<p>I'm taking AP Bio this year as a sophomore. It happens to be my first AP class.
The results to my first test are out, and let's just say... I want to cry.
Honestly, I don't know if this is how AP classes are, but the teachers don't seem
to teach anything in class. We read, they answer questions, and we take a test.
This seems to be a routine, but I found several problems on the test that my teacher
hadn't even mentioned in class, and I was extremely flustered.</p>
<p>Does anybody have any advice for the class or even recommendations for good study books?
Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Read the chapters along with the unit. Your post wasn’t completely clear, but it seems like you’re not doing enough. If you actually read and try to memorize most of each chapter, you’ll do very well on the tests.</p>
<p>As for review books, the consensus is that Cliff’s AP Biology is the one to get. I can vouch for it; I used it last year (as a sophomore) and got an A+ in the class and a 5 on the AP exam. It’s really a great resource. </p>
<p>Finally, AP courses really test your ability to apply the knowledge you’ve learned. If you haven’t yet figured out how to do this, you’ll get better soon. With practice, you’ll be answering those seemingly unfamiliar questions on tests like a pro in no time. Good luck!</p>
<p>If you’re a sophomore, I’m assuming you haven’t taken chem yet, or are in it now. As I recall, one of the first tests in AP Bio is usually on chemistry, so you would be at a disadvantage. </p>
<p>If you feel like you’re struggling with a chapter, outline it. (Don’t outline the whole book unless you have to, just the chapters you have trouble with.) Read the chapter a few times. There is so much information crammed into AP Bio that your teacher won’t have time to convey it all in class. This year, with the new exam, try to focus more on understanding big concepts, not memorizing tiny details. I preferred Princeton Review to cliffs, but I didn’t really use it until a few weeks before the test. </p>
<p>Hi five for Bio as a first AP class! From my experience, the other ones are very different. Bio has the greatest amount of information to cram into your head. Not even APUSH compares.</p>
<p>^ I took AP Bio as a sophomore, and I definitely didn’t feel that having not taken any Chemistry courses was a “disadvantage”. The focus on Chem is very small, merely an introduction, that doesn’t really require background in the subject.</p>
<p>@Twainaddict
As far as tips go… Someone already mentioned it but do read the book! I thought I could get away with studying the notes we took in class, but I soon realized that would not work. After doing very poorly on the first few quizzes, I realized I would have to do more. I got a B first quarter but -after adjusting my study tactics -pulled in all As for the remainder of the year, including final exams. In short: the amount of time you put into studying will directly determine the grades you receive. If you don’t try your best, don’t expect to do your best. Good luck!</p>
<p>^ I completely agree. I took AP Bio while taking chemistry (so I didn’t have much experience with chem before taking the biochem chapter test), and I didn’t feel disadvantaged at all. AP Bio’s chemistry is pretty trivial.</p>
<p>Im taking AP Bio right now as a sophomore, and I’m taking chem at the same time…so far, chem has a lot more homework and is a more difficult class…but my bio teacher doesnt teach and we read the chapters ourselves and have a test the next day…</p>
<p>@4kidsdad: It’s a gross generalization to say that 10th graders can’t handle a college-level biology course. I handled it, and I’m sure many others can and have handled it, too. Additionally, some schools have laughably easy AP Bio courses, while others have excruciatingly difficult ones. The decision to take the course, then, should really be done on a case-by-case basis.</p>
<p>^Agree. Actually, the vast majority of students at my school take AP Bio as 10th graders. Class make-up definitely differs amongst high schools.</p>
<p>Three kids in my AP W. History class are in AP Bio also, and it<code>s tough on them…they say they like AP History better than Bio. But I know for AP History, our teacher said it</code>s normal to fail the first few tests. She actually told us she expected us to cry after getting our first grade back…I got a 64%…me, the history nerd. </p>
<p>@4KidsDad: There are about 100 kids taking AP science classes this year, about 27 for AP Bio. And we also have AP Bio-Chem, which is actually what the guys in my class are in, and one day they do Bio, the next they do Chem.</p>