AP chem? Not so tough when you've got PR!

books:


	• Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam, 2008 Edition (College Test Prep) Princeton Review Princeton Review, 2007 - 464 pages average customer review:based on 10 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

AP chem? Not so tough when you've got PR!

I'm a junior in AP chemistry. I've slacked off all year, my grades on exams were generally Bs and Cs, but I wanted a chance for redemption: I intended to do well on the AP chemistry exam. Not just well -- I wanted a 5.

So, a few days before the exam, intimidated by the voluminous textbooks, filled with dry, academic pages, I decided to wander into my local book-store to purchase this little gem. It looked like it covered all the topics that I had no clue about on my class exams, so figured that I could learn from this book -- and I was right!

I spent a total of 10 consecutive hours reading the book, doing all the practice problems, and going over what I did wrong. I learned a lot -- I essentially doubled my knowledge of chemistry over the course of less than a day. When the exam came, I walked into the test center, a little nervous, but confident overall because I'd prepared. As I completed the exam, I was in shock as to how easy the questions were. That was for the multiple choice. I said to myself, "there's no way in heck that the free responses will be this easy!".

I was wrong. When I did the free-response, I found myself able to wield the tools of chemistry like a guy who'd actually paid attention all year. With confidence, I completed each question in full confidence: there was nothing that I didn't know how to do on the free responses (okay, there was one part of an essay, but meh).

I am confident that because of this book, I scored a five. Not just a "skin-of-my-teeth" five, but a true, solid A.

If you want to prepare for AP chemistry, read this book, do the exercises, and relax. You're on your way to a five.

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Not good enough for a 5; very basic

I've been through countless AP review books; I'm a junior and I've taken 4 AP exams, and I'm set to take 5 more in the next two weeks.
I feel my knowledge is very intimate on AP books and prep.
I say this because I think the people on Amazon tend to rate negative reviews poorly and positive reviews nicely, and I'd like to boost my credibility. Well folks, face it: some of these big name books just don't cut it, and I'm telling you that Princeton Review's AP Chemistry does not cut it.

While it is a good review, it does not have enough content nor explanations to be considered a premier test prep book. The explanations are brief, as if they assume that you have adequate knowledge on the topic already. They leave some holes, leaving you implying at best.
Equilibrium, by far the most complex and difficult subject on the AP Chemistry exam, is way undercovered. The chapter covers nothing that shows up on their practice problems, and the explanation is hurried and concise.

On the flipside, The Princeton Review does an outstanding job of boxing all of the important formulas and explaining the variables. It is a good idea to put these formulas on flashcards.
Another positive is the teenage-friendly words, which may go far in explaining concepts in ways that a college textbook may not.

While the Princeton Review delivers on some concepts, it falls tremendously short on others. It's exactly what it advertises to be: a review.

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The Best Preparation Possible

This book is brilliant. Like all Princeton Reviews, this book is as concise as it is thorough. Critics underrate the value and usefulness of this book due to its lack of content. While it's true that this book does not cover everything you need to know to answer every question correctly on the exam, it covers enough for you to be prepared to answer the majority of the questions and to make educated guesses on the few that you may not know (remember, you can skip almost one-third of the questions and still get a five!).

Get this book if you want to spend the least amount of time reviewing while still having a very good shot at getting a five on the AP exam. Don't listen to those who say that this book "isn't enough"; it is.

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Quite Below My Expectations...

I believe the best time to review a book, especially one that is a test/AP Exam prep book is when the test is actually over; this way, the reviewer can make comparisons as to what was effectively covered.
Princeton Review has helped me very much in the past, so I have absolutely nothing against the company; however, this book was dissapointing. The actual AP exam's questions were much more challenging than the ones in the book. This really game me a false sense of security. 97% of BOTH practice tests (two are provided in the PR AP Chem. book) were no where similar to the questions on the actual AP exam. Not to mention the FRQ's in the book were entirely different than those on the actual AP exam.
What this book lacked were the lab questions, which (in this year's AP Exam) was tested quite heavily. In fact, a whole 5-6 part FRQ was devoted solely on. Thus, my advice to you, if you are looking for a good practice book. Don't get one. Go to the College Board's website, find the AP Chemistry site, find their old posted Exams. Practice those. The questions there, in retrospect, are the ones you will probably see in future AP Chem Exams. And, if you REALLY know how to use [...] search engine tools, you can probably find a plethora of old AP exams on other Chemistry AP teachers' websites.

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Very Good

The book was used by my daughter and she found it very useful for her AP Chemistry Test.

reviews: page 1, 2

Product Description Scoring high on the AP Chemistry Exam is very different from earning straight As in school. We dont try to teach you everything there is to know about chemistryonly the strategies and information youll need to get your highest score. In Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam, well teach you how to ·Use our preparation strategies and test-taking techniques to raise your score ·Focus on the topics most likely to appear on the test ·Test your knowledge with review questions for each chemistry topic covered This book includes 2 full-length practice AP Chemistry tests. All of our practice questions are just like those youll see on the actual exam, and we explain how to answer every question. Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam has been fully updated for the 2008 test.

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