Customer Reviews

AP U.S. History Crash Course (REA: The Test Prep AP Teachers Recommend)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book, I swear, has most definitely earned me a 5 on the 2009 APUSH test.
I personally was probably one of the hardest studiers in my APUSH class (ours wasn't taught well at all), and thus, I developed my own way of taking notes and such. Turns out, I never looked at those notes again seeing as I'm one of those types of people that outline EVERYTHING.

Quite frankly, I'm bad at shortening stuff, however this is where this book came into play. Two weeks before the APUSH test, I bought this book for 12 bucks, and read it through twice. From there I studied parts I needed to know most. It's lightweight, and summarized EVERYTHING into 3-5 facts for every important era/event you need to know. It tells you what you NEED to study, and what you do not, via little side bubbles of notes.

My recommendation, read your APUSH textbook first as to so you can get a general consensus of American history from the beginning to the 1970s (you won't need to know anything past that), and THEN buy this book. From there, start nitpicking the things you know well, and the things you don't know, and try to memorize the things you do not.
This book will really teach you what to study for your next upcoming APUSH test.

I swear, it's what got me a 5.

The Crash Course book for AP US History is a good study tool. It reviews key areas and has some hints as to what the AP focuses on. The Crash Course helps to develop ideas for the Free Response section of the AP Test, but does not go in depth into many subjects. If you have studied the material all year, the Crash Course may be all you need. If you are looking for a great review that touches on everything, this book is not for you.

I read this book twice in just under a week right before the AP test and the subject test for US history. I got an 800 (a perfect score, 100%) on the subject test, and I'm still waiting on my AP score, but I'm expecting a 5. It was thanks to this book - it's easy to read, quick, and was accurate in all of it's predictions about what would be and what wouldn't be on the AP test. As i studied, it gave me confidence because I knew that I was studying topics that would be on the AP test for sure, instead of my somewhat messy notes. It is lightweight and easy to carry, and within a week of my having it, most of my AP US history class had it as well. BUY IT, if you want to get a good score. 10/10

This year I took the test and I got a 4. I credit some of my success to this book. Simply, this book summarizes everything important you need to know to give you the best benefit to get a 5. Although by itself it probably is not enough for a 5, it does help alot in comprehension of alot of the important topics. Surprisingly this year's test had a essay about labor groups and I wrote basically everything that was written in this crash course. I recommend for those taking the test to supplement this with the bigger REA book with amsco. That is a killer plan to getting a high score.

I tutor students for the SAT and ACT in San Diego. I wanted to find the best resource (most efficient + most helpful)to recommend to my students to use when preparing for the SAT Subject Test in U.S. History, so I bought this book (even though the title says AP)and used it myself to prepare in the spring of 2010 for the June 2010 Subject Test. I found it easy to use because the information is summarized. I memorized everything in the book and got a 780 on the test. Given that I didn't use any other resource aside from this book AND that I didn't take a U.S. History class, I would say that is rather amazing. It means that this book is right on target for what is on the test. When I took the test, there were only about 5-6 questions that I didn't know and those involved facts that weren't in the book. I only used the College Board published history tests (there are 2) for practice. That was it. This should be your #1 resource in preparing for the U.S. History Subject test.

This book is worth every penny and a whole lot more. My daughter researched it and based our buying decision of the comments about how well students were prepared for the test based on reading this book. She said the reviews (last years) were spot on - it's predictions on the questions asked were remarkable. Further, her AP class was very far behind and didn't even get to Vietnam. She read those sections and could answer all of the questions with a great deal of certainty. Perhaps she should have skipped the class and just read this book to take the test!

I'm absolutely ecstatic about this book. I swear that this book was what got me a 4. My teacher wasn't very good and she basically told us to read/outline this textbook that was very long and hard to gather important facts. I bought this book a few weeks before the exam and the weekend before and each day before the exam I read a part of each section and then reviewed the things I was fuzzy on.

The author analyzes each test that collegeboard releases and compiles the information that they will most likely test you on your exam. I took my practice exam a week before I got this book and I realized that there were answers almost word for word in this book within each outline. The great thing is that it is easy to read and one can quickly review sections in history that they aren't too familiar with.

The book even went so far as to make section separate sections on Women's History, African American History, and Native American History which all make up a large portion of multiple choice questions and usually a few free-response questions.

