Rating: Summary: Helped me get a 3 Review: Before I read this book I had very little knowledge of what chemistry was. I was completely lost--and never tried to catch up. In class I never knew what my teacher was talking about. Without this book I would have gotten a 1 on the 2003 exam; by using it for a few weeks before the test I got a 3. I know I would have done better if I had studied this book longer. It has a reader-friendly format and isn't quite as terrifying as Barron's, so it's a great last-minute review for procrastinators. I recommend that you use this book in conjunction with old AP tests, or use it along with Barron's if you have the time. Also this book doesn't cover labs at all--I recommend the Cliff's Notes for that. Don't forget to practice as many free-response problems as you can on the old AP tests.
Rating: Summary: Concise, coherent, and impressive Review: I absolutely adore chemistry. I not only find it challenging and fascinating, but I also consider it to be enjoyable (except for kinetics, acid-base equilibrium, and, of course, organic). If your AP Chem class is using the fifth edition of Zumdahl, then this book is an excellent supplement and study guide for even quizzes and tests. I also think that it is a superb review for the AP exam. I can't encourage AP Chem students enough to invest in this book. It has the best tips, strategies, and practice for the exam. However, if you need help on the reactions portion on the free response then you'll need to consider Zumdahl or consult your teacher because that is the weak area in this book.
Rating: Summary: Easy to read and understand and achieve! Review: I am a true fan of the Princton Review series of books. But after reading 5 differnt books now, I can tell that some of my understanding comes from how the author lays out the book. Paul Foglino was an author that I had never read before, but after reading the introduction I felt like I could easily read Paul's explainations just like he was a teacher talking to me, not a book talking at me. I was able to read through the whole thing in 2 days before the test (not-recommended). And at the end I had a knowlage of Chemistry like I had never felt before. Good luck to everyone taking the test!
Rating: Summary: Informative . . . if you're taking some other test Review: I bought this book because I only took AP Chemistry by independant study, and thought I should review sample exams in case my self-preparation had been way off-target. I was surprised by how easy the sample exams in this book were, and by the lack of depth in which it thought we should have studied various topics. I had hoped the book would include a list of the official AP Chemistry labs, so that I could at least review the concepts even if I was unable to actually perform them. However, this book asserted that the exam would only ask about "basic experiments and fundamental techniques," and its example lab essays only dealt with common-sense lab safety and simple techniques like titrations. And although I had studied the organic chemistry chapter in my textbook, this book predicted "very little actual organic chemistry on the AP test" and did not even include sample questions on this topic. But when I took the 2003 AP Chemistry exam, essay questions on both spectrophotometry, which is a rather specialized laboratory technique, and organic chemistry appeared. I was only able to get a 5 on this test because I had studied spectrophotometry in another science class and because I had completed most of my chemistry preparations without refering to this book, and so had learned the necessary subjects in much more depth than the Princeton Review deemed necessary. Both the multiple choice and free response sections of the actual test were significantly harder than the samples in this book. The study advice and sample questions in this book outline the basic areas of chemistry the exam covers and give the test's format, but are very misleading when it comes to the exam's level of difficulty.
Rating: Summary: VERY HELPFUL Review: i found this book very helpful because it explained all the important concepts and the formulas in terms i can understand, as opposed to the actual textbook that often confused me. however, some of the free response questions on its sample tests seem to be easier comparing to the actual tests. overall, i recommend this book for all AP chemistry students.
Rating: Summary: to ap chemistry students Review: i got a 5 on the ap chemistry test thanks to this book. it gave me a great review before taking the test. i highly recommend it.
Rating: Summary: Experiences with Princeton Review Review: I have bought this book based upon the reviews above, but the content and example questions that I got were much easier than those of my textbook questions from SCHOOL!! For those who only need to review basic formula's/concepts this book is good enough for you, but for those who are seriously in trouble for specific questions, beware! I have already bought Princeton Review books for SAT I Mathmatics and Verbal, but both those only describe concepts and not specific methods to tackle problems. I lost all hope in princeton review.
Rating: Summary: A GREAT BUY FOR AP CHEMISTRY STUDENTS.... Review: I lovd this book. It provides great preparation and tips for the Advanced Placement Chemistry examination. It explains each concept clearly and has many practice questions with detailed answers. It also has a very comprehensive chapter that explains each type of chemical equation that you will encounter on the chemical equations part of the free response section (Question #4). I highly suggest it to all AP Chemistry students.
Rating: Summary: Very good practice tests, but unhelpful summaries Review: Princeton Review's prep books are usually concise in their summaries, and this book was no exception. The summaries were not only short, but they missed out some of the important topics. Many sections merely consisted of a couple of equations and brief explanations. In short, the review sections were not very thorough. However, I rate this book highly because of the excellent quality of practice tests and section review questions. Their questions, especially the free-response questions, cover the important concepts in a thorough manner and give good practice for the actual AP exam. Also the multiple choice questions were very helpful, unlike the Barron's prep book that had way too narrow and specific questions. Having taken the AP test a couple of weeks ago, I musyhave to say that the Princeton Review's questions came the closest to the actual AP questions. So buy this book to practice solving questions, but don't rely on it to provide you with a good summary.
Rating: Summary: The best test prep available Review: The folks at Princeton Review did an excellent job at providing exactly what you need to know for the AP Chemistry exam. It lays out complex ideas in simple english, and is more comprehensive than other brands like REA or Barrons. This book may cost slightly more than other brands, but it gets you the 5!
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