While High School Biology is required by most curricula during freshman year, content in AP Biology courses extends well beyond the brief conceptual introduction given in the preliminary class. AP Biology is generally taken by students in their third or fourth year of high school; it offers rigorous coverage of several biological concepts and principles that are only briefly addressed in High School Biology. Courses in AP Biology usually culminate in the AP Biology exam, which is designed to evaluate subject mastery on a standardized scale. Whether you need top Biology tutors in Albany, Biology tutors in Cleveland, or top Biology tutors in Houston, working with a pro may take your studies to the next level.

Topics covered in AP Biology are numerous and diverse, and include cell biology, molecular concepts, systems biology, and ecology. Most AP Biology classes focus on cell biology first, teaching structures and functions, cell division, cellular respiration, and the central dogma. The central dogma deviates into some molecular biological concepts, as students must become familiar with proteins and nucleic acid sequences associated with DNA replication, transcription, and translation. Students will also become familiar with the organization and characteristics of organisms, learning the biology of plants, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, as well as the biology of humans and animals. Several physiological systems are covered in the AP Biology curriculum, including the nervous, musculoskeletal, respiratory, excretory, and immune systems. Most physiology tested in AP Biology remains on the general level, and very few specific proteins or pathways are tested. The remainder of AP Biology consists of genetics, evolution, and ecology. Students should be prepared to analyze phylogenetic relationships, food webs, inheritance patterns, and symbiotic interspecies relationships. Familiarity with famous theorists, such as Darwin, Mendel, and Lamarck, may be required when learning about these topics. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and population genetics will also be tested. Finally, it is essential that students have a strong understanding of experimental setup and analysis techniques. Questions on the AP Biology exam will frequently ask students to analyze the results of a given experimental setup. In addition to the AP Biology Practice Tests and AP Biology tutoring, you may also want to consider taking some of our AP Biology Diagnostic Tests.

The AP Biology exam is divided into two sections. The first section consists of 63 multiple-choice questions and 6 mathematical grid-in responses. The multiple-choice questions are mostly independent of one another, but sometimes draw information and concepts from the same given figure or data. Grid-in responses are often based on graphical representations of data, requiring students to perform calculations in order to analyze the information presented. Students are given 90 minutes to complete the first section of the exam. The second section of the AP Biology exam is the free-response section. The questions in this section are largely essay-based, and frequently require students to compose paragraph-length responses to explain various biological processes and concepts. Data interpretation and experiment analysis are common topics on this section, requiring students to demonstrate a full understanding of an experimental setup and the results it produces. There are 8 questions in the free response section, with each question generally containing 2 to 5 individual parts. Timing for the free response section includes 10 minutes of dedicated reading time, during which students may review the presented data, but may not enter any responses. Following this period, you will have 80 minutes to complete the free response section.

No matter if it’s a few days before test day or you haven’t even started your AP Biology class yet, you can start studying for your AP Biology class and exam by making use of Varsity Tutors’ free AP Biology Practice Tests. Containing ten to twelve AP Biology questions each, you can take Practice Tests organized to give you a general assortment of AP Biology questions, or you can hone in on a particular topic that’s giving you trouble and answer questions that all relate to that topic. Each AP Biology Practice Test question includes a detailed explanation of how to arrive at the correct answer, so make sure to pay attention to the explanation of any questions you miss so can learn from any mistakes you make. Varsity Tutors offers resources like a free AP Biology Flashcards help with your self-paced study, or you may want to consider an AP Biology tutor.

You might also like to test your skills by taking a Full-Length AP Biology Practice Test. These test you on the full range of concepts you’ll be expected to master before the exam, and are designed to be like the real exam experience. It can help to begin your review by taking one of the complete practice tests, as the feedback you get on the results page can assist you as you create a personalized AP Biology study plan. The results from the free full-length online tests include the same helpful metrics you get on the shorter, topic-focused practice tests. However, they have the added bonus of enabling you to tailor your study sessions by helping you discover the concepts on which you’ll want to spend more time studying. You can exercise your skills with any of the other Learning Tools, and return to the Full-Length AP Biology Practice Tests when you’re ready to check your progress.

By using Varsity Tutors’ free AP Biology resources, you can make sure that you understand each AP Biology topic in detail and be fully confident in your AP Biology knowledge when you sit down to take the AP Biology exam!