Okay, so it’s not a “thing” per se, but an AP course review book is filled with so much textual information that it may as well be. With AP exams approaching in May, here’s a simplified rundown on my favorite exam publisher: McGraw Hill’s 5 Steps to a 5. The series provides: study plans according to how much time one has, rapid reviews at the end for speedy cramming, lots of bulleted information in chunks and lists for easier managing, lots of bolding and italicizing for emphasis, summaries and key concepts/terms in the beginnings of chapters, lots of empty space for one’s own note taking, and the book talks like a human. For comparison, Barron’s series typically has too much text, the Kaplan series is skimpy on an information per page basis, and the Research & Education Association’s series is annoyingly bulky. Because they all typically retail at the same price, go with McGraw Hill.