<p>I'm in the eleventh grade and I go to school in Canada. Next year, I am moving to the states, and I am very curious about AP sciences.</p>
<p>This year, I am taking Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. My school does not offer AP; the level of the courses I'm in is 11U, which is for eleventh grade students bound for University.</p>
<p>From what I understand, AP courses and regular courses are taken interchangeably, depending on the student's aptitude in the subject.</p>
<p>As a student who has already began studying Chem, Bio, and Physics, would I be relearning concepts by taking AP sciences, or would I actually be learning new things?</p>
<p>No, typically AP courses are taken after an initial high school course in the subject. It depends on the prerequisites of the individual high school, though.
In any case, an AP course should go more in-depth than a regular high school course.</p>
<p>In my own life, I do not attend a school nor does anybody I know attend a school where you take a “regular” course before an AP course.
At my school we have college prep, honors, and AP offerings in classes like bio or chem or etc.
You’re not allowed to take an honors class and then take an AP class; kids in AP classes are being exposed to the topic for the first time and an honors student taking the AP class would spend a lot of the year relearning previous material.</p>
<p>Like BeccaN stated, it varies. Their school is completely different from mine.
At my school we have science requirements of regular/honors courses. Then if you choose to take AP, you will learn more in depth. Of course, I am sure there is definitely some review of previous concepts. I know my school has required summer assignments for the APs and for science it would probably be just a bunch of review.
My school has AP bio, chem, esci, and physics (b or c). APs can only be taken at my school during junior and senior year. Regular environmental science was originally a required freshman science, so it would be a prerequisite. However, it was cut and so I am pretty sure the AP will be cut from my school soon too. Biology is a sophomore requirement, so it would be a prerequisite. Chemistry is not required UNLESS you are taking any AP science, so that is technically required too (although there are many science electives for the kids who do not want to take AP). I think the only exception to this is Physics. You are not required to take regular physics before Physics B (but either is required for Physics C). This is what I am doing. However, technically we did take physical science as a freshman requirement, which is an intro physics class.
However, this is just one example. My school is one school. I am sure there are many similar. However, there are also schools like BeccaN’s that would be like “Why waste time reteaching information?”</p>
<p>AP Bio - after biology and preferably (but not necessarily) after chemistry
AP Chem - after chemistry
AP Physics B - after Algebra II and physics usually, in some cases can be taken without
AP Physics C - concurrently or after calculus, after one physics course</p>
<p>That being said, most AP science courses are pretty much made to be an introductory, college-level course - so they will go over the material you went in in your high-school level courses, BUT depending on the teacher, they may skip or barely touch on the subjects in the high-school level courses. So it is not really required to take Biology before AP Biology, for example, because they go over regular biology in AP Bio, but it is really helpful and usually assumed you already know regular biology material.</p>