<p>Hey everyone, I have decided to take ap bio next year, but have a few questions about the course-(please respond if you have taken and successfully completed the class!)
How hard is it to earn an A in the class? (I have received an A in regular biology and I also had one of the hardest teachers you can get)
How difficult are the tests, are they mainly memorization on concepts or do they go into specifics? (not the ap exam test for bio, the class tests)
For those who have earned an a in the class, how many hours did you study per week? Per night? And are tests usually curved?
What study tools helped? ( I have heard that Barron's and Campbell's really helped)
and i am generally a straight a student and work hard, do you think that getting an A would be possible for me? Please be specific, thank you in advance. (I am approaching my junior year in hs)</p>
<p>the class itself will vary greatly from teacher to teacher, school to school, and district to district
from my experience…B+ i had a massive work load but it was all neccessary. the workload for me was adequate enough for me as studying through the cells, DNA, protein, organisms, and ecology units
be sure to pay attention to the labs. One of the FR questions is one of the 12 labs. I struggled on the taxonomy of animals, plants, CR & photosynthesis areas</p>
<p>I’m taking AP Biology next semester too! I talked to the AP Biology teacher and this is what she said to me.</p>
<p>She explained that studying should come natural to you, or in other words, know how to study. Studying is your ticket to an A. There might be some concepts in here that might get confusing, and the only way to understand, is to use your resources. The course heavily enforces critical thinking using tools of the trade to help them become more successful. I always messed up lab in H. Biology, and I learned that the labs in AP Biology are there to give you a hands on approach to learn and master the material. The test are not SUPER hard but they can be challenging. Some questions are book answers and some are question that require critical thinking that are not in your textbook. To do well on test you must KNOW the material. Here’s a course outline for AP Biology according to pamphlet by the AP Biology teacher: </p>
<p>1st Semester: Evolution, Biochemistry, Cells, Energetics and Genetics (in depth study similar to 10th grade biology content).</p>
<p>2nd Semester: Biotechnology [glowing bacteria (lab), gel electrophoresis (lab)], Microbiology (viruses, and bacteria), Plants (anatomy and identification), Animals [human anatomy and physiology, dissections (cat), tour of different animal phyla-from sponges to mammals] </p>
<p>I hoped this helped. Talk to me if you have any questions</p>
<p>If you really enjoy the subject, the A should come naturally. Be sure to study sufficiently for tests and spend a good amount of time on the lab questions. </p>
<p>If you don’t like biology, it will be a lot harder. You will have to force yourself to study, which isn’t conducive to effective learning. Be interested in what you are learning, and you’ll have a much better experience.</p>
<p>I’m currently enrolled in AP Biology. I love the subject and got a 100/A+ last semester. The tests aren’t too difficult, but the labs can be confusing at times. I recommend purchasing CliffsNotes AP Biology to supplement your class/textbook. It has great summaries of concepts and useful practice questions. I studied CliffsNotes for a day before the midterm exam and got a perfect score.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>