Mr R's AP Study Book Recommendations

Mr R.'s High School AP and IB

Study Book Recommendations

I currently teach at an International Baccalaureate (IB) magnet school which requires students to take both AP and IB tests at the end of the course. I've prepared students for six different types of AP Tests and five different types of IB tests at one time or another since 1993. While I've had students get 5s on AP tests without using study books, I'd say it's rare. These are the books I recommend for the subjects I teach.

AP Physics B and IB Physics HL and SL

Cracking the AP Physics B and C Exams, 2006-2007 Edition (College Test Prep) (Paperback)
by Princeton Review , $12.35 from Amazon.com
My students use the B physics section of this book to prepare for both the IB HL and SL tests. I require my students to buy this book for themselves.

AP Physics C, both Mechanics, E&M

Cracking the AP Physics B and C Exams, 2006-2007 Edition (College Test Prep) (Paperback)
by Princeton Review , $12.35 from Amazon.com
The multiple choice tests in this book tend to be harder than those of the actual AP test. The explanations are decent as and the free response problems about right. I require my students to buy this book for themselves.

How to Prepare for the AP Physics C (Paperback)
by Robert A. Pelcovits, Joshua D. Farkas
I issue this book in class and it has proven very useful for multiple choice practice tests. They are right on the money (as compared with the few test which have been released). Decent multiple choice tests are hard to find and so the book is worth the cost for this purpose alone. The other features of the book are so-so.

AP Computer Science A and AB

How to Prepare for the AP Computer Science Exam (Barron's How to Prepare for the Ap Computer Science Advanced Placement Examination) by Roselyn Teukolsky
Although I issue 2 other study books in class, this is the one my students recommend (I now now required them to buy it for themselves). While no book can compensate for an inability to program, this book does help prepare students for the test.

Be Prepared for the AP Computer Science Exam in Java -- by Maria Litvin
I typically issue this book in class. My students say it's worth while but typically like the Barron's book better. That said, I still recommend it. To be well prepared you must take a lot of practice tests. I would not depend on a single book to do so.

AP Statistics

How to Prepare for the AP Statistics (Barron's How to Prepare for the Ap Statistics Advanced Placement Examination) -- by Martin Sternstein Ph.D.
I use two other AP Statistics study books in class. This is the book my students recommend (I now now required them to buy it for themselves).