Rating: Summary: Great physics c preparation Review: althought this book focuses mostly on physics B, it gives a great review of material that is likely to be covered on physics C. I used it in conjunction with Barron's physics C book (whose immense difficulty is astounding) and was able to earn a 5 on the mechanics portion of the test. I did not take the Electricity and Magnetism section (which is probably harder), but the book covers it pretty well also. In conclusion, the book is indespensable, but requires supplements for sake of thoroughness
Rating: Summary: How a wonderful book. Review: I got my AP Report card today. I appreciate for this book. I did very well on the test. The imformation in this book is so useful, it lets you to know everything you need to know and it won't tell you something yor don't even have to know. Trust me! Buy this book.
Rating: Summary: A great way to study for Physics B Review: I highly recommend this book. In September, I completely relied on class preparation to nail the AP Physics B. But, when by March, we hadn't started Electricity and Magnetism, I (as well as my parents) started to seriously worry. I had purchased the Princeton Review book about a month before, just in case. So, I started studying the Princeton Review book, chapter by chapter, every night trying to do practice problems. It was hard, because I had to study some difficult topics on my own. Now, I am glad I used this book. Our class, after being stuck on Electricity and Magnetism, finally ran through electricity and magnetism, with the teacher barely explaining the concepts. The actual exam had many questions which were similar to the ones in this book. I would not have been able to do many of the problems if I hadn't studied this book. I received a 4, and am very happy. I am scared to think what I would have received if I hadn't used this book. The only problem is the single practice test, which forced me to use internet sources to obtain practice tests. Otherwise, this is a great buy, which saved me from AP Physics "disaster."
Rating: Summary: extremely helpful Review: I took the AP Physics B exam as a freshman, taking just a regular honors physics course, and used only this book, the non-AP textbook, plus some tests from previous years to prepare, and managed to get a 5, so this book is really something. It also helped me prep for the SAT IIs (800 on that).Not really having paid attention to the Physics C parts, I don't have much say on that, but the B sections were quite helpful. Everything is explained very clearly, provided that you understood the chapters that came before. The reason that this book really deserves 5 stars is because it is the only book I've come across that goes over the information in so much detail and more depths than what was actually required on the AP. So when the test rolled around it actually seemed very EASY. Some people might say that spending all that time on the extra information is a waste if you really don't need it, but I really think it provides a very sturdy ground for you to stand on while taking the AP. So instead of stressing about it and biting your nails like the person to your right is doing, you're just thinking, "Oh, this is simple." It's the greatest feeling to open up the test, see the problem and sigh with relief--because after this book you'll know how to do all the problems right off the bat. Granted, the beginning is a little shaky, some of the mechanics and torque not being explained very well, but there isn't much torque on the test anyway, and if you take any physics class, you should've covered mechanics and torque in that long before the AP actually takes place. The only complaint to be made is that many of the practice problems and examples have mistakes/typos in them, which could get pretty aggravating. Overall, if you're prepping for the AP it's really YOUR attitude that matters, any book, as long as it's got the info will work. Some of my friends used the SAT II version of this same book or the Barron's AP book and got 5s, so you might want to consider too. Also, taking practice tests will help a lot, especially actual exams from past years (the resident physics teacher should have quite a stock of those). And keep in mind that you can get a 70% and still get a 5, so don't stress out too much ^_^. Good luck!
Rating: Summary: How a wonderful book. Review: I used this book junior year to study for the AP Physics B exam, but I didn't take a regular course. I studied from this book alone, no teacher/textbook/course, and I managed a 4 on the B exam. I used this book again for the Physics C exams and I'm pretty sure I nailed it.
Rating: Summary: Extremely good Review: I used this book junior year to study for the AP Physics B exam, but I didn't take a regular course. I studied from this book alone, no teacher/textbook/course, and I managed a 4 on the B exam. I used this book again for the Physics C exams and I'm pretty sure I nailed it.
Rating: Summary: excellent review Review: I used this book to prepare for the AP Physics B test two months ago (and got a 5), and I have to say that this book is marvelous. The B and C topics are clearly divided, the layout is very good, the review chapters explain concepts extremely clearly and comprehensively, and there are many illustrative examples. Exercises after each chapter are slightly harder than the real test (especially the free response questions), so it's really good preparation. The explanations are good too. The only weak point is that it does not have enough practice tests, only one for each test (B and C), but then you can get practice tests everywhere. Not mentioning the AP test, the review part also most definitely helped me understand a lot of physics concepts much better and clear up confusion. I strongly recommend this book.
Rating: Summary: a bit of a disappointment Review: Princeton Review has great stuff for SAT I preparation, but I have hated every single AP Exam and SAT II exam book I have gotten from them. They're all too simple and hardly give the comprehensive review that I find with other test preps like REA, Kaplan, or Barrons. This book for one thing stupidly covers B and C together, which seems to cause them to cover NEITHER particularly well or comprehensively. Of course, because they have to be concerned with the B students, they really skimp on the Calculus, which irritates me to no end. Their vector section was so poorly done I went to my old Pre-calc book to read up on vectors. They left out all sorts of essential short cuts and vector tricks, and sadly enough, my old Pre-calc book, not even a physics book, had some better physics question than they did in their book. The question I found were very simple, and I'm the kind of person who likes to practice with more challenging problems than what will show up on the AP exams. And they only have *ONE* practice test for each exam. I most definitely prefer Barron's. I haven't seen the REA for Physics, but I'd sooner spend money on THOSE than Princeton Review. It's got nice diagrams, and minimally adequate material, and that's about *all* I can say in its favor.
Rating: Summary: a bit of a disappointment Review: Princeton Review has great stuff for SAT I preparation, but I have hated every single AP Exam and SAT II exam book I have gotten from them. They're all too simple and hardly give the comprehensive review that I find with other test preps like REA, Kaplan, or Barrons. This book for one thing stupidly covers B and C together, which seems to cause them to cover NEITHER particularly well or comprehensively. Of course, because they have to be concerned with the B students, they really skimp on the Calculus, which irritates me to no end. Their vector section was so poorly done I went to my old Pre-calc book to read up on vectors. They left out all sorts of essential short cuts and vector tricks, and sadly enough, my old Pre-calc book, not even a physics book, had some better physics question than they did in their book. The question I found were very simple, and I'm the kind of person who likes to practice with more challenging problems than what will show up on the AP exams. And they only have *ONE* practice test for each exam. I most definitely prefer Barron's. I haven't seen the REA for Physics, but I'd sooner spend money on THOSE than Princeton Review. It's got nice diagrams, and minimally adequate material, and that's about *all* I can say in its favor.
Rating: Summary: A must buy study guide for AP physics B Review: This book is extremely useful for studying the AP Physics B test~ I am not really sure about C, but I used this book and I got a 5 on the B test. Although some ppl prefer Barron and say Princton Review is too easy, but a lot of stuff in the "hardcore" barron book are not even on the AP test. So don't waste time trying to understand all the materials taught in Barron Buy this book~ it gives you I guess, 90% of the review you need for the test.. the other 10% comes from hte homeworks from your textbook..
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