Customer Reviews

How to Prepare for the AP World History

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I took the AP World History exam in 2004. This book was my primary source of information, since my teacher was absolutely useless. We were given "study outlines" that were never gone over, and the material was very rarely taught. I didn't really begin studying for the AP exam until March/April. I started to read this book, and found it to be very helpful. When I took the test, I got a 5.

On the other hand, many of my friends expressed a great dislike for this book. They found that Princeton's book was much more concise and easy to understand. Most of the people who used the Princeton book got 4's and 5's.

It really depends on your study habits. Barrons tends to give A LOT of information, some of which is extraneous. Princeton gives you only what you need, but sometimes there are questions on the AP that go beyond the material they cover. So, if you prefer to have all the information you might possibly need (and good practice questions that follow the format of those on the AP), go with Barrons. If you prefer a more concise review (I don't know what the practice questions are like), go with Princeton

I took the test last year as a sophomore and for a first time AP test taker this book made me fell at ease and comfortable. The information is good but not an overload like a text book is.
I was able to read the whole thing in the month before the test. However I would NOT recommend this for someone who wants to cram in all the info the week before the test. Although the information doesn't go over your head there is simply a lot of it. If your prefer the cramming style then Princeton would be a better fit for you (not saying princeton is bad- it would be my second choice). But this book is better as a supplement to a class, or a a longer review.
The greatest help for me were the quizzes at the end of each chapter. It is very easy to forget some of what you have read after 5+ pages of info and the quizzes are great for keeping you from forgeting all that work. Then at the end of each unit (many chapters) the re is a 20 question quiz over everything that is extremly helpful and funtions like the smaller quizzes did. My biggest support for this book comes from the quizzes because all the test prep books I have read since have not had them and subsequently are not as good. One thing the book does not give much help for however are the essays... they have bad examples of REAL work though the questions are a good gauge of how the AP questions will be.
Also I recommend THIS particular book but not Barron's in general, I happen to feel that their AP US History test guide pales in comparison to this book... so I credit the author. I ended up with a 4 on the test, which is part due to my excellent teacher (I got very lucky) and of course my other techer John =).

In terms of price per page, this study guide is a bargain. But that's one of its problems - length - and the authors know it. Like they say, "It is best to use this book over a long period of time, rather than trying to cram at the last minute."

I confess that I have always been partial to Barron's AP study guides, in part because they included a comprehensive review. But in the case of world history, we're talking about a terse 500 page `world history in brief' that is still half as long as the average textbook. Yes, they have practice tests, but then so do textbook publishers. The question arises whether this study guide is better than just using the textbook - at least this year.

It's anyone's guess whether 2002 students will find this study guide useful. It's going to require at least 50% more time to read and study than the typical AP guide - probably much closer to twice the time. If you're going to give it a try, I would suggest a careful reading of the test taking strategies, the unit overviews, and the key terms and concepts - and then skim through the review chapters to the questions at the end of the unit. Above all, I would suggest buying this study guide early and following the advice of the author; do not wait until the last minute. Teachers who plan to recommend it to their students should probably do so at the beginning of the year.

In many ways, this study guide is an impressive piece of work, but basically I think an AP study guide should be limited to 350 pages and suitable for a last minute "cram". This one's too long for that.

Excellent book; highly recommended. I read this book twice in April (at the beginning and end) and got a 5 on the exam- without a course (they don't offer it at my school). Its kind of broad; that is, it gets the "big picture" of everything, so you might want to supplement with more in-depth books about specific eras or civilizations, but its not really necessary. Keep in mind that the test is ALSO broad in scope, so don't fret over minute details. If you really study hard, then take the SAT II World History and kill two birds with one book.

This resource is well organized, has some terrific quizes, and does a very good job of explaining causation and effects. The unit overviews are splendid. Unfortunately, it also contains some factual errors, so be sure to use other resources as well. The information is sometimes too thin, such as the explanation of the Protestant Reformation (not even a mention of Luther's 95 Theses). at other times, the book has more info than most, such as the effect of the printing press or the contributions of Issac Newton.

It has a very slight European viewpoint, but is fair in its presentations. One of the best things about this prep book, which allows anyone to use it for world history review of any type, is the way it weaves together events and their causes & effects, making the continuity of history and the reason for studying it clear. If not for the factual errors, I'd give it a 5.

Also check out Barron's How to Prepare for the SAT II World History, which is very thorough and contains detail that is glossed over in other books. It excels at comparing ideas, peoples, and cultures, and is more accurate, though it lacks the excellent unit overviews. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't seem to carry Barron's SAT II World History. I used a 2001 edition.

With the help of this book, I was able to get a 5 on the AP test with only one semester of practice. Our AP history teacher assigned this book instead of the textbook for our class. Everyday we read 20 or so pages and we did about three essays a week. If you follow this same schedule, you will most likely pass the test just reading this book and doing the practice essays. If your goal is to get a high grade on the AP test, read this book. Be warned that it is a fairly long book, so you will have to read about 10-20 pages a day. Reread it if possible. "If you read this book three times, I guarantee you will pass the test." -My Ol' Wise History Teacher

This book saved me from almost inevitable failure on the AP exam. My teacher was not very helpful, and the text book was confusing, but this book laid everything out in an organized, helpful, interesting, and informative way. I recommend that every APWH student buy this book. It would, though, be most useful if used the entire length of the course--don't make the mistake I made of cramming before the exam!

I'm not exagerrating when I say that if it were not for this book, the world history test would have been a miserable failure. If you buy any book for the AP test, buy this one. It's very organized and indepthly covers all the topics that showed up on the test. I have taken many AP tests, but this test prep book beat out all the others when it came to how much they really prepared me for the test. You won't regret this buy.

This book is one of the few review books that actually provided a relavant summary of all the dates and events that have occured that you should know for the test. If you are running low on time, there are a section reviews to at least show you possible questions and topic areas that will be covered on the test. This is the only book I used to study for the world history, and it was the only book i needed to score high on the AP test. The model essays and practice questions tended to be a little more challenging, but it only prepared me more in the end.

Usually, I tend to buy Barron's books becuase they have a full review that can explain aspects of the class in great detail ( details that often get left off by the teachers). Becuase I bought this book moderately early I read through the intensive and long review. Sometimes i was overwhelmed by all the material. For the practice tests, and model questions and just an over all accurate look at the AP test, you're money spent will be spent wisely.
If you are looking for a last minute cram, I think the only thing that the book will be useful for is the questions and unit reviews.If you are looking for a guide to truly study out of, this is the book to get. Also, if you are looking for practice questions that closely model the questions on the AP test ( I remember one in particular actually testing over the same material) then this book has several that will be beneficial for your time.

I used this book to study for my AP World History test, and I got a 5! My grades weren't that great during the year, and the five really surprised me, but I think the reason I got a five was this book. It has really good review of everything and good tips for the test in the beginning. The practice tests are pretty good, too. I only have two problems with it. First, the practice essay questions are good but the example essays are really bad (not enough information in them). Second, the first two time periods in this book don't correspond to the first two time periods the AP test actually uses. They're off by about 400 years. That irritated me when I was trying to review certain time periods.

Anyways, it is a good book and I definitely recommend it. I looked through the other two major ones (Princeton Review and Kaplan) and this one definitely seemed superior. Buy it!