<p>@Sajidur4: depends how far you want to get</p>
<p>Also, from past CAMPers, what is the best way to study for semifinals? Any extra books or topics that need more in depth analysis?</p>
<p>^Yes, I would like to know as well. I’ve heard Albert’s is good, as well as Raven’s Biology of Plants, but are there any additional resources that would be helpful?</p>
<p>@elf4EVA, if you already started/finished Alberts, what’s your opinion on it? I thought it was somewhat unanimous that it was a large overkill for USABO.</p>
<p>@Lucky139 I haven’t actually read Albert’s (yet), but I’ve heard it’s helpful. I’m still in the midst of digesting Campbell… This is my first year taking the open exam, but I hope I can at least make semis.</p>
<p>So do you all think it’s pointless to start studying now? I planned to start in November but that never worked out. </p>
<p>Do you think it can be done?</p>
<p>How can we review after we finish reading the book? Is there a particular review book? Does the review on the USABO website cover all the topics?</p>
<p>Well, if you’ve taken notes while reading (or found some online) you can reread those to review. Also, could someone help me out with #3, 12, and 21, here: <a href=“http://nautilusapbiology.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2012/01/biology_olympiad_20101.pdf[/url]”>http://nautilusapbiology.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2012/01/biology_olympiad_20101.pdf</a></p>
<p>Does anyone know how the semifinals are scored?
I know in 2012 the cutoff was around 134 but I’m still not sure what the point value for each question is.</p>
<p>@centralsk- 21- short day plants (long night) flower when the light period is less than the critical period (6 in this case), and thus A is the only option. </p>
<p>3-This one is very confusing, and tripped me up too. I’m assuming C is correct because they were aiming for environment as the main determinant of structure? I’d be happy to be proven wrong but I think this is a very bad question considering your primary structure determines your tertiary structure (and to some extent, secondary structure especially with something like proline affecting the formation of alpha helices). </p>
<ol>
<li>… i need to work on genetics xD But as of my calculations (which took me like 10 minutes to figure out), based only on eye and coat color, there should be 250 of every combination. However, the numbers range from 430 (black white) to 65 (black brown). If you take 430 and subtract 250, or take 250 and subtract 65 (basically finding the distance from the expected answer) and divide that by 1000 (the total), you get 18 and 18.5% which led me to answer B.</li>
</ol>
<p>Wow even in the Albert’s “Molecular Biology of the Cell” 4th edition, it clearly states:</p>
<p>“We start this chapter by considering how the location of each amino acid in the long string of amino acids that forms a protein determines its three-dimensional shape.”</p>
<p>^Will we ever have to know anything in that much depth? Even for nationals/IBO?</p>
<p>You’re going to need to know that much in depth for the open exam 
Semifinals is a whole other level.</p>
<p>What is the raw score required in order to pass the open exam? Also, I believe there is a guessing penalty???</p>
<p>@Sajidur4 There is no guessing penalty on the open exam. The raw score to advance to semis is usually in the high 20s (out of 50), although I think one year it was in the low 20s. It varies from year to year but is generally in that range.</p>
<p>Man, I don’t understand. I studied that Campbell’s book, yet it is still difficult to answer those open exam questions…:/</p>
<p>You need to get only half of them right if your goal is to just get into semifinals haha</p>
<p>So, after I am done with the campbell book, what other book should I go through for the open exam? </p>
<p>And how about the semi final exam?</p>
<p>Raven’s Biology of Plants is really good all around. @Lucky, I thought short day/long night plants required night to be LONGER than the critical period?</p>
<p>Wow, I’m sorry, I completely misread/derped on that question. Thanks for help with the other two; the protein one tripped me up as well. It’s not a great question in my opinion either.</p>
<p>If I’m preparing for the semis, and just finished reading Campbell, should I first reread Campbell or start Ravens? I feel like there’s a lot of information I’m forgetting. How helpful is rereading Campbell anyway?</p>