I’m a rising senior and I’m taking AP Biology this year.
The problem is that the AP Biology teacher is new at teaching the course, but she taught college-prep biology for freshmen. In addition, the teacher also gave out a summer assignment, but in the instructions, she told the students to look online for the answers and that these answers may or may not be correct.
What can I expect from AP Biology? Will I have to study ~1-2 hrs. per night in order to get at least a B+ (my target grade for this class)? Are there any useful tips or study skills that I can use to pass the class and do well on the exam?
AP Biology is all about memorization with a bit of math here and there. If you did not do well in your first year of Biology then you should study atleast an hour a night. If you did really well then you should need about 30-40 minutes to study. The homework will be about an hour long and you get it about 4 days out of the week.
I took AP Bio last year and I had grades between C+ and an A. I actually didn’t study too much because I had something going on in my life and I had slept during the class most of the time(I know, I’m a horrible student) so I ended up getting D’s on all my tests. Mind you, even when I DID study the highest I got was a C because a lot of the tests had concepts we never learned in class. So you should take notes, review these notes, read the textbook, and do online research. To study use:
-Concept maps
-Flash cards
-Diagrams
-Crash Course
-Models
-Any time you have
Watch Bozeman science videos for review or clarification. I strongly recommend Barron’s for review; I also had a first year AP bio teacher and there were several topics that we never got to in class that I used Barron’s to learn. I would say Barron’s played a pretty big part in my getting a 5 on the 2015 test.
I would also definitely try to visualize as many of the concepts as you can, especially the molecular-oriented topics (like DNA, cell functions, etc). Draw it out, make diagrams, etc etc, it will make those things seem less abstract.
Your study time depends on your workload and how well you understand biology; during the year I honestly barely studied aside from test nights and doing the occasional homework and still had an A+, though I did study pretty hard in the 3 weeks leading up to the AP test.
Also, practice the FRQ questions! Do as many as you can as you review for the AP test, and always go over the answer keys to see how CB recommends you answer the question.
Get a prep book and be sure to work in it. Read your textbook. Make flashcards/concept maps. Watch Bozeman Science videos if you need help. AP Biology is a lot of memorization about specific terms. I think just being interested in biology and keeping up with readings/assignments, along with practicing for the AP exam will get you a 5. I took college bio instead of AP, but I’m considering taking the exam anyways this year to make sure my credit will transfer. Biology is more memorization than just concept based.
I’m taking AP Biology this year as well, and from what my teacher has told us, the exam last year was a lot less about the memorization of facts, and more about large conceptual things that can be sort of confusing at times (not that there weren’t things you needed to memorize). I agree with what everyone else has said so far. The Bozeman Science videos are possibly some of the most helpful resources for this class. He has a video on almost all, if not all the things you need to know for the exam. Definitely check them out. Good luck!