What are the best AP prep books?

AP Biology Test Prep Books...Which one is the best?

• I will be taking AP biology next year so I have begun to look for a good (might get more than one) prep book. But there are so many out there. "Barrens" AP biology Flash cards look good for prep but I need a book with multiple practice tests and explanation. Princeton, Barren, and multiple others have tons of test prep book from different years so I don't know where to start. Can someone suggest a couple of good ones? By the way, I have seen book with CD's before but I can't think of why I would need a CD but if someone knows why that would be great. I have also hears that getting the AP biology cliff notes is good for the school year? Is that correct? Thanks!

• Answer:

  One word for you: Cliffs. Get Cliffs. I'm taking the AP bio exam soon and I've been using Cliffs. It's mad comprehensive, and I guarantee you, read through it thoroughly two or three times a week or two before the exam. You'll feel your brain explode with information, no lie. It's like the AP Bio peeps up at College Board let their secrets out and sold them to Cliffs. It's even been helping me in the actual class, because instead of trying to memorize and comprehend large words and textbook language, Cliffs strives for a more conventional method. It'll essentially talk to you, teach you and will be your survival guide for the AP exam. If you're taking AP Bio NEXT year, I recommend buying the book so you can skim through it/read it after a chapter you read in class so that the information is reinforced and you actually understand the concept. If you're planning on doing more than one, 5 STEPS TO A 5. Do not do Barron's. I'm not even joking. Barron's is pretty good for Psychology, but definitely go for a 5 steps for a 5 if you're planning on purchasing more than one. Barron's won't help you at all. The questions are too vague, the material is too brief and it skips over too much information. I also recommend getting an updated version towards the weeks before the actual AP exam next year, so you have a more up to date idea as to how the test works. They're changing the AP exams up next year, you know, including the whole AP bio curriculum. If you're planning on taking it next year, they're going to change up all the books too. So you can use the current ones for help for understanding material (which will benefit you in the end too) but for effective studying towards the exam, buy a more recent version of the book. Good luuuuuuck.