Cracking the AP U.S. Government and Politics, 2002-2003 Edition

Rating:
Summary: thorough & concise--exactly what a study guide should be!
Review: As with most The Princeton Review study guides, 'Cracking the AP US Government Exam' begins with a very informative 20-30 pages simply about the exam itself: topics breakdown, percentage covered on the exam, performance range for specific scores, multiple choice strategies, free-response essay breakdown, etc. Unlike other publishers, this informative briefing on the test is especially particular to Princeton Review study guides, and extremely helpful. More than 80 pages cover the details and general concepts of the subject material of the AP US Government course. Concise and well organized presentation of a large amount of material is a remarkable talent of The Princeton Review. A thorough and active reading (highlighting, underlining) of the review one week in advance should prepare the competent student very well. Displeased with my class textbook, I never read an entire chapter (or took notes) but felt very confident after completing the study guide and practicing with copies of former AP exams. One minor drawback is a lack of review questions at the end of each chapter, yet the practice exams are almost exactly identical to former AP exams I received from my teacher. In addition, thorough explanations for each question and free response section make the practice exams great learning and review exercises. One note: If you are particularly interested in purchasing a study guide for the practice exams, my experience as a very study-guide-dependent-honors-student has led me to the conclusion that The Princeton Review and Kaplan create the most representative practice exams for AP, SAT II, and SAT exams. In that respect, I do NOT recommend: Barrons, Petersons, Teach Yourself, etc.

Rating:
Summary: Nice review
Review: i think this book goes in to the right amount of detail for a review... it give's you all the main point, ideas, and definitions without any nonesense.
also the practice tests were pretty good.. fairly similar to the ap test i guess.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Test Prep
Review: The Princeton Review for Government and Politics was an excellent book--well worth the price. I got a great score on the exam from all the review I did using this study guide--in fact, quite a few of the exam questions were ones that I had done before in this study guide. It provides an excellent layout, and an easy way to find exactly what you're looking for. I took seven AP exams in high school, and used four different test prep companies--always stick with Princeton Review, the layout and explanations are so much easier to understand, and I actually scored higher on the exams where I used the Princeton Review books. Just a point of advice, don't waste your time with the "Peterson's" AP review books, I have never bought anything so worthless, their explanations confused me more than before I used them, not to mention that quite a few specific subject areas were never even covered to any depth, leading me to believe that those areas were not as "important" in the grand scheme of the AP exams--man I was wrong. Always stick to Princeton Review, they havn't steered me wrong yet, I'm getting their MCAT review book next.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Test Prep
Review: The Princeton Review for Government and Politics was an excellent book--well worth the price. I got a great score on the exam from all the review I did using this study guide--in fact, quite a few of the exam questions were ones that I had done before in this study guide. It provides an excellent layout, and an easy way to find exactly what you're looking for. I took seven AP exams in high school, and used four different test prep companies--always stick with Princeton Review, the layout and explanations are so much easier to understand, and I actually scored higher on the exams where I used the Princeton Review books. Just a point of advice, don't waste your time with the "Peterson's" AP review books, I have never bought anything so worthless, their explanations confused me more than before I used them, not to mention that quite a few specific subject areas were never even covered to any depth, leading me to believe that those areas were not as "important" in the grand scheme of the AP exams--man I was wrong. Always stick to Princeton Review, they havn't steered me wrong yet, I'm getting their MCAT review book next.

Rating:
Summary: the best!
Review: this was such a helpful book. the practice test is a must- because you will find VERY similar questions on the AP exam. I dont think i would have been ready for the exam without the book. it tells you exactly what you need to know and how to use it. This book is flawless. If you're taking the AP US government you need to buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: the best!
Review: this was such a helpful book. the practice test is a must- because you will find VERY similar questions on the AP exam. I dont think i would have been ready for the exam without the book. it tells you exactly what you need to know and how to use it. This book is flawless. If you're taking the AP US government you need to buy this book.