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Title: Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam, 2008 Edition (College Test Prep)
ISBN: 0375766421
Author:
Princeton Review
Publicate Date: 2007-12-26
Publish: 2007-12-26
List Price: $18.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $11.08
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $11.47
Amazon Merchant Price: $12.24
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| Customer Review: |
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1: A pretty good review
Nice review. My performance was pretty bad in the Chemistry class I was in. I prepped for the AP test for about a week or a half a week with this book, and then did very well on the AP test (the score earned college credits for Chemistry 1 and 2).
I wouldn't give ALL the credit to the book (my teacher was pretty bad which is more why CLASS performance was down), but I do remember it being nice to brush through things as well as to know what I really need to know for the test (versus chemistry knowledge which is not covered on the test)
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2: Good Enough
Another review here stated that this review book is very basic and assumes that you already know the material. I agree, but that's actually the point of an AP review book--it helps you review the major parts of a subject that you already know so that you can do well on the AP exam, it is not supposed to TEACH you chemistry from scratch. I actually view this aspect of Princeton Review books as a plus because most of us love explanations that are concise. They are clear and the charts are quite helpful. Not only that, but Prince Review is written with a lot of witty humor that you don't find in other books, which makes the process a lot less painful.
Although review books are not intended to teach a person a subject from scratch, I sort of used it for this purpose. I took AP Chemistry my sophomore year, having taken no chemistry class any previous year, and unfortunately for me, the teacher was brand new that year. Needless to say, she was very, very bad at teaching it, and I learned very little from her. However, one week before the AP exam, I started using my Princeton Review book to study for it--I highlighted, wrote notes on it, and took the practice problems. The night before the exam, I managed to finish the entire book, but did not take a single practice test, though I think my teacher might have administered one of her own. I managed to pass with a 3! And that's saying a lot because only 4 people, including myself, passed the AP exam that year (no doubt, thanks to her poor teaching), and I'm one of the 4 thanks to Princeton. (:
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3: 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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4: 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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5: Very Good
The book was used by my daughter and she found it very useful for her AP Chemistry Test.
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