World Famous Comics: Be Prepared for the AP Computer Science Exam in Java
Be Prepared for the AP Computer Science Exam in Java
By: Maria Litvin Publisher: Skylight Publishing Average Rating: Binding: Perfect Paperback Label: Skylight Publishing Number of Pages: 384 Publication Date: May 10, 2007 Reading Level: Young Adult
Product Description: This is the third edition of the best-selling AP Computer Science exam prep book. Thorough review chapters cover all of the A- and AB-level material and the GridWorld case study. Includes five complete practice exams, three A and two AB, with no overlap.
Tests are good but reviews arent i used this book along wiht the 5 steps one, and thank god i did. maria litvin's prep book is not at all a good book to use if you havent picked up much during the school year and need help quick for the ap test. the best thing about this book is the practice tests. they're actually harder than the real one in may, but it makes sure taht you are thoroughly prepared. i know a lot of people use that same justification for the barron's practice tests, but i found that the barron's ap comp sci practice tests were too hard to an unlikely extreme. litvin's challenges you, barron's just tortures you. the lessons and review in this book were rather disappointing. it didnt teach you a whole lot. i used 5 steps to actually learn the material. i would highly recommned this book to those you know their stuff and just want to prep. and to those you are completely lost in the subject, use 5 steps or some other material to reivew the information and then this book for last minute prepreations.
oh and also, the links they give you are really great for studying frq.
a little bit too easy maria litvin - i'd recommend it to anyone who never learned java b4. this book definitely stresses over concept, but the problems are not enough and much easier than the test i took in may. as a result, i'd recommend u to buy this book, but a harder book to go along with it like ds-marketing or barron's. princeton - this book is pretty alright. it has good information, but i don't think it's enough. the way the author writes is understandable, but again, problems are not enough. sometimes there are only 4 problems per chapter. also, the practice test at the end of the chapter are not enough. there's only 1 set for A and 1 set for AB. barron's - this book places emphasis on the problems. for example, in marine biology, there's at least 40 problems. don't buy this if u get bored easily because reading this book is like reading college textbooks. however, i can guarantee u that this book will raise ur score much quicker than any other book. however, this book is MUCH MUCH MUCH harder than the actual exam. i'd say that if u get a raw score of 50/80 on the practice test, u can probably get a 5. 5 steps - i borrowed this book from a friend about a week before the test. i feel like this book is almost exactly like the test. it has every type of problem, and gives excellent short summaries at the end of each chapter. it's quite understandable. b4 taking compsci ap, i did 5 books: maria litvin, barron, princeton, 5 steps to a 5, and ds-marketing. i'd say that if u have a pretty decent teacher, u'll probably only need 5 steps or barron's. otherwise, i'd recommend at least 2 of the books above. however, remember that ds-marketing DOES NOT have marine biology (which makes up about 20% of the exam)
A boon to AP Java students This is a great book. I feel that I owe them for making this book. The authors do a great job in simply summarizing the concepts covered on the AP test, and providing great examples - the free response questions were right on the money! Highly suggested.
Great Review Manual for the AP Comp Sci Exam in Java Maria Litvin has done an extraordinary job of putting together the new "Be Prepared for the AP Computer Science Exam in Java". This review manual, which has enough detail to double as a text book, has everything students need to focus on prior to taking the exam. It addresses everything in the ETS Java subset that students should have studied during the school year and has outstanding multiple choice and free response practice exam questions. The tests even include questions about the Java Marine Biology Simulation program which students need to know for the exam. Her web site also includes the 2003 C++ free response questions, which have been translated into Java. If you are searching for a great review manual with great practice questions, this is it!
Definetly Better then Barron's Guide for Review The Barron's giude is very nice, but it basically reteaches evrything for the student, which is only good if you have the typicall AP Computer Science teacher, like the ones in the Reviews : My teacher was horribale, she doesn't know anything about Java/C++/Pascal. She only knew about some other language and never assigned homework and was just horrible. If that is your teacher then get barron's, but if your school is respectable enough to actually try to get a good Computer Science teacher then get this book, it actually reviews. Another plus over barron's, this book actually has tips and an introduction to the test, Barron's only has 3 pages compared to a chapter with Litvin's guide on this subject.
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