Best AP Calculus Prep Books?

Question

What are the TWO best AP Cal AB & BC prep books??
Barron's
Princeton Review's
Peterson's
Be Prepared for AP Cal
5 Steps to a 5
Kaplan's

Answer 1

When it comes to Calculus, it's all about practice. Unless your textbook isn't AP designed, I recommend you pick the book with the most practice and a detailed list of all the topics covered on the exam itself.



Personally, I would say the best is REA Calculus AB&BC, by Norman Levy. It holds 5 AB exams, and 3 BC exams aswell as a CD with 2 more timed AB exams and 1 more BC exam. Each question is relatively similar to that on the AP exam and ALL questions, MC and Free response, are explained step by step. The first 100 pages of the book includes a quick reference of all the topics you would see and examples. All for the same relative price to the other popular books.



But.. Like I said, it's all about practice.

Answer 2

Most AP teachers would recommend the "Be Prepared for the AP Calculus Exam" review book. This review book teaches you the concepts clearly and give you problems that are similar to the actual AP questions. The Barron's AP Calculus AB and BC book is the second-best review book. It gives you reviews of the topics. But the problems are harder than the actual AP tests.