wondering.. which prep book to use? (for BIO M and US History)

<p>any recommendations?</p>

<p>I just got bad scores... far worse than I expected on the two above and am thinking about retaking them...</p>

<p>it's kinda weird I got something like 680 on Bio M this time ..
Seriously, I am a "bio person" in my school and fairly sure I got a 5 on the AP Bio..<em>**! I got an A- in my class grade!! *</em>*FFFFF is this? It's true I froze during the test and left 3 blank cuz I ran out of time (dunno y.)... but how could I have gotten a 680??? 680??? 680???!!!</p>

<p>oh lastly,
if I get a 800 ( i know i can if i study cuz I crammed all the stuff on the day before June 3rd...) after getting a 680, how do colleges view this? Would they think this girl was not feeling well first time taking the exam? Or would they focus on the fact that 680 is SUCH a low score??? :(</p>

<p>HELP>>>>
SOS. totally freakin SOS.</p>

<p>use barron's for the practice tests and kaplan's. It's hard to get an 800 in biology because there is such a huge knowledge base ( i got a 780), so don't feel bad. From what I have seen in other forums, colleges will probably see the jump from a 680 to an 800 as a good thing 'cause it shows that you are willling to go above and beyond :)</p>

<p>Yeah, Barrons tends to overprepare you. There're some chapters in that book that you won't have to pay as much attention to, though. I also suggest using CliffNotes (the book for AP Bio) for the big ideas. CN is a lot less detailed than Barrons, and even if you haven't taken AP Bio, it's pretty easy to read.</p>

<p>As for USH, do not use Barrons. The practice tests ask all the wrong types of questions and are insanely difficult (I nearly went mad with frustration taking those tests). I heard Kaplan is good, although if you've taken APUSH, REA is also a good review. (But you don't need AP to use REA.)</p>