Customer Reviews

Cracking the AP English Language & Composition Exam, 2011 Edition (College Test Preparation)

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

 

 

I purchased the Cracking the AP Lang exam book by Princeton Review in January. I studied, highlighted, and made great use of the book, but I feel as if the multiple choice strategies section is rather short, and doesn't give me enough tips and practice. The essay section is better, but still pretty condensed. I'd go with Barron's, it's more detailed and has more practice exams. I have the exam on Wednesday, and I feel pretty confident w/ Barrons.

this book was great... i really liked the sample essays the little bits of advice and tips... i feel like this book prepared me for the ap test and i felt a lot more confident... already purchased the ap book for next year! great buy worth the money

Honestly, Princeton Review could do much better. However, if you are looking for a book than can strengthen your vocabulary for the exam, this IS THE BOOK YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. I, on the other hand, was merely looking for strategies, which it provided but lacked in some way. Overall, its OKAY.

Purchased this book as an aid to studying test-taking strategies and as a crash course on rhetorical strategies. Focuses mostly on test-taking strategies for both sections of the test, both the multiple-choice and essay sections. Contains information on how to tackle free response and synthesis essays. Contains some content information about rhetorical strategies including tropes and schemes as well as logical fallacies.

Nice book if your looking to reviewing test-taking strategies. If this is your first AP class and are not used to doing essays on test, this will help you.

Wow. Princeton Review is back with their usual schtick: a combination of pretentiousness, fake chummy commentary, and content ineptitude that sinks this book to the bottom of the list. The multiple choice questions here are the worst ever invented! No: the real AP test does not try to impress the student with arcane language. No, the real AP test doesn't write questions which invite arguments over the answers. This is text that seems designed around building up a brand, not helping a student learn. And heck-- the brand's already a fraud: the Princeton Review has nothing to do with Princeton-- and everything to do with getting attention. Barrons is much better.

Oh-- and who am I to be so nasty? My name's Harvard Brown Stanford, the Third. So I must know what I'm talking about.

I finished the entire book and got a 5 on the exam, but I think the 5 may have been in spite of picking this prep book rather than because of it. The synthesis essay prompt of one of the two practice exams was garbled and confusing. I took it to my English teacher and she said that she "would have no idea how to approach the prompt," that "the prompts on the exam will not be like that" (they weren't,) and that it was the "weirdest" prompt that she'd ever seen. This was frustrating, because not only because I felt cheated out of half of my synthesis essay practice, but the experience through doubt on the ability of the book to simulate and prepare me for the real exam. Some of the multiple choice questions were off as well. On the bubble sheet, for some reason, they only give you bubbles A-D, but you need to answer with bubbles A-E. Overall, the quality of the content was alright, if a little too basic (general test-taking strategies, almost 30 pages devoted to vocabulary, etc.)It was mostly the practice tests that didn't feel true to the AP exam. The book felt poorly put together. I will not be purchasing from the Princeton Review in the future.

I bought this book in order to prepare for the English AP exam. Little did I know, there were two different tests. The English Language and Composition Exam and The English Language and Literature Exam. Unfortunately I needed the study guide for the literature exam. But, thanks to Amazon's Prime membership program, I was able to return this book and have the correct study guide in my hand in only two short days. Amazon's return process was extremely easy and painless.

My Junior girl is using it every day to get ready for her test; for mow she said "I don't feel tired or bored"... that's a good sign so, let's wait for the scores to complete the review!