AP Bio Students Unite~!

<p>Hey, I'm taking the AP Bio exam in May, and I saw that many other kids on CC are taking this test too. Tell us how you're going to prepare for the exam, and share with us some useful links/info that you know on the test :D!</p>

<p>You might want to check this link out!
It contains useful study guides, explanations for the required AP labs, and the 2002 released Bio exam without answers :)...</p>

<p>http:// edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/gwoon/ap_biology.htm
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<p>The Bio test is on May 9th, so we have 34 days left! :eek:</p>

<p>Oh don't remind me :/
lol</p>

<p>I'm taking it also. Now, in class we just starting reviewing even though we never started animal systems and behaviors. My teacher said we will spend about a week on that. Well, I guess I'm going to use Cliffs along with some of my text book, take a lot of practice tests, and aim for that 5. Any tips from people taking it or from anyone who 5'ed it?</p>

<p>Quick question: I did the 45 sample questions in 30 minutes and missed 3. Is this good?</p>

<p>Anyways, we are JUST starting plant structure and function (but I've read ahead...a little). We have like 300 pages to do in these 34 days. Grrr.</p>

<p>I took the Bio test last year and got a 5. My suggestions:
[ul]
[<em>]Read CliffsAP completely, more than once if possible
[list]
[li]Make sure you read the Lab section, especially if you didn't do the labs in class.[/li][</em>]Write out answers to (or at least think of how you would answer) the free response questions in Cliffs (I think they're at the end of each chapter)
[/ul]
[<em>]Look at some of the diagrams in the textbooks as you read Cliffs, since they might help you understand the material better
[</em>]Take practice tests and look over what you missed. If you don't know why you missed a question, you'll probably miss it if it were to come up again
[<em>]Get old AP tests and practice with them. A couple of ways to do this:
[ul]
[li]Get old FRQ's from the APCentral website. Answer the questions and compare your solutions to the grading guidelines and sample answers[/li][</em>]Ask your teacher for old MC tests. Many teachers will have the 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1999 MC sections.
[li]If you can't get the tests from your teacher, you might be able to find them online, though CB cracked down on online sites before the 2003 AP Exams. (There's a link to the 2002 exam in the first post)[/li][/ul]
[/list]</p>

<p>Hope that helps, and good luck.</p>

<p>I'm taking it too. I'm probably going to whip out my AP Bio Princeton Review book and study that. I'll also take practice tests and study off of those.</p>

<p>tanman- thanks!
slipstream- youre doing great. 42/45 on the MC is definitely on par for a 5 or at least 4, depends on how you do on the essays. </p>

<p>Does anyone know the accuracy of the practice test in cliffs? The MC seems to be easier that the questions I've seen on the released exams... </p>

<p>tips to add anyone? (tips from 4/5 scorers are greatly appreciated!:))</p>

<p>I heard that about 65% of the raw points in the bio exam is enough to merit a 5.</p>

<p>Yeah, the curve is pretty generous... Although its still a really hard test from what I hear :-/. </p>

<p>I'm using Princeton Review right now... Should I switch to CliffsAP? Is it really that much better? I'm aiming for a 5.</p>

<p>is anyone attempting the bio without taking the class? Would it be extremely hard to get a 4 with only an Advanced Biology high school course?</p>

<p>don't remind me of bio... i hate this class... w/a passion</p>

<p>sentinent- ive never seen the princeton review bio book so I cant compare cliffs and PR, but i do have barrons bio, and i have to say that cliffs is so much better than barrons! so i strongly recommend you to get cliffs if your are not satisfied with the content in PR. people here referred to cliffs as the "bible", and I was surprised after reading it because it really is!</p>

<p>hollyrock- im self-studying for ap bio now, and so far it seems like it's doable. ive taken practice tests, and am doing fine despite the fact that i am studying independently. i think its reasonable for one to take the exam with just an advanced biology background. just use an ap bio review book in supplement (cliffs is great!), and youre all set! :)</p>

<p>thanx caesar, have you been studying throughout the year or just recently?</p>

<p>biology rules. period.</p>

<p>hollyrock- ive been studying throught out the year from October, using a textbook used normally in advanced biology. and i just started reviewing with ap bio review books recently :D.</p>

<p>I have both PR and Cliffs AP.</p>

<p>I don't know why I bought the PR exactly, never really got to it, and got through about half of Cliffs, and skimmed the lab section.</p>

<p>I ended with a 5 after the class my sophomore year, didn't really think it was that hard as it sounded to be from upperclassmen.</p>

<p>Maybe its because I read reece & campbell word for word o.O</p>

<p>self studying AP Bio right now. After reading Cliffs, several SEVERAL times (my memory relaly really sucks), I found the practice multiple choice my teach gave me to be easy. course I didn't memorize the cliffs as completely as I thought ( nearly all the questions I missed were in the Cliffnotes) and I still don't have a firm grasp of a few concepts (stupid genetic family trees!). </p>

<p>I took a lot of science UIL tests (which have a lot of biology questions) so right b4 a meet I would try to memorize every single fact out of the cliffnotes book . I made flashcards with lots of facts on each card. it...........sucked. but makes studying easier</p>

<p>though there are a FEW things cliff did not cover that I wisht they did (the brain and the eye for example). </p>

<p>quick question- what do we need to konw aobut labs? I took the practice test and (after reading and conducting 0 labs) and did not see a single question that I could not figure out or remember from my cliffnotes book.</p>

<p>Tami, i saw that you got 800 on both molecular and ecological :eek:! which one would you suggest people to take, given that their knowledge of molecular bio and ecology is the same?</p>

<p>The labs are just supplements to the concepts of the actual stuff we learn in bio. I've done tons of labs this year and the only thing I've really gotten out of them that wasn't in the book was it is really hard to get ideal results for anything in real life which I already knew.</p>

<p>Tami, which do you recommend molecular or ecological? I'm taking the SAT in June for it and don't know which one to take.</p>

<p>so no reason whatsoever to read aboutthe labs?</p>

<p>You should DEFINITELY read about the labs. There's also a free response question based on a lab, and I think some multiple choice questions also based on lab (these obviously aren't that important, as you could easily do well without knowing them). Having an understanding of the Bio labs is important for the free response, though...</p>