16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not good enough for a 5; very basic, April 30, 2008
This review is from: Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam, 2008 Edition (College Test Preparation) (Paperback)
I've been through countless AP review books; I'm a junior and I've taken 4 AP exams, and I'm set to take 5 more in the next two weeks.
I feel my knowledge is very intimate on AP books and prep.
I say this because I think the people on Amazon tend to rate negative reviews poorly and positive reviews nicely, and I'd like to boost my credibility. Well folks, face it: some of these big name books just don't cut it, and I'm telling you that Princeton Review's AP Chemistry does not cut it.
While it is a good review, it does not have enough content nor explanations to be considered a premier test prep book. The explanations are brief, as if they assume that you have adequate knowledge on the topic already. They leave some holes, leaving you implying at best.
Equilibrium, by far the most complex and difficult subject on the AP Chemistry exam, is way undercovered. The chapter covers nothing that shows up on their practice problems, and the explanation is hurried and concise.
On the flipside, The Princeton Review does an outstanding job of boxing all of the important formulas and explaining the variables. It is a good idea to put these formulas on flashcards.
Another positive is the teenage-friendly words, which may go far in explaining concepts in ways that a college textbook may not.
While the Princeton Review delivers on some concepts, it falls tremendously short on others. It's exactly what it advertises to be: a review.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Quite Below My Expectations..., May 16, 2008
This review is from: Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam, 2008 Edition (College Test Preparation) (Paperback)
I believe the best time to review a book, especially one that is a test/AP Exam prep book is when the test is actually over; this way, the reviewer can make comparisons as to what was effectively covered.
Princeton Review has helped me very much in the past, so I have absolutely nothing against the company; however, this book was dissapointing. The actual AP exam's questions were much more challenging than the ones in the book. This really game me a false sense of security. 97% of BOTH practice tests (two are provided in the PR AP Chem. book) were no where similar to the questions on the actual AP exam. Not to mention the FRQ's in the book were entirely different than those on the actual AP exam.
What this book lacked were the lab questions, which (in this year's AP Exam) was tested quite heavily. In fact, a whole 5-6 part FRQ was devoted solely on. Thus, my advice to you, if you are looking for a good practice book. Don't get one. Go to the College Board's website, find the AP Chemistry site, find their old posted Exams. Practice those. The questions there, in retrospect, are the ones you will probably see in future AP Chem Exams. And, if you REALLY know how to use [...] search engine tools, you can probably find a plethora of old AP exams on other Chemistry AP teachers' websites.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
very good, February 15, 2008
This review is from: Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam, 2008 Edition (College Test Preparation) (Paperback)
So far I've used this book as a study guide and as an extra source of practice problems for my AP chem class. It's really helpful and helped me on my tests. It also seems good to review for the AP test. It explains concepts in a simple way. The problems and answers provided are clear and very similar to real AP questions.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
