<p>I am in the class right now, and I feel like I am not learning enough. People on CC talk about how AP bio is really hard, but at my school people can sleep through the class and get high A's. We have easy tests and tons of extra credit, and the class is going really slowly. Although it's a really nice GPA bump for me, but I don't think I am learning enough for the AP exam in May. Also, the AP score for the past couple years has been really low, and so proves that my school's AP bio class is not doing the preparation that well.</p>
<p>well i got a 5 on it and I thought it was quite difficult. The best thing for you to do is grab the Ap Bio Bible Cliffs book, and I highly reccomend a 5 Steps to a 5 book (that really simplified cellular respiration and photosynthesis). In the end about two or three weeks before the ap test, just start going thru the book and highlight almost all of both books. Spread out your study time and you should do fine.</p>
<p>My class was similar to yours - in fact, my teacher unapologetically told us that we would not cover all the topics on the exam. Basically, I just bought Princeton Review and read through the thing and took some sample multiple choice tests. It is a pretty tough test - lots of memorization, but if you are able to cover all the topics at least at a surface level, you will have a much better time during the test, especially the multiple choice.</p>
<p>Seriously, just use Cliffnotes. I remember reading through it once to get the surface details, then reading it twice again for the teeny tiny details. Every single one of those teeny tiny details that I focused on like K+ concentration of the nervous system showed up on the test, so follow the second poster's suggestions please. Also, read the list of popular essay topics : they always are used for the free response.</p>
<p>My teacher is the opposite. No one got an A last year, no one got an A last marking period, and this marking period a few people are going through a bitter struggle to get that wonderful 91.5 (A cutoff). Even so, the class still doesn't have a particularly impressive record. In last year's class, no one that I know of received a four or a five on the AP test. That just goes to show that having a tough teacher isn't necessarily enough. What you need to do is diligently read every single word of a book. My tests come from the textbook (Raven/Johnson), so by the end of the year I'll have read it cover to cover. However, I imagine you can do the same thing with a Princeton Review or Cliffs.</p>
<p>Also, the essays are, if you ask me, a lot easier than the multiple choice and they're also worth more of your grade. Make sure you practice those.</p>
<p>When I took AP Biology last year, many kids slept through the class in full view of the teacher because the class was very lax and the teacher was very chill. Although the exam last year was considered, at least by me, to be difficult compared to previous years, many students, including myself received a 5. I believe out of the 90 or so students that took it, around 80-85 got a 3 or higher from my school. Although I thought that class was too easy to be preparing me for the AP test, I found my self more than prepared for the AP Exam. Just keep reviewing with a book like Cliffnotes or Princeton Review. I used Arco and found it quite helpful. Good Luck.</p>
<p>ok... completely honest
i slept all through most of my classes (period 1) and did not ace most of my tests. i also didn't study for the test... and ended up getting a 5. i know this is probably not the case for most, but just thought i would share my input. i agree with pkw, the exam was very hard... i thought i bombed the free response. my class was actually very challenging which i think helped a lot. i used barron's for the small amount of studying i did and really liked it.</p>
<p>The Collegeboard actually tells teachers that's it's not expected to cover all of the material for the AP test, since there's so much stuff, which is why I guess you see a lot of AP Bio classes not doing that. But yea, I just studied from Cliff Notes a lot.</p>
<p>Ah, that class was amazing, I loved it. Don't get me wrong, it was ridiculously frustrating and the teacher taught very slowly and was a tad unreasonable (understatement.)
So we all decided to study for the test ourselves. To do that we bought Barron's AP Biology study guides (Some people had Cliffs which was good, too) and we read, highlighted, underlined every page. Many of us also went to a tutor the two months before the AP tests. It made a huge difference. So what I'm trying to say is don't worry too much if you aren't caught up to the level you technically should be at. </p>
<p>Don't get me wrong now, we studied our butts off. It wasn't all a breeze after the tutor. You need to also take lots of practice tests. They grade easy on the essays but have lots of content.</p>
<p>*Tip: Know a lot about plants and body systems! There isn't enough information about it in the Barron's book so seek other sources. It is also a very difficult test. After I took it I was scared I would receive a 3, but I got a 5 (yay)!</p>
<p>If you have lots of time read through the Neil Campbell biology book. Its literally amazing. It has every single detail and is a college textbook. The AP tests I believe uses that book as its standard for the test, otherwise a simple prep book should suffice.</p>
<p>I have the Campbell biology book, and I also think it's an amazing textbook. I have been reading it for class, so I guess I will keep on doing that. </p>
<p>I’m in AP Biology right now. And I just wanted to add that the Neil Campbell Biology book IS in fact the standard for the test like vasudevank was saying (my teacher told us and it’s the one we use in class). Just wanted to put that out there for anyone looking at this thread in the future.</p>