<p>Hey guys, I'm a sophomore and I'm taking AP Bio and AP Euro this year. Can you recommend review books that worked/didn't work for you? Also, I heard that they redid the AP Bio tests too, so I really need help deciding which review book to buy. Thanks</p>
<p>I’m also taking the AP Bio this year. My friend took it last year, and he said that he used Barron’s review book along with Campbell Biology textbook to get a 5.</p>
<p>It’s good that you’re prepping early.
Don’t know about APEH, but for Bio it’s like this:
<em>Top Tier</em>
Barron’s 4th-Very thorough. If you can fully understand all the concepts in this book, you will be more than ready for the exam. Thus with this, only cursary references from Campbell (diagrams in newer Campbells is fantastically helpful) are needed if you don’t like the textbook. (It’s best to use Campbell along with this, however)
Cliffnotes 4th-Very technical tone. Best lab explanations. Not as much review material compared to the overkill Barron’s.
<em>Lower Tier</em>
Kaplan 2014-2015 - It’s technically newer than the top tiers, but update is very little per edition. Review is okay, but Top Tier is better. Practice Exams are alright, but not too challenging.
5 Steps to a 5 2014-2015 - It has a interesting 1-2 semester long study schedule if you like having schedule planners. The review is not very in depth but thus has a less overwhelming feel compared to the Top Tiers and is written in a more ‘casual’ tone. The practice exams are outdated in format and not suited for the new more conceptual oriented AP exam.
Princeton Review 2014-2015 - A overall bad review book. The practice exams are too easy, unlike the Top Tier in which some questions are harder than that of the Exam’s. Seems that most people choose this for the Princeton ‘name’.
(Their AP Physics is far better, however, and arguably one of the best in that subject)</p>
<p>I passed AP Euro just by reading the assigned textbook and CrashCourse, REA & Youtube. Try reading Wikipedia pages concerning the chapter’s topic and iTunes has free podcasts.</p>