Cracking the AP U.S. History Exam, 2002-2003

Rating:
Summary: Helped me get a 4!
Review: This book is a great thing to read after you review everything. It's concise and well explained. I am a horrible student at history because I've never had a good teacher. I actually had a D in my history class but I got a 4 on the AP test! I don't recommend reading Rea. Some people say it's too long...but in reality it's just too complicating. You have no idea what they are even talking about. My friend used Rea all year long and got a 2. I used Kaplan first and then Princeton Review like a week before the AP test and I know Princeton Review made the difference between a 3 and a 4 for me. I remember when I was taking the test like 20 questions came from the Princeton Review book almost like word for word. Get this book!

Rating:
Summary: Good brief review
Review: This book is great if you want to score a 3 or 4 on the exam, don't have a lot of time to study, and have had a very good teacher who has drilled the information into your head. If you haven't then get a more extensive book. You can't learn the material from this book, just review it. This is the only review book I found that was historically accurate.The chapters can be confusing and hard to digest. The info is short but condenced, meaning that in a single paragraph you will get all of the information found in 30 textbook pages. There is not a lot of great info for the essays so the highest you might get is a three unless you get lucky. I had a great teacher and reviewed with this for about 15 hours. I ended up getting a 4 on the exam because I had a lot of outside info about the essays.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good
Review: This book is pretty helpful as an addition to your usual AP course. It goes over all the important themes and facts in a very easy-to-understand way. However, do not rely on it solely and expect to pass the AP with a 5. DO take the practice tests in the back - they are extremely helpful. I got a 5.