My school does offer AP Bio but it does not allow double enrollment in subject courses. I did sign up for AP Bio, but I need to take Physics to apply to some of my schools, so I am switching to AP Physics 1. The last time I took Bio was freshman year (and it was regular because my school does not offer honors) and I did very well. Since then, I have taken Chem Honors and AP Chem, I haven’t taken a life science in ages. Is it a good idea to self study AP Bio? I want to get a 5, because I already have one 4 on my AP record and that’s enough. If it is a good idea to self study, what books would you guys recommend? Thanks in advance!
AP Bio is another one of those courses which is extremely “reading heavy”. I took the class this year and because of my own stupid lack of motivation, scraped by with a B- the first semester and then got myself together and got a B+ the second semester. However, I did get a 5 with a good amount of prep work before the test and you can definitely get a 5 as well!
First, grab yourself a review book such as Barron’s or Cliffsnotes (make sure to get the NEW review book) and just read through that and do the quizzes and tests they offer in the book. I liked both and have no preference between the two but I mostly just read Barron’s while doing the quizzes for both.
Then I’d recommend just taking the released CollegeBoard exams of the NEW AP test. The NEW AP test focuses more on general concepts and big ideas rather than knowing the minuscule details. This way, you’ll get exposure to what the test is like in recent years. The most important part of the test is the FRQ section and you’ll probably learn the most about your strengths and weaknesses when doing those practice questions.
Lastly, just as a general tip for the AP test is to make connections. Because of its revision, AP Bio’s test focuses on connections between ideas and concepts. In most questions, more than 1 concept will be discussed and touched on; for example, you can know how meiosis works, but do you know how that relates to the genetic information stored inside chromosomes which then in turn affects gene expression and characteristics? That’s just an example I made up on the spot but I hope you get the point.