Rating: 
Summary: A Chem Prep Book With Moles of Info!
Review: AP Chemistry is a difficult subject to study, and the AP exam is even harder to conquer. The last thing that one needs when preparing for the AP exam is a review book with so much extraneous information that it becomes burdensome to students. Unfortunately, this Barron's book is long on such useless information and short on helpful test-taking strategies. Most students will find that this book's inclusion of every detail presented since the first day of general chem as amounting to nothing more than a waste of trees. Additionally, this book is so replete with info that simply doesn't need to be known that it succeeds in stressing out even the most confident of test-takers. A quality review book presents a brief outline of concepts relevent to the exam and equips students with the strategies vital to exam success. This book does neither. I have no doubt that a student who thoroughly studies and memorizes this book will score well; I also have no doubt that doing so would be absolutely unnecessary when more efficient means of review could otherwise be employed. I did a thorough review of my class notes and worked problems from retired AP exams to prepare for the test. This book was a required part of our class's test prep, but I found the exercises so tedious and irrelevant that I ended up not using the book more than I was required to -- and still scored a 5. I strongly advise AP Chemistry students considering purchasing this book to look for an easier, faster way to effectively prepare for the Advanced Placement Examination.
Rating: 
Summary: Greek When Greek Isn't Necessary
Review: AP Chemistry is a difficult subject to study, and the AP exam is even harder to conquer. The last thing that one needs when preparing for the AP exam is a review book with so much extraneous information that it becomes burdensome to students. Unfortunately, this Barron's book is long on such useless information and short on helpful test-taking strategies. Most students will find that this book's inclusion of every detail presented since the first day of general chem as amounting to nothing more than a waste of trees. Additionally, this book is so replete with info that simply doesn't need to be known that it succeeds in stressing out even the most confident of test-takers. A quality review book presents a brief outline of concepts relevent to the exam and equips students with the strategies vital to exam success. This book does neither. I have no doubt that a student who thoroughly studies and memorizes this book will score well; I also have no doubt that doing so would be absolutely unnecessary when more efficient means of review could otherwise be employed. I did a thorough review of my class notes and worked problems from retired AP exams to prepare for the test. This book was a required part of our class's test prep, but I found the exercises so tedious and irrelevant that I ended up not using the book more than I was required to -- and still scored a 5. I strongly advise AP Chemistry students considering purchasing this book to look for an easier, faster way to effectively prepare for the Advanced Placement Examination.
Rating:
Summary: A Chem Prep Book With Moles of Info!
Review: As a first year chemistry student in high school, I decided to take the AP class for a challenge. Since I am an above average student, I figured that I could take the class. The summer before that year, I bought this book for extra practice during the year so I could at least pass the class. Not only did I pass the class, but my 95% was enough of a sign for me to try to go for the AP test. This book's practice tests gave me an edge on the test that fellow students failed to utilize. After taking the exam, I ended up with a grade of 4.
That should be proof enough that this book is a great prep tool. Any chem student should buy it to help for class tests and work too. The chapter exams were thourough and gave me possible test questions that I might have never encountered. They also included in-depth explanations.
Get the book.
Rating:
Summary: An all-around great book for reviewing AP Chemistry
Review: Barron's AP Chemistry was a great review book for the AP Chemistry test. It basically covers everything you will need to know for the test, although I would not recommend using it alone for preparation. If it is used in conjunction with an AP Chemistry class, it will be sufficient to earn you a good grade on the test. If you are in an IB, Honors, or Regular Chemistry class, other review books may be necessary. I received a "5" on my AP Chemistry test after greatly studying Barron's AP Chemistry and an AP Chemistry text book, as well as partially studying Cliff's AP Chemistry Preparation Guide.
Rating:
Summary: Could be much better..
Review: Depending on what you were looking for, this book may or may not have been helpful. If you are looking for basic concepts to pass the AP Chem exam, then this may be the book for you. Most of the stuff they cover is basic. However, if you are looking to make a 5 on the AP Chem exam, consider buying another book. Most of the topics are not covered in depth enough to get those last few points needed for a 5. Also, the questions in the book are definitely lacking. Not only are there no free response questions (which count for 55% of the AP exam, FYI) but the multiple choice questions are lacking in quality. They really don't resemble the ones on the AP exam. (Trust me, I would know - I got a 5 on the exam last year.) If you are looking for a wordy book to help you get some of the basic concepts down, go for Barrons. However, if you are trying to reach for a 5 or get some really good multiple choice problems, you might want to try the Princeton Review instead. :)
Rating:
Summary: Don't have an authentic Chemistry teacher?
