<p>I'm taking it as a sophomore so I don't know what to expect...</p>
<p>i got a 4 on the exam this year. i didn't think it was that bad
some material was challenging, some was really easy
it was the most interesting and fun ap class i've ever had
but i did have a great teacher! : )
but also a not so great intern that taught for about 4 months</p>
<p>lots of memorizing boring crap. its knowing a lot of terms/functions</p>
<p>I just got a 4, i would have cracked a 5 but my bio teacher didn't prepare us too well. Also it was my first AP (alongwith Calculus) so i had no idea how to prepare. Our teacher told us last week before the exam that she hasn't prepared us for ecology, plants, human systems, and classification and that we can figure that out. I panicked, bombed one essay and left a lot of multiple choice blank, but still got a 4. So, my advise, get a review book (probably Princeton) and prepare yourself as the year passes.
Good Luck! (I am a rising junior, so i took ap bio in my sophomore year too, if that makes you feel better)</p>
<p>I got a 4. We had to learn a chapter a day during the last month in order to cram all the material in, but I have no excuse for not getting a 5 other than the fact that I... didn't study, haha. It's not hard at all. A lot of it just requires that you understand the big picture =) It's also really fun, imo, especially some of the genetics chapters. You can literally see the change between each edition of the textbook as new information is added in (I assume you'll be using Campbell's ;D it will become your new household name)</p>
<p>It's a lot of memorization and remembering stuff. I actually really enjoyed it (haven't got my ap score yet). I'd take regular biology before take AP bio though- if you haven't already it might be overwhelming.</p>
<p>I think it's the easiest AP science (well, out of AP Bio, AP Chem, and AP Physics), and it doesn't involve a crap load of math thank god... You'll be fine :) I know a sophomore who took it and she got a 4.</p>
<p>Its a lot of work but if you do it all and study you should be game for a 5, or at least a 4
I don't know what your teacher is like, mine didn't really ever teach, just read/reread the textbook. It's like a foreign language basically, probably not how bio should be taught but its just memorizing words.</p>
<p>It's a great class, but it is quite challenging. There is a vast amount of material to learn. If you want to do well, you must dedicate yourself to reading and learning the material well. I had an okay teacher and got a 5 on the exam-mostly by self study with AP cliff notes and Campbell.</p>
<p>I would say that it was a great class. There is a lot of memorization but I wouldn't say its that hard to memorize. My AP teacher only had 2 years of experience teaching AP Bio and only 3 years just teaching but he did an excellent job preparing me for the AP exam (5) and SAT II(790) I used ARCO for my review book and I liked it.</p>
<p>If you enjoy Biology, it shouldn't be too hard. You should prepare yourself for the pace of the class, though. My class went through a chapter in a day or two, with labs and review scattered like electrons in a plum-pudding model. The material can be a bit intimidating, but a lot of the more detailed things you can skip, like specifics of the Calvin Cycle.</p>
<p>Sorry to hijack this thread but is AP Biology harder or easier than AP US History in terms of reading and memorizing?</p>
<p>It's impossible. You're better off burning your testicles off with a blowtorch and sticking icepicks into your eyeballs....</p>
<p>Ok, now honestly, I didn't really like the class, but that's because my teacher made it ridiculously hard. Biology is pretty interesting, but I ended up with like a B- and B in the class, but I got a 5 on the AP, so I guess it's not that bad. If you work hard, you'll do fine.</p>
<p>I took the AP and SAT II as a sophomore and did well (5/780). It is a lot of memorization, but beyond that it isn't too difficult. As people have already mentioned, there is no math (besides basic genetics stuff and maybe the Hardy-Weinbug equation?). I went through the entire Reese/Campbell 7th Edition Bio book in class, which had everything you need to know and more, along with great diagrams.</p>
<p>Good review materials are the Barrons/Cliff Notes books. I personally used Barrons, and I thought it was really comprehensive without going too overboard, explained everything well, and had good review questions. My friends used Cliff Notes and spoke well of it too. The review material overprepares you for the MC, to be honest, but makes sure you are set to ace (or do well on) the Free Response, which can really help guarantee a high score.</p>
<p>The only thing that makes it hard is when you start learning about topics that really bore you; since "biology" is such a broad field, there is bound to be a topic/area that just bores you to tears (for me, I liked everything except plants...I couldn't stand them and had a hard time memorizing the info about them).</p>
<p>It's definitely possible to do well as a sophomore as long as you are dedicated though. Good luck!</p>
<p>"Sorry to hijack this thread but is AP Biology harder or easier than AP US History in terms of reading and memorizing?"</p>
<p>It depends on where your interests lie - I got a 2 on my APUSH test, but I really hated history. But I did extremely well in AP Bio because I love bio. But I think APUSH is a little easier, but not by much.</p>
<p>I would say AP Biology requires greater understanding of the core subject matter (in this case...biology) in order to succeed (i.e evolution, SA/V ratio ect)</p>
<p>APUSH is more rote memorization and reading with less critical thinking involved (but there is still some). Generally, I would say APUSH is somewhat easier than AP biology for the average person. Then again, it all depends on how much you like the subject, and how much time you're willing to put in.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The only thing that makes it hard is when you start learning about topics that really bore you; since "biology" is such a broad field, there is bound to be a topic/area that just bores you to tears (for me, I liked everything except plants...I couldn't stand them and had a hard time memorizing the info about them).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Oh GOD, plants...I was about to set fire to my mom's garden while studying that section.</p>
<p>I wouldn't say bio is really hard content wise, it's just a lot of work. There's a lot of reading/memorization involved. When comparing it to apush, i personally enjoyed bio a lot more and found it easier (even though both involve lots of memorization). I'm much more interested in bio as a subject than I am with history, and I could view bio a tad bit more conceptually rather than it being solely rote memorization for me. It depends on your interests though.</p>
<p>dont worry too much
i took ap bio as a sophomore too, along with 2 other aps
i ended up getting a 5. i really worked my butt off during march and april though</p>
<p>"Oh GOD, plants...I was about to set fire to my mom's garden while studying that section."</p>
<p>XD After learning about plants, I started thinking of every single flower my mom had in a vase as a chopped-off sexual organ, lol.</p>
<p>I enjoyed both Bio and History, but that's because I had great teachers in both, and I just love bio in general. I think my history involved a lot more critical thinking than an average APUSH class, so I would say that it was a little more difficult than Bio in terms of understanding, but Bio just trumped APUSH with the workload.</p>