<p>Hey everyone!
I'm a sophomore, and at my school, we aren't allowed to take an AP science until senior year. I took biology honors as a freshman though.
Anyways, I was thinking of self-studying for bio or maybe taking an online course. If any of you have self-studied AP Bio and gotten a 4-5 on the exam, do you have any tips or ways to study? Is taking an online course better? I know it takes a lot of time to take an online course. When's the best time to self-study?</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>I have a similar situation, only that I actually am taking AP Biology this year as a sophomore. I took Biology Honors last year. AP Biology is a very extensive class. It is easier to self-study for than AP Physics or AP Chemistry, but AP Biology has a lot more stuff to memorize. It is more of a “breadth” class than a “depth” class. I would recommend having a teacher to help you understand the stuff, since there is too much too memorize. I get nearly perfect scores on the tests that my teacher hands me, but it is a lot of memorize. So far, since first quarter just ended last week, we had to memorize the carbon groups, organic macromolecules (including their shapes, structures, and functions), and the cell parts and their functions. We have not even touched the Biochemistry part in Honors; we just did basic functions and names.</p>
<p>I would recommend Campbell’s AP Biology textbook. I am using 7th edition, and you can find it cheap on Amazon: <a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Campbell-Biology-Seventh-Hardcover-Textbook/dp/B0031Z0RNG”>http://www.amazon.com/Campbell-Biology-Seventh-Hardcover-Textbook/dp/B0031Z0RNG</a></p>
<p>Campbell goes in-depth with Biology, so it will teach you everything in Biology, but you would have to pace yourself since there is a lot to learn! There are later editions, but I am using 7th edition, and it works just fine. AP Biology hasn’t changed that much in the past 10 years.</p>
<p>@ObitoSigma Do you mean asking a teacher to mentor me?</p>
<p>Thank you for the suggestion about Campbell’s Bio though!</p>
<p>I also recommend using Campbell’s, having self-studied and gotten a 5 sophomore year. I used the 8th edition, but again, I doubt there’s been any change. I began studying in December, did 1 chapter a night and finished up with plenty of time to study for the exam. Closer to the exam, you should do every practice test you can get your hands on.</p>
<p>@Smargent Thank you! By “1 chapter a night” do you mean reading or memorizing/learning completely? </p>