Rating: 
Summary: Buy the book. It's only 12 dollars
Review: Contrary to some reviewers, my APWH teacher did not make a good effort in teaching our class, so this book was the only reference that i could go by. The text review in the front of the book was very helpful and i still use it for history competitions and whatnot. However, the mosst helpful thing was the sample essays that they wrote for their own practice tests. Those helped me learn the format of an acceptable essay and how test graders think. During the actual ap test, i was sure that i would get a 5. That's how well this book prepared me.
Rating:
Summary: All you need to know
Review: Excellent book; highly recommended. I read this book twice in April (at the beginning and end) and got a 5 on the exam- without a course (they don't offer it at my school). Its kind of broad; that is, it gets the "big picture" of everything, so you might want to supplement with more in-depth books about specific eras or civilizations, but its not really necessary. Keep in mind that the test is ALSO broad in scope, so don't fret over minute details. If you really study hard, then take the SAT II World History and kill two birds with one book.
Rating:
Summary: Best World History Review
Review: For once, Barron's has succeeded in creating a review book that, although lengthy, targets every part of the new AP World History exam with precise depth (not too long, not too short). The nature of APWH makes for a long but excellent review. The chapter-by-chapter quizzes keep the reader consistently interested as well. If you're willing to put in the time, you could go through this book in a weekend. It depends on what you're looking for. With the first World History Exam one day away, this was the best book for the course by far.
Rating:
Summary: HOLLA
Review: Good book. Read it and took the quizzes on the sections and got a 4 on the exam. Very helpful. Make sure to do good on the essays.
Rating:
Summary: An Great Prep Book
Review: I believe that this book is far superior to the Peterson’s book. I happened to buy both and found that the Peterson’s wasn’t as easy to go through, it was filled with tables and summarized thousands of years in a few pages. I personally didn’t need that type of condensation. The AP Barron’s book is terrific in helping a novice in gaining the information they will need for the AP examination. I am still awaiting my results from the AP World History examination, but I am confident I will do well. AP Barron’s goes through each time period giving you the information that you will need on the test. It also has some essay questions and what to write for the different types of essay questions. What helped me the most were the comprehensive questions that followed each section, that let you know if you recalled all the events, and on top of that the practice exams in the back. My supposition for anyone that read this book is that they will be able to get the score of their desire. All you need is some commitment, don’t blame the historians for writing to much. AP Barron’s did a good job of covering the topics that would appear on the test. Just remember in this book every sentence has something important in it there is no omition! Read it recall and regurgitate it on the test date. Good Luck….
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty horrible, but not bad for a prototype
Review: I bought peterson's and this book. I found this book much more helpful for the multiple choice section and peterson's better for the essay portion. The test itself is relatively easy as long as you read your text book. The prep book just gives you an idea of what the type of questions asked, which are pretty simple. This book is wayyy too long and gives you excess info. the test focuses most heavily from the 1450-1920 period. Most of the emphasis is from 1500-1750. barron's [isn't good] for APs but this one was better than i expected. I would have bought Princeton review but i could not find one, or they did not publish one yet. Anyhow, the exam asks very specific questions and compares and contrasts various different cultures from different periods. this book will be most helpful if read at least 2 months ahead of time, little by little. Don't even think about trying to cram this AP exam in, as i know was the downfall for many. being the first year they offered this exam, i'm sure it will change and most likely get harder next year, so good luck. ...
Rating:
Summary: Great Helper
Review: I bought this book at the beginning of the school year to help me with my AP World History exam.It was excellent. I was able to pass the test and recieved credit for college which I begin this fall. I recommend this for anyone who wishes to pass this test. Though you should read throughout the year, not just a week before the exam. The multiple choice and essay questions are great and just like the exam. If you want to pass this test, buy this Barons book.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy this in the beginning of the school year- not the end.
