Hi! I actually suffered through a horrible AP biology class (the teacher read off powerpoints and was absolutely useless, assigned no HW, test answers could be found online, and I had the class every other day), but I pulled through to get that 5 as a sophomore!! That means you can too!!
Important basic info: *You can only use a four-function calculator on the exam!! (that means you can’t use your graphing calculator!) Make sure you do practice questions with a four-function so you get used to it.
*Before using practice tests, check to see that they are up to date and that they have the correct number of questions.
*The exam really tests your understanding and ability to make connections, not just memorization. However, having a good memory and being able to absorb the info well really helped me.
*Know the types of math you have to do (since my teacher never told us about this)!! Bozeman science has a whole page dedicated to this. Some that stick out to me are chi-square and the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation.
My tips (these are ranked from non-traditional tips to common ones that I have seen many times):
-*READING THE CAMPBELL BOOK- FIRST LOOK UP WHICH CHAPTERS ARE COVERED ON THE EXAM.
I cannot stress this enough. At first, I was extremely intimidated by the 56 (or is it 58?) chapters and the large volume of the book, but then I looked up the chapters and realized the exam only covers 36!
Write these chapters down and focus on them!! I never read a single chapter that wasn’t on this list (and I actually didn’t finish reading all 36), but I did just fine 
Honestly though- I wish I had actually read all 36. Once you get into it and get past the roundabout and detailed language they use, you realize how utterly helpful the book is. Please do read it!
-MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE 12 ESSENTIAL AP BIOLOGY LABS.
My AP biology class never did a *single one of these essential labs, so I watched all (I mean most) of Bozeman Science’s 12 Essential AP Biology Lab videos. He goes into extreme detail, so you should definitely watch them if you don’t get a chance to do these labs!
-*GO THROUGH THE QUESTIONS YOU GOT WRONG AND READ ALL THE EXPLANATIONS. THEN, WRITE DOWN IN A JOURNAL WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM THE EXPLANATIONS!! I think this helped me the most, since I used a non-traditional (aka not barrons, kaplan, princeton review- the big names) practice book
-*IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING WITH THE CAMPBELL BOOK, watch the related crash course video on youtube first, read the chapter again (as slowly as you need, I know they’re super dense), and then watch the video again. Repeat as many times as you need. The crash courses go by really fast, but he really helps stick some of the information in your brain so when you reread the chapter, you’re like “omg I remember this!” and you can achieve a deeper understanding of it.
Also, READ OUT LOUD if you’re having trouble understanding something!
-*IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO STUDY FOR BIOLOGY- make webs/concept maps!! This helps you find connections between concepts and see the big picture!
-*Use a whiteboard (or paper, but I find that a whiteboard works best for me) to draw things out and write down concepts!! The act of writing and drawing really helps you make connections.
-*Watch bozeman science videos: they were super helpful!! He has an entire AP video playlist that I did not get a chance to go through, but it is out there.
-Start studying EARLY (not what I did, but it would definitely help!!)
-Get a practice book (honestly anything will do. Everyone usually gets barrons or princeton review or whatever, but I got this sterling review book for some odd reason. It was crazy hard and I’m not even sure if it helped 
)
-DON’T procrastinate on the readings!! The Campbell book is honestly one of the best resources you have despite its length and density.
-Take at least 1 full practice test. (I actually never took a full practice test with the FRQ’s, but I think you should Also, I’ve never actually practiced the FRQ’s, but you probably should too…
Other resources not mentioned above:
- My teacher actually made us read “Your Inner Fish” over the summer, and it was honestly not that boring and quite informative. It really helps with some of the evolution unit, so read it if you want.
Final notes: Congrats if you read through this whole post! Just know that if you’re struggling and want to drop the class, you CAN get a 5. Many times I have been extremely frustrated with a concept that I just couldn’t understand, but with biology, sometimes everything just clicks all at once!
Actually enjoying biology helps. ( I know it’s common sense)
If you have any other questions (including specific ones), please feel free to comment or message me. I’m always down to touch up on my biology knowledge since I want to go into medicine.