I’m considering taking AP Biology in my sophomore year. I took honors biology as a freshman and scored an overall 86%in the class which is not that great. I’m considering going into the biology field so I was thinking about taking AP Biology. Am I crazy? I really want to take an AP Sophomore year but AP Biology is the only one sophomores can take at my school. I’m more concerned about the class difficulty than the AP exam. Is it possible I could self study it? What was your experience if you’ve done it? Any feedback would be helpful
I took the class this year as a sophomore, as the only sophomore in my school. The class difficulty really depends on the teacher, which mines was really laid back. It was actually a whole bunch of book work ,I almost missed my bus twice!. That being said I began to self study as everything my teacher taught was a refreshment of 8th grade. So yes it’s possible to self study of you have the tools, time and drive. I read Campbell’s biology along with Barron’s. The multiple choice part of the exam was simple just be prepared for the frqs. Be ready for the big ideas like evolution, immune system is a must !and know your math. You can google apbiomath.com.
It’s not crazy at all, though expect a heavier workload if you’ve never taken an AP before. Though it’s open to sophomores-seniors at my school, almost entirely seniors take it. However, my bio teacher strongly believes that it should be taken as a sophomore when Honors bio is still relatively fresh on your mind. Another consideration is whether you’ll mind being the only sophomore in a class of juniors/seniors.
Check the prerequisites. In a number of schools, you can’t take AP Bio unless you’ve taken a chemistry course. Maybe you can get away with both classes at the same time?
I took AP Biology as a sophomore. The course did have a pre-requisite of chemistry, which I did not have, but the chemistry required for AP Bio is quite easy to pick up. The first few chapters of Campbell-Reece provide a sufficient explanation from first principles of what you’ll need to know.
As another poster said, the course workload and difficulty depends on the teacher. Our teacher gave hard tests and required long, extensive lab reports, so it wasn’t a walk in the park. To prepare for the tests, I studied Campbell-Reece and CliffsAP, and did the corresponding practice problems from both. The AP exam ended up being a relatively straightforward 5 as a result of that preparation. I’d say take the class.
I took it this year as a sophomore as well and I say go for it if you are actually interested in biology. Be warned, its a ton of reading and a lot of work. I also used the Campbell-Reece textbook and the CliffNotes review book and I ended up getting a 5. The test itself is mostly concept-based(as I’m sure you’ve heard) but you learn a lot in the course itself. I also had a great teacher who sadly decided to retire after this year but if you have enough drive, you should be well prepared for the exam.
Don’t self-study AP Bio!! I took the class sophomore year as well after only one semester of regular-level biology and managed a 5. The AP curriculum includes several labs which are included in exam questions, and having hands-on classroom experiences with these labs makes the test much easier. It actually helps that you will only be taking one AP class next year, as it seems. I don’t think I could have gotten a 5 had I taken other AP’s with the class, as the workload is a bit heavy, but absolutely necessary to succeed on the exam.