Review: I bought this book in the middle of the year and started using it as a tool to help review for tests throughout the year. It did this job very well. If I had trouble understanding some part of history, this book offered a comprehensive explanation. I recommend this as a grade-booster throughout the year. However, the night before the AP exam, this is not the book with which to cram. Peterson's AP Success is preferrable in the cramming sense- buy this for its charts that help for essays, comparative themes. However, Barron's is more comprehensive, and Peterson's sometimes does not go in depth enough. This book needs some work. Some topics are definitely not on the AP test, mainly early foundation history (ie explanation of the impact of early geography, pangaea, oceans). The difficulty of the questions in the book does not exactly reflect the questions on AP. If you have done poorly on the two exams in the end of the book, don't worry, the actual test is considerably easier.A word of caution; if you are planning on taking the exam without taking the course- don't. Reading this book alone without an intensive curriculum isn't the best idea to score a 4 or 5 on the exam, but definitely use it to review parts of history that are fuzzy. July 17 2003 update
I scored a 5 on the exam, thanks partially to Barron's.
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Summary: THAT QUESTION was on the EXAM!!
Review: I got the book in April, during spring break, but I didn't start reading it until the beginning of May, last year. I was very nervous. The book has thorough summaries about each civilization and explains what is happening in each civilization as time goes on. The book provided sample DBQs, Change Over Time, and Compare and Contrast essays. There was one example compare and contrast essay about women in the book. Come May, the Change Over Time essay was about women! Even with that frantic last minute studying, I received a 4 on my test!
Rating:
Summary: Would have been helpful if I had used it more..
Review: I took AP World History (or as my fellow classmates and I affectionately called it, WAP) last year (sophomore). Well, seeing as I'm no fan of history, I essentially zoned out everyday and during the lectures. I seldom read the actual textook, yet still managed to scrape a B in the class each quarter. My 2 friends and I decided to start our own review sessions in about March (looking back, I would say start reviewing sooner!!), and so we each bought a copy of this book to help us along. Our first few review sessions went OK, but eventually they were no longer review sessions, rather chit chat time. I ended up only reading about the first 9 or so chapters. I found the review quizzes after each chapter pretty helpful, especially since they were relatively painless (only 10 questions). However, I failed to take the full-length practice exams, or read over the sample essays/essay questions. If I had actually used this book, I would probably have earned a much higher score than I did (I choose to withhold this so as not to dishearten any of you, because my low score was an exception, everyone I talked to earned at least 3, most got 4's, and some even got 5's...oops, I guess that gives away my score...). the point is, for the litte of this book that I actually did use, it was helpful, and easy to understand. I would recommend using it. But don't expect to use it as a last-minute resource, becasue trust me, it won't work. Keep up with the reading during the year (taking notes helps you coprehend it more), pay attention in class (take notes if it helps you listen better). I know that most of my other classmates bought this book (you could always identify a WAP student on a test day or before the actualy exam by their Barron's book kept by them all day). One of my friends even used it to help her review before Unit Exams throughout the year and found that it helped. It puts pages and pages worth into 1-5 paragraphs, making remembering the information much easier. In addition to this book, USE YOUR TEACHER (if they are good)! My teacher was available after school almost every day of the year, and gave special help sessions for essay writing, and even worked with students individually on thesis writing (something I would also recommend perfecting, trust me, it helps!!!). When the test was about 3 weeks away, he held review sessions where we would take the tests we had takne throuhout the year, then review each answer. Talk to your teacher about help with review and essay writing, and make a small study group. However, study somewhere that is not distracting (i.e. a library, because the librarians will usually get mad @ you for laughing excessively). DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT go to a Starbuck's or somewhere simialr, because TRUST ME, you will get NOTHING done!! Get plenty of sleep the night before, and don't freak out about it. Be calm, and have faith in yourself. DO NOT try to answer every multiple choice question, even if you're like me and hate leaving ones blank - they DO count agaisnt you. That said, GOOD LUCK on the test!!!
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