How do you study for AP Bio?

[demh23]

Hi

I am doing bio summer work right now. Do you find it easier to read the entire chapter and then answer the questions by going back and finding the answer? Or, do you read the question and read the text until you get the answer and then continue with the next question? Also, for chemistry & physics I would just do review problems or a review sheet but I'm not sure how you are supposed to study for Biology. Do you have any advice? I read that people study 2 - 3 hours a day for AP Bio but what do you mean by "study"

thanks.

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[deleted202457]

Read the entire book entire book cover to cover and be able to recite it verbatum like Denzel Washington does in "The Book of Eli" lol.

But seriously for me I found that just sitting there and listening in class was all I needed to do well for the AP exam. But each person is different. Some ppl like flash cards, some like to just read the chapters, some take notes and then go back and rewrite the notes (I'd vote for this one probably). But it all depends on you.

Really just as long as you are re-exposing yourself to the material you will start to remember it.

 

[BexBonafide]

Read the entire book entire book cover to cover and be able to recite it verbatum like Denzel Washington does in "The Book of Eli" lol.

But seriously for me I found that just sitting there and listening in class was all I needed to do well for the AP exam. But each person is different. Some ppl like flash cards, some like to just read the chapters, some take notes and then go back and rewrite the notes (I'd vote for this one probably). But it all depends on you.

Really just as long as you are re-exposing yourself to the material you will start to remember it.

Agreed everyone studies a different way.
But for euro I know just listening to lectures in class made it easier to take the exam.

If youre having trouble thinking back on that stuff for bio Id say find a good review book. We had one that gave a summary of each chapter, then went through practice multiple choice questions and practice FRQs. I think if you pace yourself, do a lot of practice, and have a good idea on the material, youll be able to do well..

Make sure you know the material before you start doing the multiple choice and other practice

 

[indianjatt]

Since I just received a 5 on the examination I think I could help give you advice.

If you are using Campbell as a textbook I would read the chapter once before the exam, do the self-quiz, read the work-book, and do the questions in the workbook. If you have other material just read the book and do problems when possible. Honestly I didn't study too much for my tests because we were graded on an AP test scale, which was why I had to study a lot towards the end for the AP test.

When it comes around to AP time (2 months before) start using Cliffs. I HIGHLY recommend cliffs. Read the book twice and do all the practice tests and review questions. One week before the examination, do the real practice exams if your teacher released a copy to you.

Good luck!!

Indian -

 

[anishannayya]

Biology is one of those subject that involves a lot of reading and memorization.

Here's what I did:

1. Read the Campbell's Biology book before the teacher went over the material (skim over quickly, so you get the gist of the material). (15-20 mins)
2. Listened to the teacher and took sparing notes; only when the information was necessary and I was pretty sure it was going to be on the test. Don't simply write down everything the teacher says verbatim. He used PowerPoint, and those were available online. I printed those out and took the notes in the margins (print 6 to a page, double sided).
3. Read the book in depth after the lecture. At this point enhance your notes with important information. (1 hour)
4. Brush up daily on the notes for your next test. (10-15 mins)
5. By the time you have to take the test, you should already know the material.

By spending roughly an 1 1/2 going over the material daily, I didn't have to do any other work besides lab write ups. Because of the amount of material it takes time, but if you spread it over the entire week it doesn't catch up to you. I would take the weekends off.

Scored a 5 on the AP test. I didn't review for the test.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

Biology is one of those subject that involves a lot of reading and memorization.

Here's what I did:

1. Read the Campbell's Biology book before the teacher went over the material (skim over quickly, so you get the gist of the material). (15-20 mins)
2. Listened to the teacher and took sparing notes; only when the information was necessary and I was pretty sure it was going to be on the test. Don't simply write down everything the teacher says verbatim. He used PowerPoint, and those were available online. I printed those out and took the notes in the margins (print 6 to a page, double sided).
3. Read the book in depth after the lecture. At this point enhance your notes with important information. (1 hour)
4. Brush up daily on the notes for your next test. (10-15 mins)
5. By the time you have to take the test, you should already know the material.

By spending roughly an 1 1/2 going over the material daily, I didn't have to do any other work besides lab write ups. Because of the amount of material it takes time, but if you spread it over the entire week it doesn't catch up to you. I would take the weekends off.

Scored a 5 on the AP test. I didn't review for the test.

This is good advice for learning in general. Break it into pieces and chip away at it daily. It's a little more tedious than waiting until the night before and studying like crazy, but I tend to really rock exams when I study like this. So I think it's a good skill to learn. You'll hear people say that you won't be able to study like that in med school, but actually it's kind of what you need to do to keep from falling behind.

 

[Pandapurse]

Listen to lectures, grasp the concepts, and get the "big picture" of the topic. Practice writing detailed paragraphs with tons of facts for the free response questions. Most of all, make sure you enjoy Biology. If you like it, you'll do well!