Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad, but not the greatest, May 3, 2000
This Barron's guide (as someone already said) doesn't live up to Barron's standards...the author basically looks at the topic outline from CB and consisely reviews each and every one of them. Then there's a TON of practice at the end. The only problem w/ this approach is: any good old calculus textbook does this! The sample tests in this book were horrible, since they lacked the free-response questions and never taught you how to prepare for them. The multiple choice samples make you think the AP test has a pattern that doesn't really exists (for example, they might mislead you into thinking that the test always has a group of questions on a table of f, f', g, g' values they give you). This is on the part of the author's laziness...If you want good prep for the AP test (it's next week haha), what you should do is pay attention in class, do homework problems, and buy the 5-year set of free-response questions from CB (it's got no answers, but this is good since it's only $5 and you can figure answers out for AP calculus, unlike other subjects like AP Chem that has certain specific--and somewhat biased--guidelines in grading free response questions). Or if you want the answers and real student samples from that year, buy the annual free-response question set for about 15? and/or the full-test available for certain years (the recent ones are 97 and 98 for calculus)--the full-tests are about 30 dollars, and they include answers for multiple choice, free response, and scoring guide w/ statistics for performance that year.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent classroom supplement, not a brain!, August 25, 2000
If you--like some of the previous reviewers of this book--expect to snooze through your calculus class for a year, pick up a $13 book and ace the AP exam, thereby earning college credit for material you never really learned, this book (and, most likely, all others, along with college and life itself) will be a huge disappointment. After some deep thought, you perhaps would come to the conclusion that if this were actually possible, there wouldn't be much need for Calculus courses, Calculus textbooks, or Calculus teachers, like myself. HOWEVER, if you wish to supplement (i.e., not supplant) your classroom text with a variety of informative review sections and practice problems, this book is an excellent choice. Here's why I think so: In my AP calculus class of 21 students, this book was used during the second semester. (The first semester, I taught the topics from a standard text.) The second semester, each night I would assign about 15 problems, and the next day we would review the problems and have a 5-question quiz over the types of questions seen in the homework. While this book does not include free-response questions (except in the cumulative review section, something our vitriolic reviewer probably failed to locate), there is really no need for this, as the College Board lets each school KEEP the free-response questions. So, we also practiced free-response questions from the last 10 years. The bottom line: of 21 students -- all of whom said they had been more than well prepared for the exam -- there were (7) 5's, (10) 4's and (4) 3's earned on the exam. Yes... I know, 7 + 10 + 4 = 21, which means nobody earned a 1 or 2, and right you are! If you are a diligent student, this book is a worthy addition to your arsenal, IF you begin using it well before the exam. If you are not, save your $13. (or--more likely--your parents' $13.) This book can't perform miracles.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is held in my highest esteem, July 11, 1999
By A Customer
Barron's AP Calculus is the best AP Calculus prep book out on the market. If you are taking Calculus AB, this book (in conjunction with an AP Calculus AB class) will do wonders for your test score. Likewise, if you are taking the Calculus BC, this book (in conjunction with an AP Calculus BC class) will do wonders for your test score. For those of you who want to take the Calculus BC but are in a Calculus AB class, the book will teach you almost everything you need to know. The only fault that I found in the entire book (besides the accidental mislabelings of test answers) was that it did NOT cover series (a BC topic) well enough. I strongly suggest reading a series chapter from an actual mathematics book, as well as paying special attention to how to find converging/diverging series and how to manipulate series (such as through integration).All in all, this book will be a blessing for your AP grade. I used this book to prep for the Calculus BC (even though I am in a Calculus AB class) and, with the help of my teacher (who also helped me review series in greater depth), I scored a "5" on the test. This book is a must-buy if you are preparing for the AP Calculus test.
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