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Quick Guide to the 2015 AP Biology Exam

Get essential exam info, practice strategies, and sample questions for the 2015 AP Biology Exam. Maximize your score with tips on multiple-choice and free-response sections.

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Quick Guide to the 2015 AP Biology Exam

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  1. Quick Guide to the2015 AP Biology Exam

  2. Basic Info Section I: 90 minutes for 63 multiple-choice + 6 grid-in questions • 50% of total score Section II: Free-Response Questions • 10 minute reading period to read/plan answers • 80 minutes to write: • 2 Long Free Response questions (~20 min each) • 6 Short Free Response questions (~6 min each) • 50% of total score

  3. Content Big Ideas: • Evolution • Cellular Processes: Energy & Communication • Genetics & Information Transfer • Interactions Download and study the AP Biology Course and Exam Description (available on our class website under “AP Exam Review”)

  4. Section I: Multiple-Choice & Grid-In Questions • Multiple Choice (63 questions) • Essential Knowledge + Science Practice • Requires more reading than in previous exams (paragraphs, diagrams, data analysis) • Grid-In (6 questions) • Integrate science and math skills • Calculate correct answer and bubble in the grid • Bring a four-function calculator (with square root) to use on the exam • A formula list will be provided for the exam

  5. Essential Knowledge + Science Practice • Essential Knowledge 2.B.3: • Eukaryotic cells maintain internal membranes that partition the cell into specialized regions. • Science Practice 6.2: • The student can construct explanations of phenomena based on evidence produced through scientific practices. • Learning Objective 2.13: • The student is able to explain how internal membranes and organelles contribute to cell functions.

  6. Sample Multiple-Choice Membrane-bound organelles have been an important component in the evolution of complex, multicellular organisms. Which of the following best summarizes an advantage of eukaryotic cells having internal membranes? • Eukaryotic cells are able to reproduce faster because of the presence of organelles. • Some organelles, such as mitochondria and chloroplasts, are similar to prokaryotic cells in structure. • Organelles isolate specific reactions, increasing metabolic efficiency. • Compartmentalization leads to a higher mutation rate in DNA, which leads to more new species.

  7. Sample Grid-In • In a certain species of flowering plant, the purple allele P is dominant to the yellow allele p. • A student performed a cross between a purple-flowered plant and a yellow-flowered plant. When planted, the 146 seeds that were produced from the cross matured into 87 plants with purple flowers and 59 plants with yellow flowers. • Calculate the chi-squared value for the null hypothesis that the purple-flowered parents was heterozygous for the flower-color gene. Give your answer to the nearest tenth.

  8. Multiple-Choice Strategies • Pacing is important! Give yourself about 1 min. per multiple-choice and about 3 min. per grid-in. • NO penalty for guessing!! Answer every question. • If calculations are required and more time is needed, skip it and come back to it later. (Make a mark in test booklet next to question to answer later.) Do the same with questions you can’t answer. • Lab-set questions are tedious. Skip the diagram/data, skim the question first, then go back to the diagram/data to seek the information. • Underline key words such as NOT or EXCEPT.

  9. Multiple-Choice Strategies • Read each answer choice before making a final selection. • Use process of elimination! Cross out letters of incorrect choices in test booklet. Narrow it down. • If you absolutely don’t know it, GUESS! Don’t leave anything blank! • If you finish early, go back over as many items as possible to catch careless errors.

  10. Free-Response Questions • During 10-minute reading period: • Skim each question • Identify which is easiest  hardest • Organize thoughts and outline essays on sheet provided • Circle or underline KEY WORDS • Be sure to address each directive listed. (eg. analyze, compare, contrast, describe, design, explain)

  11. Free-Response Questions • If there are several parts, answer in sequence. • Write an essay! No bullet points or outlines. • Diagrams: Label them! • Calculations: Show your work and each step! Remember UNITS. • “Buzz words”: Define or describe them! • If you can’t remember a term, describe/define it. • Don’t leave any part of essay blank. Each point is worth 2X a multiple-choice point. • If time allows, proofread your essays! • Be kind to Readers: use good handwriting

  12. On test day: • Arrive early! (30 minutes before start time.) • Eat a good, nutritious breakfast!! • Bring a photo ID. • 2+ sharpened #2 pencils + clean eraser • 2 black/dark blue ballpoint pens for essay • Bring a watch. • Bring a calculator. (4-function w/square root) • Also, NO books, notes, laptops, cameras, cell phones

  13. AP Bio Exam Score Distributions

  14. College Board Comments about the new AP Biology Exam (2013) • AP Biology grid-in questions require students to use mathematics to solve biological problems. The avg score on these was very low: 36%. • Multiple-choice: last year, students earned 63% correct on average; this year, 61% • FRQs require students to "explain," "describe," "justify" their content knowledge. Very low scores on avg.

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