<p>I was just wondering how good the PR US History SAT II book is? I use PR for the 2013 APWH exam and it was great and got a 5. I've heard a lot about how bad the PR US history II book is, just wanted your opinions.
*im in APUSH this year too</p>
<p>Hi @VR9803, from my experience with PR US History SAT II materials and PR in general, my personal feeling is that it does a great job making the material fun to read (as fun as history and test prep gets anyhow) in a clear and comprehensive way. I like the readability of PR but IMHO in sacrifices it for more in-depth detail and analysis.</p>
<p>I’ve always liked to study with Barron’s for some reason, it’s usually very dense (sometimes confusing) and has brutal practice tests so my motto was always if you can do well on Barron’s you’re gold, it’s like training in the worst possible condition, you may run into an ugly one on test day. But you learn the most when you’re having at least a bit enjoyment and that is doubly true with Standardized Test Prep, so you want to find a healthy balance. </p>
<p>I have a friend who has a brother who always purchased the same prep book from multiple publishers and he did really well on his tests. It’s hard for my own family to shell out the money for even one, so junior year I spent a lot of time in the Barnes and Noble seeing which books I liked the best. For US History I got Barron’s and borrowed one of those fancy color coded card sets from a friend. I think my 770 ain’t too shabby 
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<p>Regarding taking an AP history class I always felt that those kind of classes were horribly inept at preparing me. I never took an AP course for the subject I got my highest SAT II and AP (both in English). Maybe it’s just me, but I think focused preparation on your own time, or with a tutor if you can afford it, is the best strategy for doing well. </p>
<p>Remember, it’s what you put into it! The weeks before my test I lived and breathed American history, I was watching documentaries on presidents for fun. Good luck on your SAT II!</p>