Tips on Success in AP Biology

by high school students who wish to gain advanced placement or college credit prior to college matriculation. The course involves not only a lecture portion, but also a lab and a final exam. Generally, a cumulative score of 3 out of 5 is considered a passing grade, but a 4 or 5 will guarantee college credit at most institutions of higher learning. Just like any other college course, students who wish to earn credit on the AP exam should follow a few pieces of advice when enrolled in AP biology.

Prerequisites and Preparation

1. Juniors and seniors who have already successfully completed a year of chemistry and biology are generally prepared for AP Biology. Of the two, many instructors seem to place more emphasis on passing chemistry, since students who have done well in chemistry are generally adept at integrating skills learned in classes like advanced mathematics and physics. In addition, they usually are strong critical thinkers, skilled in reading comprehension and well-versed in problem solving. It may be helpful for students to take a course on study skills before entering AP Biology to reinforce good test-taking skills and strategies on how to learn the material.

Topics and Themes

2. The eight major themes presented in AP Biology all interconnect to form a conceptual framework that the successful student must thoroughly understand to pass the AP exam. As the themes are presented in class, it will be helpful for students to practice connecting different topics to ensure she has a firm grasp on the material. Games such as "hat trick" can be played throughout the semesters to reinforce this knowledge. To play this game, have students write the topics on small strips of paper and place them in a hat. After removing three topics from the hat, have your student write a sentence or paragraph explaining how the three topics are related.

Practice Material

3. In addition to companies that market workbooks and unofficial AP Biology practice exams, the College Board, official creator and proctor of all 34 AP courses and exams, offers practice material from past examinations. This material is available for download on the company's website, and parents, teachers and students have free access to them. Students should understand the scoring guidelines, which give an idea of what question formats will have the largest impact on their scores, well in advance of the AP Biology exam. Students should practice the free-response questions after the completion of every unit in the course and take a full-length practice exam at least once before test day.

AP to SAT

4. After sitting for the AP Biology exam, students who do well may want to use this mastery of the material to sit for an SAT Subject Test, formerly known as the SAT II. Most universities require applying students to sit for at least one SAT Subject Test, and since this test is considered a bit easier than the AP exam, this can be the perfect opportunity to gain additional rewards from all those hours of studying. As there are two biology SAT tests, most students will find that the material on the molecular test, as opposed to the environmental version, more closely parallels the AP Biology exam. The test contains 70 to 100 multiple choice questions and can be taken in the spring of the junior year of high school.