<p>What are the topics covered in the AP Chem exam?
There are a lot of prep books and textbooks out there that have plentiful supply of useless information. I'm planning on using "Chemistry, 6th ed." by Zumdahl( even though its so expensive). What chapters should I read up to?
What advice can any previous test-takers of the AP Chem exam give me?
Also, is there an alternative to Zumdahl. I don't think I can spend over 100 dollars for a prep book.</p>
<p>hey Private_Joker, i self studied AP Chem last year and i was in the exact same dilemma. It's not gonna be easy but I'm sure you can do it.
Zumdahl is god. I used it, got a 5. If u can get ur hands on it, ur set. I read chapters 1-17. I also supplemented the textbook with ARCO's AP chem prepbook. I found it extremely helpful. I'm assuming that you're self studying AP Chem. (If you're not, stop reading this post now.) It's difficult because you're not doing any labs, and of course there are lots of lab questions on the AP. The labs, however, are covered in ARCO. Also, you're starting a bit late. I started in October. However, you may be incredibly bright and grasp concepts really fast, in which case ignore this comment. All in all, good luck studying.</p>
<p>Anyone using the "Brown, LeMay, Brosten" Chem book from Prentice Hall? How is it?</p>
<p>Since Zumdahl is quite expensive, could you borrow it from your school? (assuming you're self-studying) My school allows students to put down a deposit to check out textbooks for classes you're not in (you get the money back when you return the book). If not, you could probably get a used copy for under $40 online. Check used listings at Amazon.</p>
<p>We're using Zumdahl and so far we've done 1-4, thermodynamics, equilibrium, acids/bases, ksp, spontaneity and gas laws.</p>
<p>Read Chapters 1 - 17. I agree with wrathofgod64 on supplementing with ARCO. In fact, I never actually read the chapter in Zumdahl having to do with Chemical Bonding -- I just read it a few weeks before the test in the ARCO book, which was much shorter (don't attempt to read both Zumdahl <em>and</em> ARCO entirely - there's no need).</p>
<p>I recommend purchasing Cracking the AP Exam: Chemistry from the Princeton Review. It's best to use this book to begin preparing about a month (maybe a little more) before the exam. What's really nice is that it tells you in the beginning of each section how many questions you can expect to see on the AP exam from that section. Also, it has a very helpful section on Reactions in the back of the book.</p>
<p>As far as labs go, we did a few, but I was able to do just about everything in the exam without an extensive knowledge of the laboratory. Zumdahl is thorough enough that it isn't necessary to do a lot of the suggested labs in order to get a 5 (although it does help for your own learning of it if you are able to, of course).</p>