<p>I just found out that our class is using the AMSCO book as our main textbook!(:
So am I good to go? Or should I use another book to supplement, just in case? </p>
<p>If so, any suggestions? </p>
<p>Thanks! (:</p>
<p>oh, and any helpful websites/useful resources would be appreciated as well!</p>
<p>I used a couple of books to study. </p>
<p>My textbook was The American Pageant. I did not enjoy that book, because it would drag things on for pages with analogies and metaphors and it just did not make sense to me.</p>
<p>5 Steps to a 5 was complete crap in my opinion. It should be called 5 Steps to a 3. Seriously. It covers the basics but not much else.</p>
<p>I skimmed over the Princeton Review. I have no opinion on it because I didn’t actually get into the reading but it seemed like it didn’t have a lot of information.</p>
<p>The one that really helped me was “The Best Test Preparation for the AP Examination: US History” by the Research & Education Association (REA). My version was the 1999 version but it was a really, really good read. My friends call it The Dictionary because it sort of looks like one but it truly is a good book and I recommend it to anyone who’s taking the AP US History test. It’s kind of dense but trust me, read through it 2 or 3 times and you’re gold.</p>
<p>So in summary, REA’s APUSH book was the best in my opinion. And hey, I got a 4 on the test and I’m a HORRIBLE history person. (I got a 2 in World.)</p>
<p>AMSCO has garnered a lot of praise on this board but your teacher using it as a main textbook seems surprising. I always thought it was more of a prep book you should supplement with your main book, which in my case, is the American Pageant.</p>
<p>AMSCO!!..screw the textbook</p>
<p>How many pages is the AMSCO AP US prep part?
Prep part = where the book actually reviews information, not practice tests that are usually in the back.
I ask because if it’s 500+ I know I’m not going to read it so I am not going to waste $$.
Thanks.</p>
<p>Using AMSCO as your primary textbook? That’s really strange, I’m not sure if I agree with that choice. It is, after all, a review book, and is designed for reviewing, not initial learning. I would highly recommend using some other source as well, in order for you to gain another perspective and acquire reinforcement.</p>
<p>^^^fatalimmunity^^^
You are right. I personally believe that AMSCO should not be a primary textbook for a class. As a student, why not, because it really does help if you suck at history like I do. With AMSCO I am assured that I got a 4 or 5 on the APUSH test (I am waiting for the results by mail), and I got a 740 on the SAT II. You wont need anything else if you have AMSCO, because its just that good. Plus, it’s much more concise than the normal history book, and teaches you how to write the essays well.</p>
<p>I suggest using Princeton and REA. Princeton is good if you read everything and remember it. REA gives a lot of information and will surely be enough. Good luck!</p>
<p>I used REA and ended up getting a 4, but from what I’ve heard, AMSCO is definitely the best prep book.</p>
<p>What the heck? Likewise, AMSCO should primarily be used as a supplement. It’s a great prep book, but I find it strange that your teacher would be using it. I used “A Survey: American History” by Alan Brinkley, and I found it helpful.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, if you DO use AMSCO, read the whole thing twice and memorize. (Got a 5, by the way).</p>
<p>It seems odd that your teacher is using AMSCO as a main textbook. I would suggest picking up “A People and a Nation: A History of the United States” by Mary Beth Norton et al. and “Out of Many” by John Mack Faragher et al. (just Faragher if you want to stick with one textbook).</p>
<p>I don’t know AMSCO.
But if you want a further review book (I say further because of what I’ve gather on this board), I’d definitely recommend the Princeton Review. I read the entire thing a week or so before the test, and did a few of the practice tests. They way they present information is neat, organized, and yet conversational. They tell you what you’ll be tested on, what to study hard for, etc. It’s great.</p>
<p>REA + AMSCO + Class notes = Win</p>
<p>my teacher last year told us to buy the REA one…that was a really good book really deatiled but i also found sparknotes was good also because it was a little less detailed so it was good to skiimm over like a week before the test
also this website is good
[AP</a> US History Resources | Course-Notes.Org - Outlines, Notes, Vocabulary, Essays, DBQs, Practice Quizzes and much more!](<a href=“http://www.course-notes.org/US_History]AP”>AP US History Notes, Outlines, DBQs and Essays | CourseNotes | CourseNotes)
[url=<a href=“http://www.historyteacher.net/USQuizMainPage.htm]USQuizMainPAge[/url”>http://www.historyteacher.net/USQuizMainPage.htm]USQuizMainPAge[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Where can I buy a new amsco book? Amazon has it for $28!! And the official amsco website is “out of stock.”</p>
<p>My teacher required us to buy the AMSCO book at the beginning of the school year and then read through all of it by the time of AP testing.</p>
<p>But, when it became time to study for the AP exam, I only used the Kaplan book, and I was only able to get up to the World War II part.</p>
<p>I ended up getting a 5 on the AP exam.</p>
<p>Based on what I heard Amsco is definitely the book to get. And if you want too I heard it’s great for the subject test as well :)</p>
<p>thanks guys(: </p>
<p>yeah, i also thought it was kind of strange to have a prep book as a main textbook…
but i guess ill give it a shot, since i heard the teacher’s pretty good + experienced, so i guess he knows what hes doing? hahah.</p>
<p>Well I suppose if all your class did was read AMSCO over and over for the entire year, I don’t see why everyone in the class wouldn’t get a three. I don’t know how many fives that would produce, though.</p>