<p>And also how do you balances all these AP classes!?
For this week I have a test Thurs and Fri in AP Bio. A test Fri in APUSH. A test Fri in AP Lang. A quiz in Calculus on Thurs. A quiz in AP Lang on Thurs. Not to mention various assignments and a lab report. IS THIS NORMAL?</p>
<p>Also, I'm struggling in AP Bio and AP Calc. For Calculus I know how to study but for Bio it has been difficult to balance the reading with all the reading I have to do for APUSH. I don't know how I can study effectively without wasting time making flash cards and writing notes. I keep getting Bs on tests and even got a C on the last one :(</p>
<p>Buy a guide book for AP Biology- it definitely helped me a lot. It will have the important information but in a much more condensed form, which will make it easier for you to read if you’re in a time crunch!</p>
<p>Make a concept map. Read the chapter once, and make a concept map. The first one you make doesn’t have to be perfect, so show it to your teacher and have him/her read and go over it. Revised it if needed, and try to duplicate it without the revised copy. Our teacher requires us sometimes to make concept maps lol.</p>
<p>(This is the way I study most of the times): Pretend your the teacher. Have someone in your family just sit down and listen to you spill out biology lol. Read the chapter(s) once or twice then “teach” to somebody. This really helps because it sees what you know and what you don’t know. </p>
<p>There’s no way to escape AP Biology without reading. Reading once then doing nothing after isn’t going to help you. Interactive reading and studying will. It takes me about five reads to fully understand the concepts without an interactive activity. Reading long texts in the Campbell book five times is a real drag especially when you have other demanding classes. The point is, just make studying efficient for you.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the advice. I’ve heard of concept maps before but our tests are SUPER specific so its more of the little details that kill me. Plus the review books are good for the AP exam but not very specific for chapter tests in our class. I think I’m just going to read more and reread and hopefully that will help me. I’ve only been reading the chapter once, that may be why. :</p>
<p>My way’s probably not the best way… but
two nights before, write write write and rewrite and connect the concepts without looking on a piece of paper… talking to yourself helps too.</p>
<ol>
<li>Concept Maps- Don’t necessarily have to physically draw them out, but spend some time ruminating over the connections between things in each chapter</li>
<li>Review released essays- I don’t know how your teacher does the tests, but my teacher usually pulled them from old released tests. Rarely did I see the exact essay that I had tried reviewing for, but often the ideas were the same</li>
<li>Reading the chapters- Skim each chapter and summarize the key ideas in each one. Also note which concepts or ideas you are struggling with. From here read more carefully important sections that you highlighted and also try to understand the concepts you don’t understand. From here just keep getting more and more specific, understanding the hierarchy of the information you are reading</li>
<li>The Teacher- Often teachers will give you hints on what ideas they will test you on, being attentive in class is often helpful for this. I remember one test last year where 75% of the class got C’s or below and I was the only A in the class, simply because I noted what subjects she emphasized. She told the class what topics she would emphasize, but apparently I was the only one paying attention.</li>
</ol>
<p>Do NOT get a book yet. There are preorders available for the updated books for the new curriculum, but they’re unreviewed and it’s impossible to tell which one’s best.
Unless one’s out? Is it?
halcyonheather: I ALWAYS make sure before the test to search out a classmate and do a tutoring session to concretize it in my mind. Or I type up a study guide and email it out. Get it straight in my head and get some brownie points at the same time.</p>
<p>I’m also struggling in this class and have many other APs to attend to. Can you tell me what ways or studying materials I should get in order to do better? In class we are using the campbell biology book.</p>
<p>I got a 5 on the AP Bio test last year and I’m still confused as to how that happened. I failed every single test in that class and I seriously procrastinated. I started studying a week before the test. Princeton and Cliff’s are probably the two that helped me out most. Just cram, cram, and them cram some more. It’s probably not the best way to remember things forever but it helps A LOT for the test. Good Luck!!</p>
<p>I actually thought it was pretty easy. Despite struggling the entire year, I walked out of the test room knowing I at least passed, if not better.</p>