I am looking to self-study AP US Gov and Politics. I already know a good deal on the subject and follow current events and governmental policy pretty closely. I have already bought the Barron’s Book and the Princeton Review Book, and I plan to use both of them. I have some experience with Barron’s books so I was thinking about starting with that, although I hear that the Princeton book is better and will prepare me better for the AP exam. That makes me want to use the Princeton book more. My goal is to both learn the subject well because it is something I am highly interested in and get a 5 on the AP exam. I was also thinking that I should due about a chapter a week until a month before the AP exam, when I start taking practice exams. Any tips on self-studying would be highly appreciated as it is not something I have done before.
Hey there! I’m currently in AP US Gopo, so maybe you want someone who has actually taken it. But from what I’ve researched over the summer the key to a 5 is doing all the readings from a textbook. Evidently, as a self-studier yourself you probably don’t have one. Even the PR/Barron’s books could be insufficient (for a full analysis, check out this site: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ap-tests-preparation/877612-ap-us-government-and-politics-which-book-is-the-best-the-ultimate-test-p1.html). The textbook we use at school is straightforward with a lot of graphics, and skinnier than most of my other textbooks: American Government Roots and Reform (*AP Edition) - by Karen O’Connor, Larry J. Sabato, and Alixandra B. Yanus. You should go through 1 chapter each week, or 1 section per night (and that should give you plenty of time to review if you start in December (a little over a month)). And then, according to the link I posted with this post, get crash course when you’re ready to start reviewing for the exam itself.
I took AP US Gov last year and I used Princeton Review as my main means of study before the AP test in May and I got a 5. The book went over everything you needed to know and more; also, it went in an order that made sense to me. I looked at my friend’s Barrons review book and from first glance it seemed like it was missing some vital facts and information. If I were to take the class again I would 100% use Princeton Review again. And as for using the book, I read through it once, underlining the most important information, but I didn’t annotate because I think it slows me down, but whatever works best for you is what you should do. After I highlighted, I outlined the whole Princeton Review book. The practice multiple choice in the Princeton Review are hard, but a fair measure of the difficulty of the AP US Gov test; they are slightly harder. The practice essays in the Princeton Review are WAY harder than what will be on the AP test so to practice those I searched online for some practice prompts.
Thanks ruanordy88,
I started by doing 2 chapters of the Barron’s, so I’m going to finish that at the very least. I’ll probably head back through the Princeton for the exam, thanks!
I’ve been reading ‘AP* Comparative Government and Politics: An Essential Coursebook and Study Guide 5th Edition.’
It’s really solid. I totally recommend it if you have the means. I think it costs something like $12-17 used. There’s a 6th edition, but it’s really expensive and I just refuse to pay $50 for a paperback.
There are also tons of free online courses with literally everything there is to know for the exam, so I would recommend looking for those. I also have the Princeton Review book, but I haven’t done much with it yet because I’m only a couple pages into my prep book. Collegeboard has a lot of practice questions if you’re looking for an accurate representation of what’s going to be on that exam. Let me know if you find anything awesome because I’m doing the same thing.
To wrap this thread up (people can still reply if they wish to discuss more):
I decided to go ahead and use the Barron’s book as pretty much my only preparation. I read through all of the chapters in the book and did very well on the multiple choice quizzes of each chapter (read over half the book the day before – not recommended). After reading each section, I didn’t even try to do the free response as they were quite difficult (most of them were). I will again say that I think of myself as politically savvy and educated already for anyone who is wondering how well I was prepared before studying. I also did no practice tests aside from those at the end of every chapter because I am exceedingly lazy.
With this kind of preparation, I did not feel confident going into the AP test (expecting a 3, hoping for a 4). After taking the test, I was much more confident (5 or 4 – maybe 3, but I doubt it). It just might have been that the 2016 test was very easy, but there was nothing on the test that stumped me and I believe I was able to fully answer 95% of the test.
As for the Barron's book: I used the 9th edition and I highly recommend it. It prepared me very well for the exact types of questions that would be on the test. I did not even look at the Princeton Review book I got tbh. I have always used Barron's and will continue to do so. The one complaint I had about the book was that not all of the keywords at the heading of each chapter are in the glossary. That was a minor inconvenience for making quizlets, but still no big deal.
I wish all of you have have read this thread luck with your AP tests. I stand by the Barron’s book as a sufficient preparatory resource for the test. I also recommend taking old tests released by the college board before the exam (I didn’t do it, but it would be helpful). Ask me any questions! Thanks!