A Comprehensive Guide to AP Biology Exam Questions: What to Expect
AP biology exam is a bit different than typical college biology tests. It tests students on various skills and concepts that they have covered in their Advanced Placement biology course. Students who get enough scores in the AP Biology exam can be admitted directly into any college of their choice. For students to be successful in this exam, they have to know what to expect. This college biology study guide covers all the basics of the test.
Contents
An overview of the AP Biology exam: What to expect
This exam is made up of AP biology questions that students will have to answer for 90 minutes. A typical exam is made up of two sections: which are the multiple choice and free response sections. This is a brief overview of each section:
- The multiple-choice section: This part of the exam lasts for about 90 minutes. Questions in this section test the student’s understanding of the basics of biology. It will also assess their ability to solve simple problems by applying biological concepts. Students get to answer 60 questions that cover various science practices. This section is responsible for 50% of the exam score. It is scored by a computer system.
- The free-response section: This part of the exam lasts for about 90 minutes. It is made up of 6 questions in total. Students get to answer 2 long-form and 4 short-form free-response questions. The long-from questions will test the ability of the student’s data analysis skills. The short-form questions usually expect students to explain a given scenario in just one paragraph. This section is responsible for 50% of the exam score. College and high school teachers are usually responsible for grading the free response question section. Students should attempt all questions. The graders are guided by a criteria to award partial credits to questions that were not properly answered.
Topics to expect in the AP biology exam
The College Board is responsible for setting the AP biology exam questions. Students will be tested on topics that they have covered in their AP biology course. When it comes to topics to expect in this exam, these include:
1. Evolution is a process for driving the unity of life and diversity.
2. How biological systems make use of molecular building and free energy for growth, reproduction, and so on.
3. How living systems manage information important for various life processes.
4. The interaction of various biological systems and how these systems and their interactions have complex properties.
How to understand the exam topics
Students need not rely on AP biology animation and videos to pass this exam. They also need to understand the exam topics thoroughly. These are some of the important topics to understand:
- Chemistry of life: All the essential characteristics of water; Carbohydrates; PH; Lipids, and so on.
- Cell structure and function: The types of cells; cell communication; cell junction, and so on.
- Cellular Energetics: How free energy changes; Enzymes; Photosynthesis and so on.
- Cell communication and cell cycle: Meiosis; Mitosis, and so on.
- Heredity: Inheritance patterns; Mendelian genetics, and so on.
- Gene Expression and Regulation: DNA; Genome structure; Biotechnology; Mutation, and so on.
- Natural Selection: Evolution evidence; Speciation; Phylogenetic trees; the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and so on.
- Ecology: Food webs; Energy pyramids: Succession, and so on.
How to interpret your AP biology scores
The AP biology exam is graded on a scale of 1 to 5. For students to be accepted to most colleges, they will need to score a 4 or 5. However, students may also be accepted to some colleges with a score of 3. Due to the selective nature of colleges, students are forced to perform well in this exam. The AP biology scores are interpreted as follows:
- 5: This means extremely qualified
- 4: This means well qualified
- 3: This means qualified
- 2: This means possibly qualified
- 1: This means no recommendation.
Preparing for the AP Biology exam
Due to the strict nature of the exam grades students need adequate preparation. Students can attend AP classes. But these lectures are usually not enough. Students can find bio buddies to conduct group study sessions. This enables them to use various resources from different sources to prepare for the exam.
