Advanced Placement (AP) Biology (also known as AP Bio) is an

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

course and exam offered by the

College Board The College Board, styled as CollegeBoard, is an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an asso ...

in the United States. For the 2012–2013 school year, the College Board unveiled a new curriculum with a greater focus on "scientific practices". This course is designed for students who wish to pursue an interest in the life sciences. The

recommends successful completion of high school biology and high school chemistry before commencing AP Biology, although the actual prerequisites vary from school to school and from state to state.

Topic outline

The exam covers the following 8 units. The percentage indicates the portion of the multiple-choice section of the exam focused on each content area: The course is based on and tests six skills, called scientific practices which include: In addition to the topics above, students are required to be familiar with general lab procedure. Students should know how to collect data, analyze data to form conclusions, and apply those conclusions.

Exam

Students are allowed to use a four-function, scientific, or graphing calculator. The exam has two sections: a 90 minute multiple choice section and a 90 minute free response section. There are 60 multiple choice questions and six free responses, two long and four short. Both sections are worth 50% of the score.

Score distribution

Commonly used textbooks

*''Biology, AP Edition'' by Sylvia Mader (2012, hardcover ) *'' Life: The Science of Biology'' (Sadava, Heller, Orians, Purves, and Hillis, ) *''Campbell Biology AP Ninth Edition'' (Reece, Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky, and Andrew Jackson )

References

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External links