<p>i'm thinking of self studying for AP bio instead of taking the course at my school, since i can't fit it in my schedule, but i'm also taking a few other APs this coming school year and it will be my junior year =(</p>
<p>so has anyone here self studied for AP bio? if so, how much time/effort did it take? what books did you use?</p>
<p>I suggest you get Cliffs and 5 Steps to a 5.
Guaranteed 4, maybe even a 5.
If you want a guaranteed 5, I would suggest using Campbell's(the textbook) to study from- it is very good</p>
<p>This summer, read 5 steps to a 5...very good reviewer + some details. then during the year, go between cliffs and campbell</p>
<p>thanks! do you know about how much time you had to spend on it every week?</p>
<p>personally I took the class so idk.
If you have good long term memory, I think 1-2 hours a week should be enough. If you buy Campbell's, try to spend one week per chapter(or one week per chapter in your review books)</p>
<p>Campbell's is fantastic. My freshman bio teacher gave it to me and I was totally nerding out, it's thorough and non-condenscending and just extremely comprehensive overall. However, if you want a shorter, more test-specific book, go for Cliff's bio. Good luck...schedule issues are sucktacular.</p>
<p>lol nerding out</p>
<p>Is AP bio very difficult? That's what I keep hearing...my school stopped offering because it was "too hard". But I'm sure I could have handled it. Is Campbell's difficult to read and understand? I learn things better when I get lectures, so would self-studying from a book be a bad idea for that kind of a learner?</p>
<p>I think that if you review enough, it should be fine despite the lack of lectures...if there's a good bio teacher at your school, go talk to him/her when you have trouble with something, that might help. It's very memorization-based, so if you're good with that, it's extremely easy...if not, well, good luck.</p>
<p>i don't know virtuoso, some people say it's one of the easiest APs, and some say its one of the hardest. </p>
<p>i'm pretty interested in bio, so i don't think i'll have trouble memorizing stuff. thanks you all!</p>
<p>I do not recommend self-studying for the AP Bio Exam. Many of the popular brand name books do not offer a realistic approach or view of the exam, which contains many conceptual questions. I suggest getting a tutor or actually enrolling in an AP Bio class. You need to practice old AP Exams, especially the ones from the early 1990's because those questions, especially the essay prompts, tend to show up on recent exams, and the only person that would have access to such material would be an AP Bio teacher. Good Luck!</p>
<p>I think it's impossible to do well on the AP Bio test without the class, especially the labs.</p>
<p>^Which reminds me how fortunate we were this year to not have to answer a lab FR^</p>
<p>I agree with the people above who say that it's very difficult to self-study AP Bio. I think this is especially true if you have a hard time grasping concepts that are "intangible" (such as molecular biology). </p>
<p>Having said that, molecular biology was very interesting to me (same for the others that took the class at my HS), but then again you have to deal with sheer memorization when it comes to certain topics such as plant structures and functions.</p>
<p>Unless you have a good memory and can intuitively understand new topics easily, you might want to take a first-year bio class. (AP or not)</p>
<p>it's just that when i'm looking through cc, i see a lot of posters saying they self studied AP Bio and got a 5, so it must be possible. i took a year of freshman biology though. i think it would be a good idea to look through the AP biology syllabus at my high school as well.</p>
<p>if u take a class. . . the AP bio exam should be a breeze I suggest getting a Campbells (6th edition is cheap) w/ the official study guide, 5 steps to a 5, and maybe cliff's (horrible review book in my opinion)</p>
<p>I got a 5 self-studying bio. I used a textbook + Barron's prepbook. No lab. It's definitely possible to do well self-studying, esp if you're a sciency-type person. But I'd definitely use both a textbook and prepbook. Prepbooks are never as in depth as a textbook, and sometimes the extended explanations make more sense and stick in your head better. The prepbook is also important for the practice questions and lab review (since you have no way of doing them, you should at least look them over). </p>
<p>I can't think of the name of the textbook I used off hand. If you want the name of it, feel free to message me and I'll look it up.</p>