<p>I am considering self-studying for the AP Biology exam next year. I have taken biology before, but it was through my awful public school and I basically learned nothing. I have considered getting the heavily-praised Campbell textbook, but my upcoming school year is going to very intense, and I don't feel that I would have the amount of free time to digest and find what I need in a book that size.</p>
<p>So instead I have targeted my search to a comprehensive (almost textbook-like) AP Biology prep book. With this in mind I immediately thought of Barron's. However, I have also heard great things about CliffsAP prep book as well, although I fear that it might not be sufficiently comprehensive for self-study purposes. I am also open to other suggestions as well. So basically I am asking what prep book one would recommend to a student with very little biology background seeking to self-study for the AP Biology exam without buying a textbook.</p>
<p>First of all, the Campbell textbooks, while very helpful when used in a year-long course, also presents a lot of unnecessary information for the APs. I’d either recommend Barron’s or CliffsAP. I’ve experienced Barron’s, and it was pretty helpful, covering everything general without going too much into detail. I think, considering this year’s AP Bio exam, the Barron’s would help tremendously in getting a 4 or a 5. It also depends largely on how well you do, and how well you can memorize.</p>
<p>Buy a used Campbell’s International 8th edition for like $35 (exactly the same as US but softcover). Then buy Cliffnotes. Be able to memorize well, and you won’t have to do a lot of ecology next year. ;)</p>
<p>Just make sure that when you study you go back over it later. During my Bio class this year I would memorize the information needed for the test, and then just forget it. This really hurt me overall when studying for the AP test itself, since I only had remembered the basics and forgot everything else. I ended up getting a 4 on the test, which isn’t bad, but if I had started to study a bit earlier I probably could have gotten a 5.</p>
<p>I’d suggest CliffsAP for Biology, since it has literally everything in it you need to know, but I would recommend to start studying a month or two before the actual test so that you won’t have to cram a whole year worth of information in just a week while juggling other school related tasks.</p>
<p>A textbook is not needed really, just use Cliffs and make sure you know everything and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>For school, besides using the textbook, we were encouraged to use Cliffs.
I didn’t and still got a 4, but lots of kids said it helped!
Good luck!</p>
<p>I self-studied for the AP Bio test with only Cliffnotes, and I only read half of the book and then skimmed the other half the night before the test. I got a 4. If you read through Cliffnotes twice you’ll get a 5.</p>
<p>I really hate to be the differing opinion here, but…
I honestly recommend the Campbell’s. A LOT.
It’s clear and extremely thorough. If you read it, you don’t really have to memorize if you UNDERSTAND the material. Because then you just get it.
There will be memorization, of course, but Campbell’s was truly wonderful. Lots of all-nighters, but it was MORE than worth it.
The AP biology test was EASY for me.
And I got a 5.
And by the way? I’m not really a science person.</p>
<p>Campbell is a great textbook. Yes, there is a lot of info that won’t be tested, but as Sultun said, it helps you understand the concepts (understanding cuts down on the rote memorization). Cliffs is also great, but don’t use it as your sole source of information, it is missing some information (after all, it is only a review book, but for it’s purpose, it is amazing).</p>
<p>I read the first 20 chapters of campell’s, and then I thought “screw this”
and spent two weeks before the exam reading barron’s sat II and AP bio books. If you memoize every bit of biological jargon in those two books, I can’t see why you wouldn’t get a 5.</p>
<p>I read/notated every chapter of Campbell (even the ones that didn’t apply to the AP exam; yes, I’m stupid). Besides the chapters that I had to know for school tests (only about 20), I didn’t go back and look a second time. Reading carefully through the Campbell textbook once will impart so much knowledge on yourself. It is truly a wonderfully-written textbook.</p>
<p>A couple of weeks before the AP exam, I went through the CliffsAP guide once and did all of the practice problems in there. I also took two official practice tests. I ended up with a 5, no sweat.</p>
<p>hahaha the campbell textbook was a joke
our class barely used it, i think i opened it maybe 3 times the entire year
im sure it has useful info in it, but it was way too dense for me
i read over cliffsAP and went over my notes from my really great AP bio class, got a 5
i think for other people, they may have to read the textbook more thoroughly
i thought that a basic understanding of most things sufficed (especially on the MC, which was super easy)</p>
<p>My class used the campbell but I personally thought there was too much info in it. I just read outlines of the campbell chapters that you can find online, crammed the CliffsAP book, and reviewed the official AP bio lab-book (which is highly useful). I got a 5, but I also noticed a few mistakes in the CliffsAP that contradict campbell, so you might want to get a different review book if you think some mistakes might jeopardize your score.</p>
<p>Well, the reason that I read the entire book was out of interest. You could definitely get a 5 with a high understanding of the CliffsAP material.</p>
<p>I second reading the official AP Bio lab book. There’s no way that you’re going to do all 12 labs, and one essay always comes from one of the official labs (except for this year’s exam, silly College Board).</p>
<p>Yea just get CliffsNotes and ACTUALLY PREPARE at least 3 months in advance. I prepared 2 months in advance (when I actually took the class) and got a 5, most of the reading coming along a 11 hour drive to Miami, but Cliffsnotes has all the info you’ll need to get a 5. But just also make sure you take some practice tests. I took 2 practice tests the weekend before the test, you can probably find some whereever to see that the test is NOT ABOUT knowing it all, but KNOWING SOME and then using logic to do the rest.</p>
<p>This really has nothing to do with self-studying but I might as well post it here:</p>
<p>I’m taking AP Bio this year (I’m a rising senior) and it’s a double period class… I’ve heard good things about the teacher so I’m sure I’ll learn something. But should I still bother with a book like the ones suggested for self-studying? Or would I be fine from what I get from class and just reviewing over that?</p>
<p>Hahah I self-studied AP Bio this year and miraculously ended up with a 5. Seriously, I went into that test with absolutely no knowledge about plants/animal classifications. And I barely knew stuff about ecology. So don’t worry? I don’t know; I had a really good freshman bio course so I like half-remembered a lot of the cellular concepts. But consider that like half of the multiple choice questions are on stupid plants, I have no idea how i got a 5. But from what I did study of cliffs, it seems like all you need.</p>