<p>Hey</p>
<p>I don't take AP Bio, but I feel like taking the AP test for the hell of it this May so I won't have to take the class next year.</p>
<p>I took a general biology class my freshman year and did well in it. 770 SAT2.</p>
<p>If I studied independently but intensively with the Princeton Review book or some other text, do you think it would be possible to score a 5?</p>
<p>If not, I'll just take the class next year. I hear the teachers are ass at my school though.</p>
<p>i think you could get a 5 on the ap test because of your high sat biology score. however i would recommend cliffs over the princeton review.</p>
<p>No, I don't think you could get a 5. You could try, but it would be really hard to get a 5 without taking the class. You'd probably have trouble on any question that involved practical application. The essay questions can be on anything and are very hard to study for. A few years ago there was an entire essay question on apoptosis, which was like a sentence in our book.</p>
<p>Did you take chemistry yet? Because a lot of what we did first semester was chemistry based. At my school there is a strong correllation between honors chem grades and ap bio grades.</p>
<p>I never recommend anyone to self-study for math or science based AP exams. You really need a teacher for those type of exams.</p>
<p>My AP Bio class this years consists of our teacher telling to to read silently from a review book and than she gives us a test in which she copies and pastes sentances out of the review book, changes some words in the sentance, and asks us true or false questions. I want to get a 5 on the exam so I am using a textbook and essentially doing independent study. Based on the difference in the content from the review book to the textbook, I would highly recomend using a textbook for some of the more difficult topics if you want to get even a 4 on the AP exam.</p>
<p>AP Bio is probably the easiest science AP, although I'm not saying that it's easy to get a 5 on it if you self-study. However, I do think it's possible. Yes, I did take the class last year, but most of it was the teacher going over powerpoint slides on each chapter of the book. It essentially contained the same knowledge from honors bio except the information was more in-depth (but in-depth in a way that you could understand for yourself). </p>
<p>I definitely recommend Cliff's AP book to study for it. It's a really awesome resource; it's concise and user-friendly. But I also suggest using an AP Bio textbook along with that. (Maybe you can ask the bio teacher at your school for one to borrow?) If not, I'm sure there are used biology textbooks online that you can buy at heavily discounted prices.</p>
<p>Hey,</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I'm taking an Honors Chemistry class right now, but my school doesn't offer AP Chemistry or the AP Chemistry test...and I want to get a science test out of the way this year. What do you recommend? Take the AP Bio Test this year while studying independently with Campbell + Cliffs or find a way to take the AP Chem test somewhere else?</p>
<p>I don't have a preference.</p>
<p>Definitely go with AP Bio. It's easier to self-study, and the test itself has a more generous curve (so it's easier to get a 5). The AP Chem exam probably goes way more in-depth than what your honors chem class currently teaches.</p>
<p>I'd say you have a decent shot at a 5 on the AP Bio. The Cliff's Cotes book is a gem.</p>
<p>Damn, those were some quick responses. I went downstairs for a sec and then bam. Responses.</p>
<p>Anyway, I haven't taken any AP tests yet. AP Classes start junior year at my school. </p>
<p>What's the format of the test? How long is it? What does the AP Bio test emphasize the most? I hope it doesn't just test random facts and subjects.</p>
<p>You can probably find a distribution of topics on the CollegeBoard website. There are some topics that the test covers more than others, but it's not a test where knowing one area really well will give you a good score.</p>
<p>The test is about three hours long. You get an hour or so for 80-100 (?) multiple choice questions. The MC section is scored like the SATs. For every question you get wrong, you get 1/4 of a point off. If you omit a question, you neither gain nor lose points. And you obviously get a point for each correct answer.</p>
<p>After a short break, you start the free response section. I think there are four essays, and one always concerns a lab. The free response questions can be about anything, and while they will require you to delve into some detail, they test your understanding of the big concepts. My AP Chem teacher describes these FRQs as "braindumps" because you supposedly write down everything you know on the subject. But you really don't need to do that. As long as you answer and address all parts of the question, you don't need to write a novel for each essay.</p>
<p>I don't recall how many labs you have to know for the AP Bio exam, but I know the number's smaller than AP Chem's 22. The labs are pretty easy, although they're easy to get mixed up. Like I said, one essay question will always be about a lab, so you should be familiar with those. If you get the CliffNotes book, the last section of the book is dedicated to all the labs.</p>
<p>I'm fuzzy on the details of the exam, but you can find those online.</p>
<p>The SAT II Biology E/M and the AP Biology are definitely not comparable. The AP is significantly more difficult, requires written explanations of concepts, and may a lot of material, even some material which many AP Biology classes don't have the time throughout the school year to reach. I would definitely recommend taking the actual course. The guides are designed to be a supplement to your in-class education, not to be the source of it.</p>
<p>i agree with tokyorevelation9</p>
<p>but if you are a very motivated individual and can study intensely for hours and hours, I'd say go for it as long as you understand enough to make assumptions of other biological concepts.</p>
<p>hmm, but its a lot easier to get a 5 on the ap exam than a 770 on the SAT II exam....the curve is way more generous......and he said he was going to study more before the ap exam.....i dont understand why you are all saying he cant do it. i really dont think he even has to "study intensely for hours and hours"......i think if he reads through cliffs and studies the labs he will be good to go.</p>
<p>if you really want to, go for it...</p>
<p>I reccomend the 5 steps to a 5 by Mark Anestis. Great book, only gives you what you need to know for the test.</p>
<p>but the SAT 2 and AP are way different.</p>
<p>Uh so.</p>
<p>I should get Cliffs and study from a textbook like Campbell.
I have this Prentice Hall Biology book from 2003. Think it's good enough?
Will three months be enough to study?</p>
<p>SAT II Biology is really different from the AP Biology Exam, try it, but if you get a bad grade, it wouldn't look good at all.</p>
<p>woah...why is everyone so negative about taking the ap bio test through self study? It's not that difficult. I took the Ap history test without having taken the class and did really well (I was actually the only student in my school, counting those to took the APUSH class, to get above a 2 on the test).
You will do fine if you read the cliffs book and know the info. My teacher for IB biology teaches straight out of a book, and the class hasn't helped me that much. Most of what I've learned about bio comes from self study. I think he should take the test.</p>
<p>A 2 isn't impressive at all...</p>
<p>she didnt get a two, she was the only one who got above a two.</p>
<p>i agree with vanilea......you guys are sort of acting like he doesnt know what a cell is......if that was the case and he didnt know anything about biology then self-studying would be difficult but he already got a 770 on the sat 2........the two forms of the test are different but they are both on biology....</p>