@dsi411 Nope I didn’t study before taking it and thanks 
I just find the big ideas easier and mess up on more intricate things. I also don’t really memorize all the complicated steps involved in every process.
for cliffnotes, which is the newest, or better, version? theres a 4th edition and a 5th edition. Help?
I have the pearson prep book that parallels the textbook, but its very basic. Looking for an extensive one to use.
Also need some tips. My teacher is downright unprepared, and he screwed us all. He is confident we will all get 3’s, but no 4’s or 5’s. Im striving for a 5 bc my other aps dont necessitate studying.
My class covered everything up to gene regulation and evolution. We havent done ecology, plants, physiology, or systems. Yeah, my class sucks. But I have all spring break dedicated to getting a 5.
Please, if you have gotten a four or five, tag me. Any tips are greatly appreciated.
@ikim16 You should definitely make sure to cover ecology, physiology and plants. That is an absolute must. Systems, do you mean body systems? I don’t remember anymore if that came up much, but I know I was tested on an immune system FRQ.
I used Barron’s to prep- last year I was in a similar boat as you (my teacher did not finish teaching all the material in time for the exam), and I essentially hardcore speed read through Barron’s and got a 5. Barron’s definitely has excess info, but because of that I never felt caught off guard by the test at all. Practice the FRQs, and read over the answer keys carefully. Drawing connections and recognizing those connections and concepts in the FRQ questions is incredibly important- focus on that instead of blind memorization!
Cause and effect is important- everything leads to something else and understanding those relationships are the key to succeeding. Also focus on what presented results or data could imply- why would this happen?(hint: the answer will always be related an AP bio concept) This is really important because some of the FRQs are often presented as experiments. Once you understand how to apply these skills, the test becomes very easy imo.
From my experience, ecology, genetics/evolution, cell signalling/signal transduction, and cell processes like photosynth and respiration were all very important to know.
Again, I cannot stress how important it is to practice the FRQs and go over the answers thoroughly.
Do we need to know about the muscular and circulatory and respiratory systems and stuff? I know we need to know immune systems but what about the rest of them? Also should we bother studying animal reproduction and development and the lab investigations?
So does Cliff Notes seem to be adequate to get a 4 or 5? Of course, I would also take practice tests and I’m currently enrolled in AP Bio. This test just seems to be a lot of memorization.
From what I can tell it seems like Cliff Notes does a really good job for preparation. I would also recommend either the Five Steps to a Five Book or Barron’s Review Book. Both are adequate. This year the test is moving away from memorization and more application so we’ll see how it plays out.
My teacher said that learning the Muscular and Circulatory systems wasn’t necessary but understanding the basis behind it was important. I would skim through the review book chapter on it.
Is there a list of which chapters of Campbell to read? I’ve come up so far with 1-25 then 44,52-54?
Can anyone confirm this
On the 2013 exam, I scored 44/58. Where do I fall right now and how much ti score a 5?
Where are you guys getting the 2013 exam?
Does anyone know where to get good MC questions representative of the actual test questions on the AP Bio test?
Same question ^
Not sure where I’d be able to get good MC questions?
Where did your teachers get the 2013 exam?
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Teachers get it from the College Board. If the teacher wants to pass it along to his/her students and risk violating copyright law, that’s on him/her. However, don’t ask for it here.
Hey guys. I just wanted to know opinions on what you guys think is more difficult Section 1 or section 2.
I think section 2 would probably be the hardest.
Hey guys, previous AP Bio student chiming in here. Wanted to give a tidbit for the exam. Please be sure to review everything. They can test on whatever they want in the open response. Last year, one of the last questions on the free response section was about eye anatomy, for crying out loud. They are looking for serious detail on these things, so please study diligently.
And remember, there are no plants (besides photosynthesis and cell respiration, obviously) or taxonomy topics (like bilateral segmentation in arthropods, etc.) tested on the exam.
Good luck!
@mg29409 Hi there! Can you tell me how you studied? Also, what review book did you use? Thanks!
@nerdmaster Hey! So essentially I did a hardcore review the last few weeks of April. I mainly relied on CollegeBoard material (online free-response questions and practice exams from my teacher). I used them just to get a sense of what the test was going to be like, the concepts on it as well as the feel for the exam as a whole.
I used the CliffsNotes review book to accompany my review stuff, and I found it to be extremely helpful. It has a nice rundown of the whole curriculum, and just gets to the hardcore things you need to know. I would not rely on the practice exams, though.
The main thing to know is that information regurgitation (i.e. straight-up definitions and factual information) is not enough to do well on this exam. You need to know the concepts well–and how you can apply them in several scenarios. The AP exam tests your ability to understand and apply the concepts you learned. The labs are also somewhat important, so I’d suggest doing a quick rundown of them too. They aren’t heavily tested, but a question may come up where the experiment is similar to one of the labs you did during the year.
@mg29409 Just wondering if you could remember what specific subjects, if any, were most heavily tested on. With the short amount of time left before the test, I want to make sure that I prioritize my studying. Any advice on how to prioritize would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!