1. Facts About the AP Biology Exam

2. Structure of Test 3 Hours long Divided into two sections
Section I multiple choice questions
Section II--4 Essay questions

3. Section I 100 multiple choice questions
45 seconds per question
80 minutes to answer 100 questions
3 parts
Regular multiple choice questions
Matching questions
Questions dealing with experiments or data

4. Section II 4 Essay questions 10 minute reading period
90 minutes to answer all 4 essays
22 minutes per essay

5. Section I--- 58 multiple choice questions
Example: If a segment of DNA reads 5’-ATG-CCA-GCT-3’, the mRNA strand that results will be
(A) 3’-TAC-GGT-CGA-5’
(B) 3’-UAC-AGT-CAA-5’
(C) 3’-TAA-GCU-CGA-5’
(D) 3’-UAC-GCU-CGA-5’

6. Section I-- Experiments or data
Given a diagram and multiple choice questions about diagram
Common sense/ logical deduction more useful than strict science

7. Section II 4 free response essays
Divided into parts--vary in difficulty
Questions
Area 1: Molecules and cells
Area 2: Heredity and Evolution
Area 3: Organisms and populations

8. Sample Free Response Enzymes are biological catalysts
A. Relate the chemical structure of an enzyme to its catalytic activity and specificity
B. Design an experiment that investigates the influence of temperature, substrate concentration, or pH on the activity of an enzyme
C. Describe what information concerning enzyme structure could be inferred from the experiment you have designed

9. Scoring Maximum points Section I-100 pts
60% of grade
Maximum points Section II- 40 pts
10 pts per essay question
40% of grade
Raw scores translated into composite scores---then to AP number grade 1-5

10. Example
(Raw score for section I)=(Number answered correctly)-(Number wrong÷4)
Convert raw score to composite score
(Composite score of section I=0.75x(Raw score for Section I)
(Raw score for section II)=(Points for essay 1)+(Points for essay 2)+(Points for essay 3)+(Points for essay 4)
(Composite score for section II)=1.5 x(Raw score for section II)

11. ETS Grading System AP Grade Comment Composite score 82-135 5
Extremely well qualified
63-81 4
Well Qualified
47-62 3
Qualified
29-46 2
Possibly Qualified
0-28 1
No recommendation

12. Strategy 1: Pace Yourself!
Take your time--do not need to answer every question--mistakes accounted for
Go for questions you know skip the ones you don’t
To get score
Section I
Section II 1 25
2 to 3 essays 2 40
3 essays 3 60
3 to 4 essays 4 85
4 essays 5
100

13. Strategy 2: Three-Pass System
Perfect score- do not have to answer every question
Skip most difficult questions
Easiest questions first
Medium questions second pass
Hard question last pass
WATCH THE BUBBLES!

14. Strategy 3: Process of Elimination (POE)
The structure that act as the sites of gas exchange in a woody stem are the
Lungs
Gills
Lenticels
Ganglia
Lentil beans

15. Strategy 4: Aggressive Guessing
4 wrong answers = Loss of 1 point
Eliminate 2 answer choices--guess

16. Strategy 5: Word Associations
Know your science vocabulary
Help you to narrow down choices

17. Strategy 6: Mnemonics
King Phillip of German came over for great spagetti
Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

18. Strategy 7: EXCEPT questions
10 percent -Except/Not/Least
Wrong--Least correct
Cross of the ones that apply to question

19. Strategy 8: ETS Essay ETS readers looking for hot button terms= points
Read each question 2x
10 minute period- brainstorm write down key terms
Outline essay using key terms
If asks for 2 examples--give just 2 examples
Use diagrams but must label correctly

20. Signal Words
Description- detailed verbal picture”just the facts”--not opinions
Discussion-conversation among ideas
Explain-take something complicated and make it more clear--simpler terms
Compare- answer that is focused on similarities between 2 things
Contrast- answer emphasizing differences