<p>Is Barron's any good?</p>
<p>You could search this.</p>
<p>A lot of people like CliffsAP. 5 steps to a 5 is also good. Barron's should be at least passable (though I don't have any real experience with the Barron's book for AP lang).</p>
<p>For AP English Language, to be honest, the best way to prepare is to read and read and read and be good at analyzing passages. That's basically what the multiple-choice sections and essays have you do.</p>
<p>There's one book that I recommend: Writing the AP English Essay from 5 steps to a 5.</p>
<p>As one person once said, "It's all about how you write, not necessarily what you write." You want to sound intelligent in your essays, but you still want your stuff to be reasonable. You really don't need outstanding and incredibly insightful analysis to do well on the essays. But don't write an "average," anybody-can-write essay. At most that will get a 5/9. </p>
<p>It would also be useful to read newspaper and listen to NPR and form your own opinions on things. For example, one of the AP questions last year asked about my opinion on giving incentives so that people will do something and about whether that was a good idea. It helps to know about the world and be involved in those discussions about the world and things like abortion, war, and other controversial issues. I had a really hard time answering that question last year, because I just didn't have enough time to think up a strong argument. If you've developed arguments in the past, you should be more used to this.</p>
<p>There's a new "synthesis essay" that was new last year and will be one year old this May. It's just a DBQ for AP history classes, basically.</p>
<p>Get Writing the AP English Essay by 5 Steps to a 5.</p>
<p>Oh, and know that you don't have to know lots of fancy rhetorical devices for anything. Know the basics: tone, parallel structure, sentence structure, diction, and syntax. Your essays may argue, for instance, that the parallel structure of some piece has ___ effect and then go on. It's all about the "What" and the "So what?" In other words, not just "The author uses lots of fancy words, like __ and<strong><em>." Go into the "So what?" The use of elevated diction FITS THE WRITER'S PURPOSE OF </em></strong> BY ___. That's always important. Explain how the techniques fit the author's purpose of (name the purpose). Go into great detail with lots of examples.</p>
<p>But you'll find this all in the book I recommend.</p>
<p>Our school teacher recommends REA.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the help! :) Much thanks.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how the Barron's practices compare to the real test? The only full-length tests I'd taken before today were a released former test and some other practice, on both of which I got somewhere in the mid-five range on the MC (assuming that I do decently on the essays.) I just took the first Barron's practice (from the 2007 book) and did... abysmally is the best word I can think of. I was pretty sure I was looking at the wrong answer key when I checked my answers, but it appears to be the right one... </p>
<p>Whatever. It's too late to do anything. I just don't know if I suddenly stopped being able to read or if Barron's is horribly inaccurate.</p>
<p>same situation actually as ^. has anyone had any experience with Barron's for this test? and how accurate were the tests?</p>
<p>I think in terms of difficuties for AP English Language it goes:
PR>Barron>Cliff’s
What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Cliffs is the best, hands down.</p>
<p>^byubound
I’m talking about these review books in terms of the MC difficulty…
btw, r u a mormon?</p>
<p>^I am also talking about in terms of difficulty and yes I am.</p>