PR vs Barron's, Drive

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

<p>Read on before you banish me to the AP section.</p>

<p>Today, I was in Barnes and Nobles reading the AP chem review books of both PR and Barron's. Hitherto, I had always been a bigger fan of PR because of a combination of its simplicity and Barron's intricacies. In no subject has that difference been more evident than in Chemistry.</p>

<p>Strictly for the purpose of conquering tommorrow's AP Chem test, I probably would have been better served sticking to PR. However, I was determined to not be overwhelmed by Barron's, sporting an unfaltering confidence that I could take on any reading material.</p>

<p>I eventually got through Barron's (really gives you an idea of how long I spent in B&N, huh?). It was comprehensive, but I doubt that some of its contents would ever show their ugly faces on any AP exam.</p>

<p>Since the beginning of senior year, I have been reading review books of just about every AP out there except the foreign languages. I felt a need to read them because my effort throughout high school has been lackadaisical at best. I reasoned that by doing so, I would head into college on level ground with your typical college freshman regardless of where he or she is going.</p>

<p>Am I wrong? What I have been doing is not unheard of; apparently, people self-study AP exams all the time. However, my situation is different in that my school does not allow me to take AP exams of subjects of which I have not been in a class for. </p>

<p>So, with the exception of Chem and a few other subjects, most of my review book hoarding will not appear on my transcript (at least and hopefully, not immediately). Since my aim for many of these is not to ace the exams but to gain the knowledge, then, I thought, I should ditch efficiency for quantity. I figured that by reading Barron's book instead of its comparatively easier PR counterpart, I would know more, which is always better.</p>

<p>True, there is no substitute for actual class attendance, but how close can I really get?</p>

2

<p>I don’t think one is generally considered “the best.” There’s a comprehensive list of which book is the best for which subject on the AP board. I usually go with that.
As far as personal preferences go, Barron’s for me.</p>

3

<p>Barron’s really sucks for every subject I’ve used it for. Princeton Review is much more clear.</p>

4

<p>I like Barron’s because it’s harder and prepares me for tests.</p>

5

<p>Wait, if you want to gain knowledge, why not learn from textbooks instead of prep books?</p>

6

<p>How does the school not allow it?</p>

7

<p>If I am taking the AP level class, I typically use barrons. PR is better if you are self-studying a subject from scratch (easier to read in general).</p>

8

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<p>Well I wasn’t really referring to one vs the other; more like what each stands for.</p>

<p>Simplicity vs comprehensiveness with intricacies attached.</p>

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<p>Wants to protect its reputation I guess. My Chem teacher said that last year, 54/110 kids taking the AP Chem from our school got 4’s and 5’s, which is actually a little surprising. Nevertheless, people are going to get 3’s anyway, so I don’t see what purpose they serve in blocking my ability to take the tests.</p>

<p>Now that I’ve taken the exam (went OK, skipped 3 MC and spent too much time writing my half-page response to one letter subquestion so I didn’t have time to finish the last question of the part. By the time I finished part B, proctors were pacing the room, ready to confiscate calculators so bleh), I might get around to reading the Barron’s version or maybe even the textbook. </p>

<p>Oh yea</p>

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<p>Well prep books are much more streamlined and get right down to business; textbooks waste too much time proving everything to me (I’ll take you for your word, textbook), and are not exactly the cheapest books on the market. Also, I can finish a review book in just a few hours (typically one afternoon spent at B&M), while I have to make return trips for textbooks.</p>

<p>For the purpose of knowing more than the next guy, I guess textbooks are the way to go. However, time is running out for me; high school is about to end, and it’ll take me a lot more than 4 weeks to read the textbook versions of the AP subjects out there.</p>

9

<p>This might be obvious, but I think the biggest difference between a review book and a textbook is that knowing everything in the former will allow one to get a 5 on the corresponding exam but won’t tell you any more than what the AP is likely to ask. For my purposes, review books might not be the complete solutions. </p>

<p>The question is really this: are my motives wrong? Has anybody else studied an AP without wanting to ace the exam? I don’t see how wanting to know more could ever be bad, but I could be wrong.</p>