Barrons vs. 5 Steps to a 5

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
1

<p>Which do you prefer to self study and use as a supplement for a course?</p>

<p>I want to self study a couple AP exams, and I enjoy 5 Steps. But, I am afraid it they aren't as great as Barrons since I don't hear as many positive reviews for 5 Steps as I do for Barrons.</p>

<p>I learn a lot from Barrons, but I really can't enjoy it as much as I'd like. I enjoy using 5 Steps since it uses a lot of examples and diagrams, and I enjoy the presentation.</p>

<p>If anyone has had good results self studying from either book, I'd like to hear it. If you have other suggestions, be sure to add them.</p>

2

<p>Well it all depends upon what you are studying. Barrons is very good for Psychology but very poor for APUSH. PR is very good for AP Euro and ok for APUSH. Cliffs is very good for AP Bio and awful for APUSH. Crash Course is very good for APUSH, AP Euro, AP Government and ok for the others. Five Steps repeatedly comes out in the middle of the pack. Good but not the best.</p>

3

<p>I had forgotten about Princeton Review, I will flip through them at the book store.</p>

<p>Thank you for the suggestion.</p>

<p>Edit: Thank you, too, DarkNight. I guess it’ll have to be on a case by case basis. I enjoy the presentation of 5 Steps to a 5, so I think I may get 5 Steps to a 5 more often than not.</p>

4

<p>I have found PR to be the best for most exams.</p>

5

<p>princeton review is basically the best for everything and barrons is good for math but avoid kaplan at all costs</p>

6

<p>Yup, Kaplan is… well… Kaplan…</p>

7

<p>^Agree! The Kaplan AP prep books range from mediocre to awful.</p>

8

<p>Kaplan sucks, let’s leave it at that. Barron’s and PR are generic, I mean they are good for almost anything, but some subjects like English, they are no substiute. Cliffs</p>

9

<p>I second PR for highest average quality for AP tests.
Barrons tend to over-prep you for some subjects, but hey, it is definitely better than kaplan (I have had various personal horror stories with kaplan products)
5 steps is pretty good for physics c from what I have heard so far, haven’t really heard about other subjects.</p>

10

<p>I’ve used 5 steps to a 5 for my Phsyics B class and I found it extremely helpful. I agree that the presentation of the book was good and easy to learn from.
But I also have to agree that Priceton Review is really great. I use it for all of my other nonphysics AP prep.</p>