I am going into the pre med route and 100% going to major in bio. I would want to go to UCLA, Berkley, USC, or perhaps Vanderbilt or an Ivy.
I got an A both semesters in AP Bio (the first person to do so in 2 years; teacher was very impressed by my passion for biology). Side note: also bio guy on my science bowl team. But anyways, I was shocked to see that I got a 3 on the exam. I have been scoring high 4s and got multiple 5s on in class finals and practice tests. And to deepen the womb, I got a 750 on the bio M test, to which I have been scoring consistently in the 800 range. I bought the official college board practice book for the subject test and got 800 on both of the tests with 15 mins left to spare.
Should I retake the bio test and try to get an 800? Or would a 750 score be more than enough for me to be a high candidate (4.0 unw, 4.4 w, 1/300 rank, strong ecs, great recs, and good essays)
Would the 750 be able to outweigh the 3 on the exam? Do colleges prefer one test over the other? Would a 800 improve my chances at all???
Please anything helps!
Sorry if I seem dramatic, I love biology and I plan on spending my life on it. And it hurts me to see that Im doing so poorly on these tests.
If you feel like you have enough time before college app deadlines, definitely take it again. If I were you, I’d just practice a little more, work on areas of weakness and then take it again.
Is 750 on the Bio M subject test a bad score? Percentiles are not representative of anything except how the tippy-top students - ie the ones taking these tests - did. You are in the top 25% of that select group. Not sure how many take the bio. exam but it’s nowhere near the numbers taking ACT/SAT. You might want to bounce this idea off a guidance counselor or something who knows . . . but a 750 might be just fine.
The A in AP Bio. is going to outweigh the “3”. Are you required to report your AP scores before matriculating? And you aren’t going to want to waive college bio anyway, given that it’s your planned major.
Make sure your passion for Bio. is demonstrated by something in addition to grades and test scores. Good luck!
^ If you feel that a 780 is doable then go for it but don’t test more than twice.
Unless specified otherwise, report your AP scores if they help your application and don’t send them if they do not. Once you select a college and enroll, you may send along AP scores if they help you fulfill certain gen ed. requirements. A “3” is probably not going to be enough for your group of schools but as you are planning to major in Bio/pre-med your basic bio is likely to be taught at a higher level than AP anyway so even a 5 wouldn’t be of use. It’s good that you took AP Bio and got excellent grades because it shows that you challenged yourself and did well. That will definitely help your application!
A 750 is a great score! and a 3 on AP biology doesn’t mean anything except that you might not get college credit for taking the class. AP test scores are really not used for admissions, while AP classes are important to show a rigorous course load, the tests are really only there to see if you could be eligible for skipping some freshman classes. Please don’t stress too much at all. Like literally don’t think about it anymore. I wouldn’t even recommend retaking the subject test. You did great and there are more important things to focus on. It sounds like you are super passionate about biology and I have no doubt you will show that in other aspects of your application. Spend some time on your essays instead, and stop worrying about tests; they really don’t matter! Best of luck to you.
Thanks, should I mention the 3 on college aps with the intent that I will be majoring in bio? Or should I not as I will obviously need to take the university’s bio course…
I would guess that the universities that you are seeking will not let you go on to the next Biology class with a 3, ie you would have to take the first 2 classes again in college. Most top schools usually require a 5, maybe 4 in order to skip the intro classes and move on to the next set of classes. It’s possible some of the schools might give you credit for the 3 (I’m pretty sure Berkeley and UCLA will) but it will be a useless credit because as a Biology major, in order to take any advanced classes you would have to take the intro classes per what I aforementioned. As soon as you take the intro classes, the AP credit becomes invalidated.
So long story short, if you plan to be a Bio major, do NOT notate the AP Biology test score in your app. Won’t help with credits and it probably would hurt your overall app.
The 750 for SAT II Bio should be fine, I don’t think you should bother with retaking.
An 800 would improve your chances because anything helps your college transcript. Try not to talk the SAT Biology Test more then twice and the AP credit will only help you with having to take less courses in college and save more money.
