<p>So I'm buying all my prep books right now, and I was wondering what the general consensus is for the AP World History prep book.</p>
<p>I tried looking through that massive unhelpful pinned topic and I thought the majority thought PR was the best for world. Some people recently PM'ed me and said that Barron's is the best.</p>
<p>I am serious you posted another thread on this topic already. but if you insist, IMO I will suggest using the Barrons book over PR simply because it offers a more thorough review of world history. Pr simply reviews the bare minimum and I found that using Barrons last yr for the AP World Exam help me eased through the exam, especially with the DBQs and FRQs. PR just has too much fluff and not enough "content". At my school, everybody that used barrons received 5s while the people who had used PR received 3s and 4s. oh yes, i also received a 5. but then again, no prep book can substitute the real learning experience in class. Good luck with your endeavors.</p>
<p>I bought Barron's but I won't need it since my teacher is godlike.</p>
<p>I used Princeton Review and got a 5. It doesn't cover a lot of content, but it does cover what's necessary. The how to write the free-response section, or whatever it is called, was very useful, since that was the first time I had written a DBQ question for any test/class. I did have a good knowledge of world history, even before taking the AP, and had only taken a normal World History class the year before. Honestly, I read about half a textbook before realizing that reading it would have taken forever, and instead crammed from the Princeton Review book for about 2-3 days before the AP exam. This same method probably won't work for others though, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>Honestly, you aren't going to get any satisfactory answer from us. Some people will say one book is better, others will say a different book is better. Your best bet is go to Barnes & Noble or Border's and actually look at the books that you want to get, and work from there.</p>
<p>well maybe princeton review will suffice, although the content doesn't cover as much as barrons. maybe barrons is better for those who self-study? i'm taking it as a class as well and just getting a prep book to compliment and review what's being learned in class.</p>
<p>barron's. /<em>/</em>/</p>
<p>barron's is good if you use it along with your textbook for tests in class.</p>
<p>PR is very good for the ap exam. Their MC tests are much harder than that of the actual exam and its review tells you everything that will come out on the test.</p>
<p>hey guys i have the same dilemma. PR or barron's. </p>
<p>so here's the conclusion: PR has minimal coverage that is "necessary" for the exam while Barron has the best overall review content.</p>
<p>so my questions are:
1. when you say "PR covers what's NECESSARY", what does that MEAN?
2. how are the barron's practice tests compared to PR's? are they just as hard, harder than the actual AP test?</p>
<p>any inputs would be greatly appreciated! thanks guys</p>
<p>:P</p>
<p>@yournamehere</p>
<p>When I said that Princeton Review had what was necessary, I meant that it had enough material to let you study only from that book and get a 5 on the AP. It is by no means a replacement for a textbook for your class, but it is a good study guide that will help you learn the key concepts that are needed for the AP exam. Now then, I looked through Barron's practice tests and didn't really like them. It's not that the tests aren't good, but more that they test material that really isn't needed for the AP. Therefore, you can say that the Barron's tests are slightly harder, though not much so, than the real exam. On the other hand, Princeton Review's practice exams accurately reflect the difficulty of the AP and thus are a good judge of whether you are ready for the exam or not. If you have the money and the time, get both books, but if you're only studying for the AP, then go with Princeton Review.</p>
<p>what about self study;which prep book?</p>
<p>If you self study, it's ideal that you get a textbook. But Barron's is best if you don't have a textbook.</p>
<p>I chose PR for all my tests because I already have to go through the whole textbook in class.</p>
<p>Basically if you really want a lot of info or had a poor class, then get Barron's. It has the specifics you should get from a class.</p>
<p>PR is more of a review assuming you have a solid knowledge already.</p>
<p>My teacher sucked... I used Barron's and got a 5. I honestly would have gotten a 3 (says my first practice test) if it weren't for Barron's. I really liked it and recommend it. But if you only need a general concept review go PR (as it's also good)</p>
<p>I got a 5 and used both Barron's and PR.</p>
<p>Comparison: Barron is more mature and takes a no ***** approach. PR is much more amusing to read through, which really could help with memorization. PR practice tests are excellent, almost a perfect mirror of the AP. Barron's tests are slightly more difficult than the AP. Barron has more information, but some of it is quite trivial. Honestly, if you read your textbook, you'll be fine, world history is a pretty easy test because of how general the subject is.</p>
<p>If you're self studying World definitely get Barrons. You don't need a text, Barrons has all you need.</p>
<p>I didn't pay attention in class at all that year. I'm not even exaggerating - my teacher just sat there and said, "Okay kids, read your textbook," for the entire year, so naturally being the immature sophomore I was, I opted for more entertaining endeavors.</p>
<p>I bought Barron's two days before the AP test and only cracked it the morning of. Ended up with a 4. Barron's is god.</p>
<p>i bought PR and opened it the night before, only read the first half of the book and got a 5. and this is with reading a max of only 100 pages of the Traditions and Encounters Textbook. But i prolly got a 5 because of my backround knowledge due to AP Euro which is very similar. In fact it should be 1 class for both exams like AP Econ or AP Physics C</p>
<p>Ethel Woods in my opinion is the best if you only want it for review. If you're going to use it for more than that go with Barrons.</p>