Cliffs AP Calculus AB

To prepare for the AP Calc test I bought two books: Cliff's AP Calc and Barron's AP Calc Review. I found this book much easier to understand, with comprehensive tests that include free-response questions. Also, the topics and tests were very similar to those presented on the test. As for the Barron's version, I looked at it for about an hour and never picked it up again; it was very hard to understand and had no practice free-response questions. Obviously, this is the better buy. When I took the test, I felt very confident and was able to do almost every question- although the results have yet to come in, I think I did very well. My best advice is to buy this book early and use it to complement your calc class. Your grades (both in class and on the AP test) will surely reflect this extra effort.

my calc teacher wrote this book! neat huh

I really enjoyed working with this book. I bought it at the beginning of the year and very glad I did. It helped me prepare for every test, quiz, and even homeworks. It has a wonderful "translation" section where calculus terms are explained in plain english. Topic by topic the book is thorough in the explanations. What I liked most about it is that after each topic, there are practice questions, answers, and explanations. If you're going to buy a calculus preparation book, this is the one to have!