How to Prepare for the AP Calculus Advanced Placement Examination: Review of Calculus AB and Calculus BC

I am a junior student in high school from Hawaii. I had an AP Calculus test this year (2001). I bought this book for reviewing, this book is wonderful. This book is harder than the actual test, but that's good. The practice exams are very similar to the real exam (easy part. It overprepares you; it also make you feel confident on the test! The non-calculator part in the book is MUCH MUCH harder than the actual test, so don't get depressed if you get too many wrong on the practice exams. I bought three AP books to review, of all three, Barrons' is the best one!! I recommended!

I highly recommend Barron's AP Calculus review book to both students and teachers. It is an excellent source of problems and explanations on each of the topics in AP Calculus. Throughout the book there is a consistent focus on the goals and content of the new advanced placement course description for AP calculus. There are numerous examples where concepts are explored through interpretation of graphs and/or tables. I use some problems to supplement the text during the year, and each student buys their own book to review for the exam. The reasoning and understanding developed by connecting the concepts in these problems contribute immensely to success on the AP. Last year all the students scored 4's and 5's, and many attribute their success to the use of the review book to "tie it all together".

If you--like some of the previous reviewers of this book--expect to snooze through your calculus class for a year, pick up a $13 book and ace the AP exam, thereby earning college credit for material you never really learned, this book (and, most likely, all others, along with college and life itself) will be a huge disappointment. After some deep thought, you perhaps would come to the conclusion that if this were actually possible, there wouldn't be much need for Calculus courses, Calculus textbooks, or Calculus teachers, like myself. HOWEVER, if you wish to supplement (i.e., not supplant) your classroom text with a variety of informative review sections and practice problems, this book is an excellent choice. Here's why I think so: In my AP calculus class of 21 students, this book was used during the second semester. (The first semester, I taught the topics from a standard text.) The second semester, each night I would assign about 15 problems, and the next day we would review the problems and have a 5-question quiz over the types of questions seen in the homework. While this book does not include free-response questions (except in the cumulative review section, something our vitriolic reviewer probably failed to locate), there is really no need for this, as the College Board lets each school KEEP the free-response questions. So, we also practiced free-response questions from the last 10 years. The bottom line: of 21 students -- all of whom said they had been more than well prepared for the exam -- there were (7) 5's, (10) 4's and (4) 3's earned on the exam. Yes... I know, 7 + 10 + 4 = 21, which means nobody earned a 1 or 2, and right you are! If you are a diligent student, this book is a worthy addition to your arsenal, IF you begin using it well before the exam. If you are not, save your $13. (or--more likely--your parents' $13.) This book can't perform miracles.

Barron's AP Calculus is the best AP Calculus prep book out on the market. If you are taking Calculus AB, this book (in conjunction with an AP Calculus AB class) will do wonders for your test score. Likewise, if you are taking the Calculus BC, this book (in conjunction with an AP Calculus BC class) will do wonders for your test score. For those of you who want to take the Calculus BC but are in a Calculus AB class, the book will teach you almost everything you need to know. The only fault that I found in the entire book (besides the accidental mislabelings of test answers) was that it did NOT cover series (a BC topic) well enough. I strongly suggest reading a series chapter from an actual mathematics book, as well as paying special attention to how to find converging/diverging series and how to manipulate series (such as through integration).All in all, this book will be a blessing for your AP grade. I used this book to prep for the Calculus BC (even though I am in a Calculus AB class) and, with the help of my teacher (who also helped me review series in greater depth), I scored a "5" on the test.This book is a must-buy if you are preparing for the AP Calculus test.