My school provided my class with Barrons books to use. I found the book at times too wordy and the practice questions were too specific. The crash course book only puts in information that has been on previous tests and information that will probably come up on your test. This book even noted in the margins that there are questions that will trick you and it is vital to know a certain fact and to not mix it up. I breezed through the multiple choice because I had just read the facts in the book that previous week. The book also had a section to help with planning for the DBQ.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who may need a quick refresher on certain parts of history. It is a great study aid to revive those facts from U.S History 1 and to brush up on Women's, Native American, and African American history.

Honestly, I thought I was dead. The AP History test had backed me into a corner. Focused on senior projects, AP Calculus, and AP English Lit, I had placed the US History exam on the back burner. Moreover, my class was anything but productive (though my teacher tried, bless her heart). Pressed for time and desperate to learn, I went to the bookstore to look for study guides in a last ditch effort. I came across the Princeton Review guide, Barron's 8,000 page masterpiece, Kaplan's guide, 5 Steps to a 5... you name it. Everything looked the same to me. I was about ready to settle with my textbook when the REA Crash Course guide caught my eye. It looked short, which raised some red flags. However, with nothing to lose, I decided to buy it anyways.

I was swamped with other work, I was out of hope, and my class wasn't productive. Even so, I wound up earning a high 4, and I owe most of my success to this book.

I don't think anybody- from the history gurus who need a bit of tuning up, to the students who study and study to barely get by- would not do better after reading this book. In fact, I think that most will do significantly better. The guide is organized with key terms, chronological outline review, and hints for multiple choice, essay, and database questions. The key terms offer critical definitions and facts that cannot be missed, while the the outline is essentially the notes you wish you'd taken in the first place. Throughout are key quotations, historical figures, and the like. What makes this guide special is not its historical breadth or precision; rather, it is the attention to AP-relevant detail that makes it shine. There are no wasted words here. The tips about which battles to know and what events to memorize were spot-on, and often times while taking the exam, I smiled when I came across things that, without the REA guide, would have been alien to me. The final thing that this book does well is give the reader confidence. Reading the whole thing is do-able for everyone, while the tone used makes passing the exam seem not only altogether possible, but probable. For a study guide crammed with information, it is a rather comforting read.

As other reviewers have said, if one wants to truly shine on the US History exam, supplementing this with another guide is a phenomenal choice. However, simply using it with a textbook should yield great results. I would suggest reading through before a practice exam and again near the actual exam time so that things remain fresh. The bottom line is this- the REA APUSH Crash Course Guide is a quality product that will help every student on their quest to pass a formidable exam. Trust the other reviews, trust me, and pick up a copy.

this book is great if you don't have much time until the AP Exam. All of the information is very nicely organized (all in outline form) first by time period then by theme, and both are very convenient. The Theme material really helps with the essay questions. FANTASTIC product, great for procrastinators.

This was an EXCELLENT resource-it was so much help. It is organized very nicely, chronologically following US History and only disccusing the Absolutely Essential points. It's definitely an excellent resource I recommend to ANY student...in fact, I think having this book should be a requirement if one is taking the US history exam. The chapters on African American history and Women's history were especially helpful, and will aid any student taking the exam. Also, it includes a chapter on important congressional acts, relevant supreme court cases and labor unions, which are all VERY helpful. It is easy to read and, overall, an effective tool of study.

While this book is excellent, I DO NOT recommend using this book solely to self-study the exam. It is excellent for review if you are taking the class, and if you are taking the class then this book alone should suffice. However, if you purchase AMSCO along with this book, it is definitely sufficient to self-study. While one could probably self-study the exam with only AMSCO, I strongly suggest purchasing this book as well-it is a savior. I do not recommend this for self-study alone for obvious reasons-it's condensed to bring up essential points, that in turn bring back key concepts, but is not exhaustive enough. For example, the section discussing the Proclamation Line of 1763 discusses what it was and its purpose, but does not talk of the tensions it created in the colonies, the growing feeling of contempt toward Britain, how it contributed to the Revolution, etc...it expects you to remember that. For that reason, this book used in accordance w/AMSCO will guarantee you a 5 on the AP exam if you study properly. With that being said, it is a truly remarkable book that you should definitely purchase.