Customer Reviews

Cracking the AP Biology, 2000-2001 Edition (Cracking the Ap Biology Exam)

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

 

 

I'm sorry, but I just don't understand how people can not like this book. This book was amazing and awesome and I owe any and all of my score to this book. My teacher taught us nothing and my textbook was even worse. I did not know anything nor did I understand anything. I saught this book out of desperation after even reading the Cliffs confused me. Biology at that point was just confusing and frustrating, and none of it sank in. This book made it all make sense. It helped me understand so much. Photosynthesis, respiration, mitosis, meiosis, ecology, it all started to click. After finishing a section in this book, I went to the Cliffs to get the nuances and a deeper understanding. Did I mention that I hated my textbook? I did not read more than a fourth of that book, it was just aweful, and in class, I did my math homework, because trying to pay attention was a complete waste of time and effort. Thus, at least for me, this book and the Cliffs replaced a bulky 1,200 page textbook, a teacher, and a year of biology. I went into the test feeling prepared enough to pass, but my score amazed both myself and everyone who knows me and my experience with biology. Somehow, I managed to get a five. Did the Princeton Review help? You bet!

As a student who just completed an AP Biology course and took the exam, I will share my opinion of it with you: It is woefully inadequate for either a quick review or in-depth studying. The book takes an oversimplified, patronizing tone, giving you information that is just not specific enough to help on the test. After comparing it with the '86 and '94 and this year's exams, it answered only a small percentage of the multiple choice questions in its review sections. In regards to the essay part of the test, it was absolutely worthless in answering any of this year's free-response questions. The book manages to give enough information only to cover general concepts, not anything specific enough. I find it hard to believe that anyone giving this a positive review actually looked at it. Even the strategy sections are rather unhelpful, while the practice tests are poorly representative of the real thing. The only area in which it scores is the laboratory review, which is well put together. As a review guide, I would strongly recommend you look elsewhere (try Cliff's; it's excellent), and don't be prepared to score higher than a 1 if it's the only thing you look at.

This is an excellent study guide for the AP Exam. Remember, I say that this is a good STUDY GUIDE. It's not a substitute for the textbook or the class. But if you get every concept from this book, you'll have no problem on the AP. If you're someone who relies on the essays more than the Multiple Choice, getting this book will be a great help. You'll really get all the ideas organized in your head and will remember the great mnemonics during the AP exam. If you want to do well on the AP or the SAT II, this is the book to get.

but it oversimplifies the test in my opinion. I like to feel like I know what I'm doing rather than just be armed with strategies. I will say that the PR's strategies are great and really help out on the test. The writing style is easier to understand than barron's. However, I don't recommend this book for a full review of the concepts you need to know. It is a helpful supplement to help you review for the AP exam in addition to what you review from your text and notes.

I agree that this book is an excellent review. You should probably take the class, but this book is very helpful with regards to the actual test. The Princeton Review's strategies (with the exception of skipping problems---don't ever do that) really work. I got a 5.

The first thing that struck me about this publication was its attitude toward the AP test. In a nutshell, Magloire says "The AP test is stupid and biology is stupid, but I guess I'll teach you about it. . ." Not only that, but at least 30 to 40% of the material on the AP test was not in this book. The diagnostics in the back were the only helpful thing in this book, as they are real AP test questions, though they are not presented in a representative rastio to the real test. Need I say more?

I've been a faithful customer of Princeton Review UNTIL THIS BOOK. It's filled with errors, not just minor errors like a typo or something, but huge errors that turn important biological concepts upside down! For the bio people out there, this book's diagram of meiosis had the cell replicate twice before going into prophase I, which means it started out as 4 chromosomes, which are supposed to line up in homologous pairs during metaphase one in 2x2. but in this book there were EIGHT chromosomes lining up 4x2. For the parts that this book did get right, the explainations were pretty good. But if I were you I'd go for the Cliff Notes AP Bio prep book, that one is much better.

This book would be great as a skin-deep refresher for an already accomplished Biology student. Used as a test-prep guide...you got nothin'. This book won't help. Barron's Biology guide is longer and boring, but will get you ready to go for the big test.