<p>Im a little worried about the AP Bio Exam so I wanted to ask a few questions.</p>
<p>1.) What percentage is it to get a "5" for the exam, that is, do you need 75% or higher or is the curve even better than that?</p>
<p>2.) How huge are labs for the exam? I hear that one Free Response is based on the lab, but what about Multiple choice questions? I guess the thing is that I know the content really well, but my class didnt get a choice to dig really deep into all the labs.</p>
<p>3.) In Cambell Reece, they go really in depth into some topics...for example are the following topics necessary..?</p>
<p>a.) Is the entire chapter on Cell Signaling/Transduction that important (I.e- Kinase, Tyrosine, cAMP) - specifically that chapter.. really important for the exam?
b.) Basically other than characteristics, are specific details/ anatomical structures about the various organ systems of Invertebrates all that important, or is simply a chart entailing each group's details sufficient?
c.) All the Evolutionary Patterns of Vertebrates, Mammals, and the "Homo Sapiens" portion
d.) Is the chapter describing all the sense receptors plus the sense organs (eye, ear) that imporant for the exam?</p>
<p>I guess I hope that Cliffsnotes AP BIO is sufficient for the exam. I have read Cambell Reece but people say Cliffs is the ultimate test review that has everything you need to know. It really is a great source but at the same time it doesnt go into so much detail which is why I wanted to ask those questions above. </p>
<p>1) Curve is extremely generous. I don't know the exact percentage, but my teacher said (I believe) 65% and above.</p>
<p>2) Labs are not very big. Maybe like 3-4 questions.</p>
<p>3) a) I'd say 2 questions max.
b) group details are fine.
c) I don't believe evolutionary patterns was covered on the exam.
d) Know the parts of the skin as a sensory organ. Maybe the eye. Not too much.</p>
<p>Barron's is THE best. I totally crammed the night before, and it was my best friend. Whenever I tutor, I tell my "students" to buy Barron's. It's more in-depth than you need to go, but that's always better, no?</p>
<p>My problem with Barron's is that it's more in-depth than you need to get a 5, so it's not the best book to cram with. In my experience, the Princeton Review books are great because they're concise yet contain all the information you need to get a 5.</p>
<p>Barron's reads like a textbook. I would hardly call it a "review" book. I would only use it if I had a lot of time. If you have to study for more than two AP's I would stray far from it.</p>
<p>I found PR to be way too simplified. I owned both. </p>
<p>I'm the kind of person who feels better overprepared for a test. It's a confidence boost, I suppose. It also doesn't hurt your free response to include extra information.</p>
<p>2 - It's possible for you to get an FRQ on a lab, so I'd know the labs pretty thoroughly.</p>
<p>3 - A) I'm pretty certain they cut Cell Signaling/Transduction out of the curriculum...I know we skipped that chapter (Chapter 11 in Campbell) and our Bio teacher told us not to worry about it. If you look at the course objectives on the collegeboard website, you can see that it's not on there anymore. I guess it wouldn't hurt to know a little, though, at least when it comes to plant hormones/environmental triggers (I just had a quiz on that today).
B) Organ systems of invertebrates? You mean digestive systems and such? I doubt it. Just know the general characteristics of the different vertebrate phyla (i.e. flatworms, roundworms, nematodes, etc.).
C) You should probably know the concepts behind mammal/human evolution, but I don't think we'll be tested on any specific details.
D) Sensory organs are pretty important from an evolutionary perspective, so yes. </p>
<p>I ordered the Cliff's Notes book and it's supposed to be here at some point this week along with my other test prep books. I hope it's good enough!</p>
<p>CLIFFNOTES is ABSOLUTELY the best. It gave me a 5, yes. Simply memorize it and take your brain with you to the test and you'll quite likely do excellent.</p>
<p>My Bio teacher has been a reader on the AP Exam for the past 8 years.
According to him, a 5 would be:</p>
<p>2/3 of the multiple choice right (meaning 80 points out of multiple choice)
20 total points on essays (An average of 5 pts/essay)
Looks pretty doable...</p>
<p>How do you guys think I should study for the ap biology test on monday? I took the one of the cliffnotes exam, which is supposed to be easy for a lot of people, and I only scored in the 40s and 50s range. I’m starting to lose motivation. What should I do? Should I cram throughout saturday and sunday?</p>