Customer Reviews

REA's AP US History Test Prep with TESTware Software

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Nobody's going to kid you, AP U.S. History is a tough class. If you're looking to do really well, you're probably going to have to work hard all year preceding the exam. Choosing a test-prep book is a confusing process, considering the myriad options. Your first step to doing well is buying this book. I've flipped through every other test-prep book out there; none come anywhere close to being this comprehensive. Instead of memorizing facts that may or may not be on the test (your sorry luck if they're not!), this book will give you enough information to understand the course of events, making it easier to deduce a correct answer within the options presented. If you give yourself enough time to actually review all of the material in the book, there will be no surprises on the test. The practice tests will over-prepare you if anything (I wasn't doing particularly well on any of them, but I managed a 5 on test day). Just a note, if you're looking to save a few dollars, consider the edition without the computer software. It might be easier to point and click while you're reviewing, but that option won't be there when the proctor hands you the test.

This book helped me a lot on the AP US exam. THe information review is about 200 pages long, so it it very concise and most important of all, you can do the entire review within a week easily. My only complaints are the dated material regarding grading. The DBQ used to be graded on a 15 point scale, but now it is graded on a 9 point scale (The book says it is worth 15). Also, the practice tests are so-so. They are somewhat different than the real test and don't buy this book only because it has 6 tests while others have 2 or 3 (there is NO way you can do all of the tests unless you stay home all day and study. Still the practice tests do help a bit. I recommend this book to anyone. Cracking the AP US I'm sure is fine, but they spend too much time mocking the test and the College Board, and when there's only a few days until the big test we all hate the College Board enough, we don't need to be reminded.

I've seen every prep book out there for AP US History and I must say, REA is the best. Having already taken the AP test last year (and might I add scoring a 5 on the exam), all my studying and preperation came from this book. I didn't even bother to look over my volumonous notes... REA provides extensive information about literally every subject covered in the AP US History course. Looking even beyond this, this book also provides several tests as practice. Might I add, these tests are accurate representations of the actual mutiple choice section on the offical exam. I cannot stress enough how important it is that one take all of these practice exams before the actual test date. Not only does it provide you with a fairly accurate depiction of how you will score on the AP test, but it also allows you to review events and concepts you may have overlooked. If you are serious about scoring well on the AP test for US history I urge you to purchase this book -- and this book alone. To be honest, this is the best of the best... buying anything else in my mind, seems wasteful and unintelligent.

I was unsure what AP review book to get at first and like everyone else, I checked out reviews online, trying to decide which was the "best." The two that had the best reviews were this one and the Princeton Review. I got both. I must say that the REA test prep book is the best BY FAR. You may not want to rely on the questions too much, because they aren't exactly the same as the AP exams, but the review section is excellent. I was never a studious note taker in class, but this book covers not only the political events but also the cultural changes too. All the major time periods are covered, all the information regarding presidents - their actions and their times - are covered, and even the social movements - including the arts, literature, and some music. The book provides a thorough overview of all that you need to know for the AP exam. If you read this book the few nights before the exam, it is extremely useful. I got an easy 5 using this book as a very helpful review. I highly recommend it to anyone hoping to do well on the exam.

I took Ap U.S. History last year, and after getting a 5 on the exam in May 2001 I decided to review this book in hopes it will be helpful for future students taking this exam. Overall the book is very well done, with a good review section-not too short, and yet not too long. The real gem of the book for me, however, lay in the 6 practice tests. Even though the practice exams are not entirely like the ones on the Ap, they have very good questions and practice essays, that are worth doing. I used this book as a supplement to my class, and doing the practice questions not only increased my knowledge of U.S. History, but also helped me to better analyze and deconstruct AP questions. If you have an interest in history and are a decent essay writer, and are willing to memorize and analyze many facts, then i would reccomend taking this class, and purchasing a copy of this book.

I was not in the American History (AP) class, and I took the AP Exam using reading only this book. I received a 5 on the AP EXAM!!!! I would recommend this book to anyone thinking of taking the Exam. It gives the bare bones of the subject and accurately depicts AP style questions on its practice tests. When I took the test, I recognized similar questions that I had come across on the practice tests. It has all the facts you need for quick memorization and nothing you don't.

This is a real extensive review of the course, but also has some extras, including the prep CD. One down-side is the over-use of some topics which were not that important and not covered specifically on the AP test.

I wanted to do well on my AP U.S. History test, because I want to major in Government in college, but my teacher was way too slow. We were only learning about the 1st decade of the 1900s when the AP exam came along! I ordered this book because it had good reviews, and I was desperate to get at least a 3, but with the help of this book, I got a 5!! The AP test is pretty tough, but this book does a good job because it gives you a summary of each important person, event, document, etc. without going into too much or too little detail. All of the other books I've used either inundated you with so much information that there was no possible way to read and memorize it all, or barely gave you any information. REA, however, gave the perfect sized summaries. It also has some very helpful practice tests, but you should be aware that they are not actual AP tests. I would recommend the Princeton Review's AP book if you want to take some authentic AP tests from years past, or if you want help with writing the essays or DBQ, but their summaries of U.S. History are vague and short. The only other problem I found with REA was that it did not cover enough of the civil and women's rights movements, which unfortunately happened to come up about 4 times on the AP test I took. However, this is only a minor detail because I still ended up getting a 5 even though I skipped those questions. Without ever taking an AP U.S. History class, I think you could get a 3 if you STUDIED from REA's book, but if you're in the class you can definitely get a 4 or a 5 if you STUDY hard. I've seen a few other U.S. History review books, but this one is by far the best.

With one week left before the 2001 A.P. U.S. History exam, I picked up a copy of this book at a local bookstore. The most helpful feature of this book is the outline of all of the important material that you need to know for the test. The textbook used in school was very wordy; with the outline, I got the bottom line right away. I ended up with a 4 on the exam, so I was very satisfied. Now, I did have to work throughout the school year, but this book definately made it easy to review.

One warning...while the sample tests are helpful in reviewing, don't use them as a guide to determine how well you'll do on the test. The ones in book tended to be more detailed than the actual test.

I took the AP US History class my junior year of high school. While we had a fairly good teacher who had us take practice tests every few weeks, I scored higher than most of my peers because of this book. This book is invaluable if you are genuinely interested in scoring a 4 or a 5 on the AP test. For someone like me, who really needs as much credit as she can get for an out-of-state college, this book was a godsend! Two weeks before I took the official AP test, I completed all the tests from the software and received a reasonable score from that. Come test day, I was completely prepared and knew basically every multiple choice question on the test. The essay portion of this test was a different story (a marathon 3-hour test is sure to fatigue anyone), but I ended up receiving a 4 on the test. Many reviewers have said buy the book withOUT the software, but I recommend against that. For a test such as the AP US History, you will need to be as familiar as you possibly can with a litany of questions, and the TestPrep software ensures you will have plenty of opportunities to improve your score.