Review: GET THIS BOOK! I AM SOOOOOOOO SERIOUS GET THIS BOOK! (that's if you are taking AP CHEM). My teacher (including all the chemistry teachers in my school are by far the WORST TEACHERS IN THE WORLD! ). My AP Chem teacher is sooooooooooooo bad. She hasn't taught me a thing...and for sure I know I'm going to fail the AP exam...until I found this book...I found some hope. This book explains EVERYTHING! And I mean EVERYTHING. My teacher really never emphasized the conceptual aspects of chemistry and just concentrated on the calculation parts ~ she gave us problems that she couldn't even configure. WORDS CAN NOT EXPRESS THE VALUE OF THIS BOOK. BEFORE EVEN TAKING AP CHEMISTRY GET THE BOOK AND READ THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS AND YOU WILL BE AHEAD! I'm telling you now.....get this book. I would give this book 10 stars if I could but I can't. Also get the AP Chem Cliffs by Gary S. Thorpe...that one concentrates on the calculations. Barron explains LUCIDLY the concepts and the AP Cliffs should give you a STRONG basis on the Chemistry calculations. Those two are the only books you are going to need. THANK YOU Mr. Jespersen (author)! With this book I don't need to pay attention in class anymore.
Rating:
Summary: Waste Of Money.
Review: Hi. I bought this book primarily to boost my test scores average and get a 5 on AP exam. After a close examination, I realized that I have just wasted [money]. This book has nearly the same dimension as me regular class textbook and it is as boring as my class textbook. The author frequently belabors his point and significantly elaborates the text, rather than just giving us the facts. If you like reading chemistry essay, then this book is the best buy for you. Most of my friends, however, found this book incredibly unhelpful. The sample multiple-choice questions given at the end of each section are not even close to those on Ap exam. For instance, the book just asks you to find the definition for the hydrogen bond in the presented 5 choices. My regular chemistry teacher wouldn't even humiliate himself by putting similar problem on the test. I'm not even mentioning the AP one. Although I can't say that this book does not give you the preliminary information, the way it presents it to the reader is very awkward. Even my regular textbook has a user-friendlier layout. The only positive thing that I can say about this book is that the 3 sample Ap tests at the end of the book are actually equal in difficulty to the real one. However, I think it’s quite irrational to spend [money] just for those tests. If you're looking for sample Ap exams, visit ... websites.... Some of my friends suggested me to buy Rea's prep book, but I'm not sure how good that is. One thing I can tell you fore sure is that there is definitely a better textbook available on the market.
Rating:
Summary: Great, Comprehensive Review and awesome practice tests!
Review: I admit that this book makes the AP seem a lot harder than it actually is. However, the diagnostic tests, practice tests, practice questions, answers to tests and questions, and chapters were incredibly useful in preparing for the test. I realized after buying the book that it was an incredible suplement to my chemistry textbook and teacher - subjects that I never totally understood became incredibly clear once reading the book. I suggest skimming through the book and marking important sections to review in the last 3 days before the exam - good luck!
Rating:
Summary: Book too long and tedious
Review: I am an AP Chemistry student currenty studying for the AP exam. Thisbook goes insanely in-depth, mentioning and focusing on unnecessaryminor details that only become confusing. It is literally anothertext book, spending numerous pages on the extreme basics (such as counting the number of atoms in a molecule). I found that it was necessary to wade through pages of basic information (already known) or unnecessary information (not needed to be known) to find the things really important that I needed to study and that would be tested on the AP exam. It has excellent explanations, I am not denying that, only that it is too long and tedious. Some people may want a book to go into depth and really explain and TEACH you the information, but I am a busy person and do not have that much time.... I would prefer a book like Princeton Review which is quick and to the point. Here is a quote I have heard: "If you want to learn Chemistry use Barrons, if you want to do well on the AP exam use Princeton Review." END
Rating: 
Summary: In depth...but not always clear
Review: I am still confused as to how a book can be go in to such detail and be so ambiguous at the same time...yet this is this study guide's main accomplishment. It has been said that _Barron's AP Chemistry_ is almost like a textbook in itself, and that is true. Most test preparation helps to review, but this book seems to introduce things almost as if you are learning them for the first time. Although most people object, I was actually thankful because there were many ideas which I really *was* learning for the first time. Therefore, although this may not be best for those who have already gone over everything thoroughly and are looking for a quick refresher, I would recommend it to students like myself who have not yet had experience with some important parts of chemistry liable to show up on the exam. Still, this book is not without its flaws. I was surpised at the amount of errors -- not only minor annoyances such as typos, but actual misrepresentation of facts. These have the potential to hinder your understanding or at least interrupt your concentration. (It also makes me wonder how much I can trust the accuracy...was there not a proofreader, at least?) The pictures aren't so great, either. Furthermore, I personally found the author's style disagreeable at times; the tone could have been less assuming, and the writing tended to be verbose and even repetitious...surely cooking food is not the only example of rate of reaction??! Overall, this book is useful if not exhaustive, and while not for everyone, can prove to be of some benefit to those in search of a very complete guide to chemistry. For best results, though, I advise test takers to do some research of their own and find a book most suitable for their needs.
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