I have a 2009-2010 AP Book for AP Biology. Will it do? Should I have to buy a new one? Thanks.
Yes, it will do. Publishing companies usually reuse their content and just change the date on the cover. The only difference might be the practice tests at the end, but the material should be the same.
Absolutely not. The AP Biology test was redesigned in 2012, so that’s the oldest review book that will be relevant to your AP test.
@goldenbear2020 I think that you’re overestimating the ability of publishing companies to design new books based on new exams. For example, the Princeton Review AP Biology book for 2016 is the exact same as the Princeton Review AP Biology books pre-2013, just with a different layout (hence the one-star review on Amazon). Meanwhile, books like CliffsNotes AP Biology, even though published before the redesign in 2013, are still considered the best for the exam today.
When the College Board redesigns their exams, they often change the format of the exam and not the material (this is the case if they do not completely split the course in half, as with AP Physics B). A good Bio score requires good Bio knowledge, and that knowledge should be found in good preparation books regardless of the date. Last year, when AP Physics 1 and 2 were released, book companies like PR and Barron’s just copied and pasted their old AP Physics B books word for word. It was a waste of money for those who ordered the book just to prepare for the new redesign, thinking that the new “2015” edition would be a revamp of the outdated books. The same thing happened during the AP Chemistry redesign in 2014 — Barron’s AP Chemistry 6th Edition (prior to 2014) and Barron’s AP Chemistry 7th Edition (after 2014) are almost exactly the same, word for word, just with a different layout to make reading easier. The same thing applies to the Princeton Review AP Chem books.
To the OP, do be skeptical of the old practice exams and find newer ones that are updated. However, unless scientists make some new discovery or something, the material should still be the same. Just my thought.
I tutor AP World and have been through those review books extensively. I advise the students to get an updated review book for any AP exam. You need to go to the AP Central website where the curriculum frameworks for all exams are available. Look for when the curriculum framework for the AP you are taking was last updated and make sure the review book you buy incorporates those changes. For AP world, I find that as the curriculum has narrowed in focus the major review books (like Barron’s) have not edited out all the old material that used to be on the test but now is not. They just add the new stuff, delete very little, and updated the date on the cover. So the review books are comprehensive but huge. It is all good stuff to know but inefficient, because they lead you to study a bunch of stuff that will never be on the updated exam. So far, I have liked the REA Crash Course series for study efficiency. I have done a side by side comparison of their history and art history review books with the curriculum framework, and they stick very closely to the curriculum the teachers are given to teach, just fleshing it out a bit to make it more comprehensible. I have the feeling the same dynamic would be applicable to biology. I think it is worth looking at the official curriculum as part of any study strategy and at least using it to verify your review book. Also the official curriculum framework is your only direct source for REAL college board sample questions. Your teacher will also have a few released past exams, but the questions in the review books are just somebody’s best guess, not real.
I think Bio (and the sciences in general) is one of those subjects where the writers are kind of lazy and don’t update as much as they should. For the big brand names, I wouldn’t recommend the new PR book for AP Bio simply because it hasn’t really changed much since the redesign. Maybe Barron’s, but they didn’t change much either. From the reviews for REA AP Bio, it seems that the book isn’t that great either.
I advise you look into any book before you buy it. Make sure that the new book you buy has all the information for the new exam, and it will help. However, having an older book will not hurt too much either if you pay attention to what the CB wants with each redesign. Although there are some companies out there who change books with new tests, there are also many who don’t change anything at all just to make some extra profit. It says something when the most helpful review for an updated AP Biology book “for the new exam” is “Same old, same old…”
This is the top review for the new Barron’s AP Biology book, published just last year:
BUMP