Customer Reviews

Barron's AP U.S. Government and Politics

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

 

 

The advantage of using any Barron's book is that the problems in it are a lot harder than those you'll see on the actual exam. Review books are not meant to be textbooks, so they will give a general overview of the course. After 14 AP exams so far (7 more this year), I've never walked into an exam where College Board's questions were harder than Barron's.

although this book was meant to be read along with a textbook throughout the school year, i had not bought it until a few weeks before the actual exam. It helped a lot and covered all the subjects very well. The only thing is that the chapters are extremely long and provide more examples than necessary. The questions are definitely a lot harder than whats on the exam so if you pass the practice tests, you're sure to score well on the AP exam.

The details from the publisher appropriately say "general review" because it is SO general. The details of US government that you really need for this test are absent from the review (come on, it's an AP test, they're looking for college-level understanding) and the review questions at the end of each chapter and the practice tests are completely based on almost word for word the book material and were so much weirder/harder than the actual test. I don't think this book helped me at all for the test, and unfortunately I had to buy it for class anyway or I never would've wasted my money.

I think if you want a 3 on the test- review only with this book. If you want a 4/5 use your textbook extensively (like I did) or get a much better book.

This book has too much useless information and even some wrong facts. It is not a good review, because it is not organized to be read fast. The author gets into too much theory, etc., which goes beyond the AP test.

This review book along with a solid AP course will get you at least a 4. The summaries are excellent for reinforcement.

This book went into way too much detail and had extraneous examples. If you need a review book, steer clear of Barron's AP Govt. If you want a supplement to your textbook, then this isn't that bad. The book goes into picky details that don't even show up on the exam.

Some of multiple choice contradicts my textbook, and some of my textbook contradicts AP multiple choice. AP Government has always been somewhat of a murky subject, and this book will only further cloud your good Gov't and Politics judgment. The questions are not average AP style (for example, there are no I, II, III type questions on the test, and the wording for some questions I feel are huge grammar disasters). The sample free-response as well, were so odd that I did not even bother to answer them. Do the AP Central AP Gov't FRQs instead of any review books; since it's straight from the source itself, it gives you a better idea of what to expect.

The general overview before each section is fine for those needing to refresh their memories. The Supreme Court cases they summarize is also extremely useful, though they tend to list some really unimportant ones.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND this book because it is not a good test preparation booklet, in that it does not mimic AP style well, and its general overview is not so outstanding that you couldn't find it in another review book.

This book will help my son prepare for tests throughout the year, in additon to the AP test. Book arrived on time and in the condition
stated. Thank you.