Customer Reviews

Cracking the AP Biology Exam, 2006-2007 Edition (College Test Preparation)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

once again the princeton review proves to be the best way to study! to get a 5 all you need to do is read this book...it gives you the right amount for info you need in terms of knowledge for the aps, after that it's just logic and common sense. although the practice tests aren't very good(get actual collegboard tests to practice), absorbing most of the info in this book will get you a 5!

so i don't actually own a 2006-2007 edition of TPR's Cracking the AP Bio Exam, but I did use last year's version, and, I have to say, it was awesome. The book included all the important concepts covered in the exam, and the way the book was written makes it interesting and even the more difficult concepts lucid. I ended up with a score of 5 for the AP Biology exam, and without this book I don't think I'd be able to achieve this score.

I agree with everyone who says this review book is TRASH. Honestly, it has so little necessary information for the exam, that you could've just taken the exam without ever studying. I just thank God that I used a Barron's in conjunction with this book. The Barron's makes complicated concepts so easy that a caveman could understand them. Not only that, but it goes into detail and highlights key concepts that you'll need to know for the exam, unlike the Princeton Review. This book does have practice tests, which are always good to do, but that's about it. If I recall correctly, the book has about a page on the Immune system. A PAGE!!! Barron's on the other hand had around 10. Seriously, this book does close to nothing in giving information essential to doing well on the exam.

So, to summarize everything I just said, Princeton Review is horrible and I'll never use another review book by them again, AND go with either a Barron's or Cliff's because they actually know what they're talking about and will prepare you for the exam.

I had this in conjunction with Cliffs. Read first two chapters fell asleep. Too general, doesn't give you the details you need for a 5. Get cliffs and you'll be really prepared. This says less in a lot more words. It is garbage.

This is extremely helpful; it is informative and has saved me from hours of excruciating and painful blundering I would hope to call studying. It is organized well and easy to understand, not only would I recommend this but all of the Princeton Review books I have read so far have been great!

This book was the key for me in getting ready to take the AP Bio Exam. I realized that many questions in this book are exactly like the ones you encounter on the real test. It was like the Princeton Review people knew what exactly was going to be on the test I took beforehand. This is a must buy for acing the AP Bio Exam! Amazing book, which helped me alot.

First let me start off with a background. I was a junior when I bought this book and I was barely pulling C to C+ in my AP Biology Class. The Class seemed standard and the teacher was great. My problem was that, as interesting as biology was, I found it hard just to memorize so many things in such a short period of time ( The textbook was 2000+ pages!)

The time to take the AP test came and I needed to review. I was starting to look for more of a 3-4 then the 5 i wanted. I bought this book in hopes of just passing the test. Well this book did that and much more. What this book has to offer is tremendously useful. After taking the test, I saw that this book went over just the things that were the MOST important topics of the exam ( about 60% of the AP biology topics take up 80-90% of the exam).

This book goes into detail on the important topics which is split up into chapters. After each chapter is a chapter review test which helped you remember each topic in a very strategic way. It sound pretty typical but they way the book is constructed helps you remember TREMENDOUS amounts of information in its relatively short review section ( roughly 3/4 of the book the last 1/4 is a Practice Test)

I was pulling a C in the class but I managed to get a 5 on the AP Biology test. Just think about what wonders it can do for you. I bought the other CliffsAP review book and that one turned out to be pretty much useless to me. I highly recomend this book if it is the only book you can afford to buy for this Class.

Princeton Review claims to be the mecca of test prep! Well I WOULD CERTAINLY DISAGREE WITH THAT CLAIM BASED ON THIS BOOK! It over summarizes everything + while the pictures and diagrams look nice and all they aren't gonna get you that 3, 4, or 5!!! I mean sure the overall summary of the concepts is correct but the AP exam is really tough.... i know because i just took it!.... and they will expect you to know everything in a great level of detail!!! Especially with the labs.... This book summarizes each lab in 1 paragraph... ha!!! Cliffs does pgs. for each one + tells you exactly what ETS wants! Also the test questions and practice look nothing like the AP



IF YOU WANT TO DO WELL STOP + GO TO WHERE YOU CAN BUY CLIFFS!!!

Upon writing the exam today, I breezed through the multiple choice easily. I haven't gotten my results yet, but I'm hoping i got a 4.
This book has really clever ways to help you memorize things, but its might not go into enough detail for the labs. DO USE this book to save you some pain and time, but I would also suggest to you to get some other external source for the taxonomy section, which I thought was quite poorly organized. The NEW Barron's (the one that's a new edition, not my Edwards and Cimmino) was WAY better with the examples given for essay questions which is worth 40% of your mark. The essay questions on the actually exam CAN be very difficult and vary every year, so don't let it lead you to believing that multiple choice is the most important.

To do well on the AP test, you can't depend completely on this book. you should also take a comprehensive AP Bio course during high school. It is best to use this book through out the school year along with your Bio class materials. If you know everything on this book, you will definitely do well on the multiply choice portion of the test. However, if you did not use another AP Bio textbook and depended completely on this book, you might not do as well on the essay portion. For example, this book does not cover the different kinds of biotechnologies really in detail. But on the 2000(I don't remember the year exactly) AP Bio test, one of the essay questions asked you to talk about several biotechnology tecniques (such as PCR, southern blotting etc.). Overall, this is very good book. The wording is very easy to understand and straightforward. It is not boring to read this book (unlike some of the other ap bio prep book, such as barron's) and the book tells you everthing you need to know (for multiple choice portion). Another thing I strongly recommend for studying ap bio test is McGraw-Hill's Biology Essential Study Partner. I think this program can be found online (like in google). This program accompany the biology textbook by Raven (but you don't need to read the textbook to use this program). I am pretty sure you will get a 5 on the ap bio test if you studied everything on Essential Study Partner and Princeton Review's Ap Biology.