Cracking the AP Calculus AB & BC Exams

by David S. Kahn and The Princeton Review

Book Overview

Scoring high on the AP Calculus AB & BC Exams is very different from earning straight A's in school. We don't try to teach you everything there is to know about calculus--only the strategies and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375428852
• ISBN13: 9780375428852
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Princeton Review
• Length: 870 Pages
• Weight: 3.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 8.4" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

good prep book

it's a good prep book. im studying for ap calculus right now. the test is on may 3rd. it explains well and there are many practice test with practice problems on each chapters. i like it hopefully i will pass the test ;D

Has exactly what you need for the test

Has exactly what you need for the test, nothing more and nothing less. Use this book to review and practice with real old tests. The tips about the free response questions are very useful. If your teacher does not have old tests, you can buy them from the College Board.

AP Calculus!

I bought this book two weeks before my exam, and I am so glad I did. I shrugged off seriously studying Calculus since I did well in the class, but I bought this book for the extra practice and reinforcement of Calculus theorems and rules. This book helped me take the AB test with more confidence. I did the test problems, which were helpful because they had explanations for every answer. I reinforced on the one topic I had the most difficulty on, the volume of solids in rotation. I actually learned a technique (the shells method) from that book that I did not get to learn in class, and it helped simplify things so much! I actually managed to use the shells method (if you're curious, rotating a solid around the y-axis) on the actual AP exam. The explanations of the theorems and rules are straight forward, which is a breather after verbose definitions some college texts give. During the year, I wondered what "Trapezoidal" and "Circumscribed" sums REALLY meant, but this book got the point across to me, and after doing the practice problems, I was finally able to do these problems with ease on the AP exam! One complaint: I bought this book when it was relatively new, so I found a few mistakes in the answer keys. I am sure because I did the problems many times and/or checked it on the graphing calculator. Princeton Review tends to be a little sloppy when it comes to first edition editing. True, this book is not as detailed as the AP/college course should be, but the book gives you enough information and plenty of practice problems to score well on the AP exam, which is the goal of Princeton Review, anyway. Read this book and do the problems in it ALONG with any helpful notes/the good parts of the school textbook and readers should (hopefully) score in the 4-5 range!

It's a "not-bad" book, not the best

I took the AP exam this year, I used three AP books to prepare, of course it includes this book. This is not too good book if we compare this book to Barrons'. The test is kinda easier than the actual test, and it didn't give you explanation on the chapter problems. For those who need to know how to do the problems, this book won't really satisfy you. Get the Barrons' one, that book is much better. But well, like i said, it still a nice book for AP test.!!!

Princeton is best brand

This is the best AP Calculus study book out there. I think the Princeton Review makes the best guides, because they are so casual about the subjects. The books are written in an entertaining way - they won't bog you down. I used the Princeton Review guide to pass the Calculus, European History, and Biology AP tests. I am disappointed they don't make an AP English Language book!