only slight, halfway-decent overviews and explanations of different types of multiple choice questions, which I think we are ALL familiar with. Highly unrecommended.</p>
PRINCETON REVIEW: Wonderful. I bought this after realizing the Barron’s is crap. The book is very concise, as the whole content review is only 150 pages, with multiple-choice practice at the end of each chapter. Terms are bolded, of course, and the prose in the book seems to emphasize the big picture of things, rather than just details. The book does well at focusing mostly on political and social issues, just as the AP course does. I would highly recommend this prep book–it’s the reason that I feel so confident in my prospective 5 on this year’s exam!</p>
<p>For AP US, AMSCO is definitely the way to go, hands down. It is a condensed version of any normal textbook that contains all the information necessary to do well on the exam. Anyone who does decently well in history will most definitely get a five if he uses AMSCO and thoroughly prepares for the exam.</p>
<p>5 Steps to a 5: Leave this book in the dust. Utter garbage.</p>
<p>So I Google AMSCO to find a place to buy it (an Amazon review said that there were cheaper places to buy it), and I find a PDF from amscopub.com that seems to be the complete book. Is this supposed to happen? Is this real life?</p>
<p>cantconcentrate, I thought 5 steps to a 5 was really helpful. I read it a week before the test and it helped a lot with the multiple choice.</p>
<p>I will say though, the practice tests definitely weren’t the greatest.</p>
<p>My APUSH teacher loves the AMSCO, but I told him myself that I thought it was completely useless for review. If you’re a crammer (like me) who starts studying for AP tests 2 days, then there’s no way AMSCO would help you because you won’t read through it all…no matter how focused you are. Either way, whether you read it wayyy before the exam or right before, there’s NO WAY you’ll remember all of it. In my opinion, it is better to remember key bits of information to get the majority of the MC correct, then to basically read the textbook all over again (which the AMSCO pretty much is) and not remember key bits.</p>
<p>IMHO, 5 Steps to a 5 is fabulous. It’s concise, yet it includes all necessary SFI.</p>
<p>However, the best is the Crash Course for APUSH by REA. From now on, I will always buy Crash Course to study for AP tests. It’s short, but it includes EVERYTHING you need to know to get a 5. The authors have thoroughly examined every released AP exam, and they pretty much tell you the questions the AP test makers will ask. They predicted everything correctly for me, and I was surprised at how familiar the AP exam seemed to me. Everything- except for 3-4 questions- that was on that test was in that book. BUY IT. I promise you that it’s the only book you’ll need.</p>
<p>I used [-</a> AP US History Exam Review Course -](<a href=“http://www.apexamreview.com%5D-”>http://www.apexamreview.com)</p>
<p>Seems like its a new program, all online. Lots of resources you can use and the simulation exams on the site are the best I’ve ever taken. It automatically grades it for you and tells you what you need to review. Its all synced up with the official topic outline so it tells you exactly what topics to review. It saved me loads of time since it tells you exactly what to study. There is also a bunch of other resources to use: essay writing guide, vocabulary, comprehensive course etc. Even has a free ebook that you can instead of buying a textbook (if you are self studying).</p>
<ol>
<li><p>For all ap us students next year i highly reccomend that you get the amsco pdf online and read a chapter a day over the summer. This is all you really need. School class just helps reinforce forgotten info. </p></li>
<li><p>Next, read <a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States_(1964–1980[/url])”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States_(1964–1980)</a>. Wikipedia puts into time periods and backs up amsco. Read all the time periods. Tremendous help on this years exam.</p></li>
<li><p>Someone here posted 5 past tests on mediafire in a “apush practice test thread.” These are vital and completeing them will give you a guage.</p></li>
<li><p>Correct mistakes from the practice tests by reviewing those concepts on wikipedia nd amsco.</p></li>
<li><p>Go on ap central and try to answer as many past dbq’s as you can. Dont have to write, just a general outline.</p></li>
<li><p>Do this over the summer and finish around christmas. Then do light reviews and you should be set. This isnt meant to cram. Thats why if you start the very first day of summer, you only have to do work in increments. I crammed but it was stressfull.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Direct Hits (Now called The Essential Content) for APUSH and SAT Subject Test U.S. History
[Amazon.com:</a> The Insider’s Complete Guide to AP US History: The Essential Content (9780985291204): Larry Krieger: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0985291206/ref=gno_cart_title_1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0985291206/ref=gno_cart_title_1)</p>
<p>I also used [-</a> AP US History Exam Review Course -](<a href=“http://www.apexamreview.com%5D-”>http://www.apexamreview.com)</p>
<p>Pretty helpful site. I recommend it. Lots of free resources.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how good the new Barron’s book is? It seems to have more content review than the previous editions and is like completely updated and stuff. Thanks!</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Barron’s AP United States History (9780764146824): Eugene V. Resnick M.A.: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-AP-United-States-History/dp/0764146823/ref=pd_sim_b_45]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-AP-United-States-History/dp/0764146823/ref=pd_sim_b_45)</p>
<p>I also used Direct Hits: US History in a Flash.</p>
<p>helpful thread, thank you.</p>
<p>I’m thinking of getting the princeton review 2013, apush crash course and the barron’s flashcards. what do you guys think?</p>
<p>My friend used the crash course and she recomends it! She also used the “5 steps to a 5” flashcards and she did really well on the exam. So these two would help.</p>
<p>5 steps to a 5! I just read the parts I didn’t know and I did well.</p>
<p>I read both Kaplan and Princeton Review, the newest versions, and I have to say that Kaplan is by far better. AMSCO and Crash course are a must though, don’t know about 5 steps to a 5</p>
<p>AMSCO is, by far, the way to go.</p>
<p>Amsco, got a 5 with it.</p>
<p>I agree about AMSCO. I did not pay attention in class/do my readings all year, but I read a majority of AMSCO and Crash Course concurrently and I got a 5.</p>