Rating: 
Summary: Not what they seem to say!
Review: Alright, everyone has been praising this book and it is obviously because they have a LOT of dedication. I bought this book from amazon and was extremely excited. I opened it up and my jaw DROPPED! It is comprehensive, but that's not why I was shocked. IT IS DOWN RIGHT BORING. If you're like me, you need something to keep you awake. I love test prep that works and that's is why I am warning you to stay away.
Yeah, it has information, but not even as comprehensive as Peterson's or Princeton Review's. The sections were very minor and didn't have much detail on certain events. There were no practice questions after sections! I guess I would buy it for the practice tests but even those weren't great. Check out Arco, Kaplan, of Princeton Review. Any Barron's or REA book is horrible (even the format was boring:just plain paragraphs, no margins, sidenotes, concentrated material, jokes, pictures).
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book! Don't hesitate to buy it!
Review: As a student with a horrible history teacher, I had no choice but to study on my own. I bought the REA book because it was full of concrete facts and had no b.s. It got right to the point. If you also had a [junky] teacher like me, or your just need some extra studying material for the the exam, I highly recommend this book. It has soooo much info, and really good tests, that you'll be very prepared for the exams. As a result of this book, I managed to get a 5 on the exam.
Rating:
Summary: Super book for the AP exam!
Review: First I have to warn you, this is a LONG book. Don't expect to get through it and get something out of it one week before the test! Now that that's been addressed, let's talk about this book. I read the whole summary and took about 5 of the 6 practice tests. This book is really great. The summary is concise and outlines everything you need to know for the exam. I really recommend pacing yourself and highlighting the important ideas. As the AP exam was creeping close, everyday I would look over my highlights - I think this really helped me on the test. The practice tests are very realistic and fair, try to take as many of them as you can - it's great practice. Make sure that you give yourself the correct allotted time so you can make sure you know how to pace yourself on the real one. With the practice questions came a TON of essays - great ones! I found it so helpful to look over the key essays provided. There were key topics like the The New Deal and Immigration. I really recommend getting this book, but make sure you have enough time to finish it! If your strapped for time, maybe try the Princeton, which is lot shorter. But if not, this is the way to go! With the help of this book, I got a 4, which I'm very happy with. Hopefully you'll be on your way to a 4 or 5!BTW, I just have to mention my great AP US teacher, Mr. King - thanks for being such an awesome teacher!
Rating: 
Summary: It's okay, but there are better...
Review: I got this book last year to help me study for my AP Exam. While it is an okay book, I definitely recommend other books. At my school library they had two books which I found much more helpful then this one. 1) Cliffs AP: United States History - This book gives great tips, giving the basic outline of US History. It doesn't go into details, but tells you for each period in history what the most important things are to remember. In the back there are some practice tests. 2) United States History: Preparing fot the Advanced Placement Exam, by John J. Newman and John M. Schmalbach - This book goes through the most important events in detail. At the end of each chapter there are sample multiple choice and Essay questions and a DBQ question. It also points out the key terms to remember in each part of history. Basically, I don't use the REA book at all. For me it turned out to be a waste of money. A combination of the two books mentioned above is the best way to go. However, everyone likes to study differently, so go check out the books at a bookstore before deciding what to buy. Then, you'll get exactly the kind of book you want!
Rating:
Summary: A great preparation base
Review: I have not yet taken the AP US History national examination, but this book has been a great help, with decent, concise, and accurate chronoligial information. I haven't even used the software-the book is so great!
Rating:
Summary: Very helpful
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: This is the book to buy!
Review: I took AP US History as a junior, and I used this (and only this) book to study. When I look at these reviews, I always want to know what the person got on the test with the book, so here goes: I got a 5. I read some great reviews of this book and I decided that I should get it. It was really thick, and kind of intimidating at first. But your best bet on AP tests is to set aside about a month before the test in order to study. This book keeps you busy through your studying time. It has comprehensive reviews of each major event in US history, from the Europeans coming over to the horrible attacks of September 11, 2001. So I recommend setting aside a little time each day and curling up with this book, and just reading over the sections (all the while reviewing text and class notes). If you do all of this, I guarantee that you can get a 4 or 5. Another great way of learning is to use this book as a supplement for your everyday studies (not just in the month or so leading up to the test). Just an idea, but anyways, BUY THIS BOOK and you'll enjoy your great grade come July.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent-test prep software a bonus!
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: AP sophmore
Review: i took this as a sophmore and we didn't have an official class but i had a pretty good teacher, the book was pretty good for looking up events and the tests were really helpful because they explained all the answers and essays. there wasn't any index though so you have to look up things using the chronology. i don't reccommend buying the version with the CD Rom because some of the tests are the same. i passed the AP anyways =)
Rating:
Summary: REA is the best at AP test prep!
Review: I used this book throughout the year during my AP class. It helped a lot with assignments and essays. The review section is very complete and covers everything from colonization to modern day affairs. This book has five practice tests, which are great since they explain every answer. The book is very easy to read and understand. I used this book in conjunction with taking the AP class, and I scored a 4 on the exam.
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