Is using college textbooks a good way to self-study for AP exams?Answered
My school doesn't offer many AP exams and as such, I have decided to seld-study for the ones that will be important for my major. I have an abundance of textbooks either teachers gave me or I have bought. Since APs are meant to be like college courses, will using a college textbook to study for the exams be alright?
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I think the previous answer is good, but for most subjects, there are textbooks specific to the college equivalent of that class. What I would do is get an outline of the course from the Collegeboard Website so you know what key concepts you should study. Then, get a textbook, who's content covers the AP Exam. Use the textbook to gain an in-depth knowledge of the subject. Then only use the Princeton Review or Barrons books. Princeton Review and Barrons are meant for concept review and AP Practice, not for learning the actual topics. To learn the actual topics, you will need a college textbook equivalent. If you tell me what specific AP classes you are taking, I could give specific recommendations.
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No. Grab a good prep book and use the My AP resources. Also, last year AP put out video lectures for all of the AP courses so I would check those out. Textbooks tend to be over priced and under deliver on AP content in my experience and that's why I think a Prep book would be a better choice.