<p>DS is contemplating to take AP Bio exam based on his knowledge of Bio which is very strong. He is taking AP Chem this year in school. He has an option of taking AP Bio in school next year (senior). His senior year schedule will be MV Calc, AP Phy B, AP English, US Gov, PE and one elective....</p>
<p>How would colleges (Yale) view when you take a science AP exam by self studying? I heard colleges prefer to have a lab based course thoroughly studied over the perio of one year...is that true?</p>
<p>Any inputs will be appriciated</p>
<p>It really varies with the college. I am an AP Bio teacher, and College Board tells us that students should be told to hold on to their lab portfolios because some colleges require documentation of college level lab work before they will give college credit. I’ve only had one student years ago that had to supply this documentation, and it was at the University of Kentucky. I would check with the colleges that your son is interested in to see if only the AP score matters for credit.</p>
<p>Bio I will not get you through the AP Bio exam. AP Bio covers vastly more than your introductory Bio I course. However, it is possible to study a lot of the material in AP Bio yourself from the textbook. Campbell’s AP Biology, 6th through 8th edition, are the recommended/ widely used texts for the course. It’s one of the best textbooks I’ve ever used.</p>
<p>AP Bio also has a lab portion (some 11 designated AP labs in total), plus a bunch of supplementary ones. This hands-on experience is an important part of the course-- from what my teacher told me, at least one of the labs will appear on the exam in some form or another as well.</p>
<p>So while it is, in theory, possible to self study for AP Bio, I would advise against it. You miss the entire lab portion of the thing, and as with all self-study classes, the benefit of a teacher. The AP sciences with lab portions (Chem, Bio, Physics) should not be self-studied for.</p>
<p>^This is my own personal opinion. I took AP Bio last year as a double block period. It was my favorite class-- challenging, interesting and enthusiastically taught.</p>
<p>I agree with adchang - unless your son cannot fit AP Bio into his schedule, I would not take the self-study route over the class. And it is also true that the labs are on the test - the “dirty dozen”, the 12 required labs. One essay and approximately 20% of the multiple choice questions require students to have familiarity with these labs. Also, even if your son got a great score on the exam, he may not be prepared for higher level college biologies without the actual introductory course.</p>