Customer Reviews

AP Achiever (Advanced Placement* Exam Preparation Guide) for European History (College Test Prep)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a must-have for taking the AP Euro test. It's structured in a way that makes it easy to review a certain era of history and focuses on the key components that are then tied in to general themes. The book really allowed me to link all the events and concepts together that I learned in class. I found this review book to be the most helpful because it didn't read like a textbook. The wording was clear and nothing was dragged out for so long that I lost interest.
At the end of each section there are example multiple choice and essay questions that I felt were comparable to the ones on the actual AP Test. They allowed me to check my knowledge on a certain section of history and to see whether I needed to review it more or not. In the back of the book there are answers to the questions that provide thorough explanations so not only do you know the right answer, you know WHY it is the right answer.
Another thing that is unique about this book is that it has TWO practice AP Tests at the end so you can check your progress. If you do well on these practice tests then you are definitely prepared for the real AP Test.
Overall this was a great review book and I benefited from it a lot.

I've taught AP European History for 10 years and never recommended a review text to my students, until now. Unlike other review texts, the AP Achiever is comprehensive; well balanced in terms of political/diplomatic, intellectual/cultural, and social/economic history; user-friendly; and even entertaining at times. Freiler manages the broad scope of European History with humor, clarity, and the expertise of someone who has been on the inside of creating the AP Exam. I strongly recommend his text for both students and instructors.

This is a very concise review book that basically covers anything and everything you need to know for the AP exam. Throughout the whole course of the school year I Struggled to maintain a B average in the class, due to the fact that I never touched the text. This book saved me on the AP test. With diligent application and studying of the material presented, there is no reason as to why anyone would even need to bother with the text book. I managed a five, and actually found the test to be relatively easy due to the information i got from it. The chapters are reviewed in Chronological order, and end with 10 review questions that are good estimates of one's understanding of the chapter. There are many essay examples throughout, and detailed explanations of why they were good or not. The practice tests in the back were also very good examples of what appeared on the AP test. The only qualm I had with the book was a lack of an index of key terms; this wasn't too big of an issue, since the chapters were organized nicely, but this would have been a helpful addition. All in all, the review book is great as both a companion and as a stand alone review of the material in the course.

Filled with numerous important facts and great strategies as well as a timeline, this book is definitely the total package. It has helped me SO much along the way and is a great alternative to less inspiring offerings from Princeton Review and the likes.

Definitely the best book of the bunch and the most for its money!!!
Students who buy it are most likely going to raise their score by 1 to 2 points if following the very helpful instructions!

I purchased this book for myself towards the middle of the year into my AP European History class. Not only did I find it immensely helpful in day to day class understanding (I got A's all year in the course), it was also great for reviewing at the end of the year right before the exam. This was my first AP test, and having no clue which brands of review books were best, I took my teachers (very adamant) advice and purchased this book, even with the slightly higher price tag than some of the others. So glad I did!! I got a chance to look through others that my classmates had purchased and was pleased to note the better, more in depth content contained in the AP Achiever as well as the more extensive practice multiple choice questions, DBQ's, and FRQ's. I now wish I had purchased this book at the very beginning of the year rather than the middle!
The best way to use this text is definitely as an all year supplemental text, as its "quick review" potential really only came for me after highlighting and selecting the things which were vague in my particular class text and those which I personally had difficulty understanding the first time around. But that's the best way to do well on the test! Not only is the content good, but the explanation of how the AP test is conducted, and the tips for answering the essays are fantastic as well. Probably the best for learning what is expected of you in an FRQ, with loads of examples throughout. As well, I found that while seemingly no text followed the same chapter layout as my text book, the chapters were laid out well enough for me to be able to easily find the one that corresponded to what we were learning about.
I was so excited when a few weeks ago I received my scores and discovered that I scored a 5, I had to write this review in praise. I would definitely recommend this to anyone taking the AP Euro history exam!

Before buying this book I tried the Princeton Review version. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY buying that load of baloney. This Ap Achiever is where it's at. Even my history teacher uses it. The book provides succinct data of everything you need to know in order to get a 5. In a way, the book is a teacher's companion, but students can use it also. The typography is amazing and the book itself is very accessible.

WARNING: THIS BOOK IS NOT A CRAM BOOK. This book is meant for being bought at the beginning of the school year and practical reading quantities each day. It is not meant for buying 1 week before the test.

This book helped me get A's in my history class and a 5 on the Ap. Get it.

The AP Achiever is a very solid review book. If used in context with a good text, notes, and other supplements, it should help students to earn an extra point on the test.
Like all review books, it's not enough by itself.

I bought 3 study guides for my son's AP Euro history course (Princeton Rev., and Barron's are the other two) and then bought the two "Released Exams" from the College Board's online store. We are homeschooling this year so I have had to keep up with my son and maybe a step ahead and have learned as much if not more about European History than he has using Kagan's text.

Comparing the sample exams in the 3 study guides with the real thing from the College Board I found this is the one that comes closest to the released exams. The description of the author makes it seem like he is as close to the creation and grading of the exams as you can get and he certainly knows his stuff. Barron's would be my second choice. Avoid PR - some of it is just plain wrong, and a lot of their questions are irrelevant and completely unlike the real exams the college board releases.

The other thing that puts AP Achiever ahead of the others is that in the MC questions he not only explains why the correct answer is correct, but also why the other answers are wrong.

You should also get the *FREE* last ten years worth of DBQ's and FRQ's from the college board's download site. It includes all answers and samples of paper's that got 9, 6, and 3 so you can understand what they are looking for. They have the FRQ's for all the other AP subjects as well.

The downside is no index which makes it really hard to find some stuff and there is no grading scale for the multiple choice on the 2 sample exams - just the answers.

Don't buy a used copy as I did - it was marked up in ways that spoiled the MC quizzes at the end of some of the sections. Fortunately it didn't affect the later chapters or the sample exams.

Are you in a class full of people who refuse to work? Does your teacher not enforce homework completion? Have you ridiculously had a curve that granted you a 100% when you missed a fourth of the questions? Is your textbook incredibly hard to follow, making your reading assignments near impossible to understand? Well you may or may not be screwed for the AP European exam if you answered yes to any of these questions.
THAT is... unless you make the wise investment to order the AP Achiever book! All the above criteria applied to me, but the AP Achiever book did an amazing job of providing me with clear and concise data essential for the exam, thoroughly explaining each concept in a well-organized manner much less overwhelming than the textbooks. The well-made charts and grids also serve to simplify the learning process by giving visual aid. The sample questions at the end of each chapter and in the practice tests are extremely similar to the actual AP exam (possibly more detailed, which is always a good thing to study with!) and the tone of the writing is not as dry or unbearably patronizing as other study guides.
I scored a 5 with this book. Thank goodness for AP Achiever and a wonderful writer for this AP European guide.

Mr Freiler was my teacher this year for AP Euro. As one of his fellow teachers said, "Mr Freiler really is the man who wrote European History." His book really help prepare anyone for the test. I would use it to prepare for my regular test in his class and was able to really good on them. He breaks everything down for you so you don't have to be boged down with the some details of other books. His system of giving you the information helps you see everything in a clear light. Freiler you are the man!!!