Greetings to everybody! I just started self studying ap world history yesterday and i bought both Barron’s and Princeton books. Now i have a few questions. Do i have enough time? (i have skimmed traditions and encounters and i am also taking the normal WH which is way too easy, so i kind of know 70% of the content generally) Second, how should i use the two books? Which history review should i read according to my time left? Lastly, i found videos from GETAFIVE and John Green’s crash course. Which one is better to watch for the exam? Thank you very much! I really appreciate that.
Honestly, AP World is one of the hardest AP’s just because there is so much to know, and you are cutting the study time pretty close. It’s worth a try though! Between those two books, I would recommend Barron’s for learning the material and Princeton for review (if you have time). John Green has great reviews but it’s hard to absorb all the information because he goes so quickly, so don’t use that to teach you the material. Really practice the essays! Good luck!
@jackwang0703 Wow! We’re in the exact same boat! My school doesn’t offer an AP class for world history; in fact, they split it up into two years of classes, both at a regular level. I bought both the books that you mentioned as well (PR and Barron’s.) I’ve decided to use Barron’s because it is more detailed and structured.
I slightly disagree with the poster above concerning having enough studying time. Considering that the AP test focuses largely on trends, themes, and the big picture rather than small details (although knowing them never hurts), you and I should be fine on time. My plan is to use Barron’s to re-learn all the material I’ve forgotten and fill in gaps, and then do a bunch of practice tests leading up to the exam (PR has 3, Barron’s has 2).
If you look at Barron’s, there’s 2 options: Scenic Route, or Short Cut. I would recommend, if you have the time, to go through the entire Scenic route for chapters that you’re unsure of. Barron’s does a nice job of organizing everything by time period, so you can pinpoint exactly where your weak spots are. As far as reviewing, I would honestly just take notes from the book and then review them during the week coming up to the exam. I feel like once you’ve taken the notes though, it’s more important to focus on the big themes that the essay will expect you to explain. The Shortcut sections on Barron’s are key for knowing these trends.
Good luck to you! I’m hoping for a 4 or a 5… our teacher told us specifically that our classes were not designed to cover all of the AP material, so we would definitely have to self study… low and behold, here I am. Hopefully we can both get 5’s. 
Thank you, hopefully… I just read through the review from Princeton and i decide to use the short cut from Barron’s later before test. The last time period is definetly my weakest part simply because it contains numerous information… By the way, i also watch the videos from GetAFive along with each time period and i find it quite helpful(As long as it is free… I did not choose John Green because it is just too fast and sometimes irrelevant…)
And i have a question for you(or whoever knows) please. How can i possibly have access to the multiple choice from the recent real tests? Thank you very much!
Barron’s and Princeton Review, which practice test is more difficult and which one is closer to the actual exam? Thank you!
Barron’s and Princeton Review, which practice test is more difficult and which one is closer to the actual exam? Thank you! Anybody?
Hey I’m self studying as well. How is everyone studying for the essays?
PS: There are also some tips given by past students on college confidential so make sure to check those out
Wait does that mean PR is best if you’re taking the class? In my class, basically the only thing I did was read the textbook.
From what I heard around, PR reviews the best (but not enough by itself) and Barrons overextends on the topics (I think enough by itself?). So if you just want a refresher and don’t have enough time, I guess go for PR.
I’m still freaked about the essays though >_<
The short cut in Barron’s is actually not that short…It is pretty good though.
About the essays, check out AP Central for the previous actual free response questions. The scoring statistics are pretty interesting, seems like the very minority of students meet the guidelines…
The score distribution is pretty strict though 
Barron’s and Princeton Review, which practice test is more difficult and which one is closer to the actual exam? Thank you so much!
Barron’s and Princeton Review, which practice test is more difficult and which one is closer to the actual exam? Thank you so much! I really want to know where i actually am after doing different practice tests.
@jackwang0703
Barron’s has a reputation for creating harder tests. If you have both PR and Barron’s like I do, you will find PR is more straightforward throughout the book while Barron’s tends to present things more compactly, but in odd ways. I believe AP Central has a real practice test, so that would be your best bet for finding a test closest to the real deal. Good luck!
Yep… In May of 2013 only 5.9% of students earned a 5. (It says this in the PR book but I’m too lazy to provide an online source link)
It’ll be tough, but we can do it!
Thank you. Yeah i truly wanna get a 4 or 5. I am reading the content review in Princeton for the second time. I quickly read the same thing the first time and forgot most of them…Then i just tried doing a practice test in Princeton and it turned out to be terrible…I only did the MC. I got 45/70…I guess if the essays are quite acceptable, that’s probably gonna be a 3…So i have to work harder now and practice writing essays.
I just did the only two released exam that i could find, 2002 and 2007. I only did the MC of both. It turns out to be 50/70 for 2002 and 57/70 for 2007. How would you guys considr those scores? How well do i have to do on the essays so that i could get a 4 or 5? Thank you!
How many points do i need to get from the free response questions with a 70% correct of the multiple choice? And how many times should i practice the essays? I have only written 2 for each one of them… Thanks
Just wondering but do you know if the exam has been remodified in the past? Would the 2002/2007 be a good indicator of where we are?