AP Biology
Advanced Placement course and exam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Advanced Placement (AP) Biology (also known as AP Bio) is an Advanced Placement biology course and exam offered by the College Board in the United States. For the 2012–2013 school year, the College Board unveiled a new curriculum with a greater focus on "scientific practices".[1]
This course is designed for students who wish to pursue an interest in the life sciences. The College Board recommends successful completion of high school biology and high school chemistry[2] 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:[3]
| Topic | Percent |
|---|---|
| Chemistry of Life | 8-11% |
| Cell Structure and Function | 10-13% |
| Cellular Energetics (photosynthesis and cellular respiration) | 12-16% |
| Cell Communication and Cell Cycle | 10-15% |
| Heredity | 8-11% |
| Gene Expression and Regulation | 12-16% |
| Natural Selection | 13-20% |
| Ecology | 10-15% |
The course is based on and tests six skills, called scientific practices which include:
| Topic | Percent |
|---|---|
| Concept Explanation | 8-11% |
| Visual Representations | 10-13% |
| Question and Method | 12-16% |
| Representing and Describing Data | 10-15% |
| Statistical Tests and Data Analysis | 8-11% |
| Argumentation | 12-16% |
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.[4] The exam has two sections: a 90 minute multiple choice section and a 90 minute free response section.
The multiple choice portion of the test consists of 60 questions, each with four potential answers to be selected. Questions may focus on a short corresponding reading section, a graph or illustration of a biological feature, or might have no related passage or diagram following it. Unanswered questions are counted as incorrect, and there is no penalty for guessing.
The free response section consists of 2 long questions and 4 short ones. Each question is split into subsections a-d and will always be based on a passage of context or describing an experiment. The second long form question will always include a graphing portion and experimental design, while the first long form question consists of a typically scientifically relevant development in terms of biology concepts. Questions typically include identification, graphing, experimental design, data interpretation, justification, prediction, and scientific analysis.
Score distribution
| Final score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | % of scores 3 or higher | Mean score | Standard deviation | Number of students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002[5] | 12.3% | 23.2% | 24.1% | 22.9% | 17.5% | 64.6% | 3.10 | N/A | 97,762 |
| 2003[5] | 14.9% | 26.1% | 22.4% | 18.6% | 17.9% | 58.9% | 2.98 | N/A | 103,944 |
| 2004[5] | 14.4% | 24.6% | 21.9% | 20.2% | 18.9% | 61.0% | 3.05 | N/A | 111,104 |
| 2005[5] | 15.5% | 23.3% | 22.9% | 20.1% | 18.2% | 61.2% | 3.02 | N/A | 121,446 |
| 2006[5] | 15.6% | 23.3% | 21.2% | 20.3% | 19.6% | 61.1% | 3.05 | N/A | 131,783 |
| 2007[5] | 15.9% | 23.2% | 21.2% | 20.3% | 19.3% | 60.8% | 3.04 | N/A | 144,796 |
| 2008[5] | 34.6% | 15.2% | 16.1% | 15.6% | 18.6% | 50.3% | 2.68 | N/A | 154,504 |
| 2009[5] | 34.0% | 15.1% | 15.8% | 15.5% | 19.5% | 50.8% | 2.71 | N/A | 159,580 |
| 2010[5] | 34.6% | 14.1% | 15.4% | 15.1% | 18.7% | 49.2% | 2.65 | N/A | 172,512 |
| 2011[5] | 34.8% | 14.6% | 15.2% | 16.5% | 18.8% | 50.6% | 2.70 | N/A | 184,497 |
| 2012[5] | 14.6% | 14.6% | 14.3% | 16.9% | 19.7% | 51.0% | 2.73 | N/A | 191,773 |
| 2013[6] | 7.40% | 29.30% | 36.20% | 21.60% | 5.50% | 63.30% | 2.88 | 1.01 | 203,189 |
| 2014[7] | 8.70% | 27.10% | 35.20% | 22.40% | 6.60% | 64.20% | 2.91 | 1.05 | 213,294 |
| 2015[8] | 8.20% | 27.50% | 35.90% | 22.10% | 6.40% | 64.30% | 2.91 | 1.03 | 223,479 |
| 2016[9] | 10.10% | 28.80% | 33.60% | 21.00% | 6.60% | 61.10% | 2.85 | 1.07 | 238,080 |
| 2017[10] | 8.40% | 27.50% | 36.70% | 21.00% | 6.40% | 64.10% | 2.90 | 1.03 | 254,270 |
| 2018[11] | 10.00% | 28.50% | 32.90% | 21.50% | 7.10% | 61.50% | 2.87 | 1.08 | 259,663 |
| 2019[12] | 8.80% | 26.60% | 35.30% | 22.20% | 7.20% | 64.70% | 2.93 | 1.06 | 260,816 |
| 2020[13] | 6.90% | 24.10% | 36.90% | 22.70% | 9.50% | 69.10% | 3.04 | 1.06 | 233,444 |
| 2021[14] | 10.80% | 30.00% | 32.40% | 19.40% | 7.40% | 59.20% | 2.83 | 1.09 | 230,527 |
| 2022[15] | 10.50% | 21.60% | 29.70% | 23.10% | 15.00% | 67.90% | 3.11 | 1.21 | 237,338 |
| 2023[16] | 12.00% | 23.60% | 27.20% | 23.00% | 14.30% | 64.40% | 3.04 | 1.23 | 239,470 |
| 2024[17] | 10.00% | 21.70% | 28.40% | 23.10% | 16.80% | 68.30% | 3.15 | 1.22 | 260,062 |
| 2025[18] | 8.60% | 21.00% | 27.40% | 24.10% | 18.90% | 70.40% | 3.24 | 1.22 | 287,232 |
Commonly used textbooks
- Biology, AP Edition by Sylvia Mader (2012, hardcover ISBN 0076620042)
- Life: The Science of Biology (Sadava, Heller, Bilal, Purves, and Hillis, ISBN 978-0-7167-7671-0)
- Campbell Biology AP Ninth Edition (Reece, Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky, and Andrew Jackson ISBN 978-0131375048)