AP Study Guide Test on May 10, 2010

Outline of the AP Biology Exam: 100 multiple choice in 80 minutes= 60% of test 4 Free Response Essay Questions in 90 minutes (10 minutes reading time)= 40% of test

Essay Section Hints: -The 4 essay questions are graded equally. One question is on molecules and cells. One question is on genetics and evolution. Two questions are on organisms and populations. -One or more of the questions will be lab-based.

Write in essay form! There is room on the test for you to create an outline to guide your answer if you'd like but outlines are not graded. That being said, perfect essay writing is not expected. There aren't deductions for grammar or spelling mishaps (provided the spelling is close enough to determine the word you are trying to write).

Can I Use Diagrams? Diagrams are helpful! If you use a diagram, be sure to refer to it in your essay. -Points are not deducted from your essay score if you give an incorrect statement. (You just don't receive points for incorrect statements). But be careful not to contradict yourself.

LAB ESSAY QUESTIONS Lab Essay Questions will often present an experiment setup very similar to one of the AP labs you performed. In EVERY Lab Essay Question, you should discuss the following information even if the question does not specifically ask for it: (remember, you are never deducted for too much information, but keep it relevant):

State the hypothesis and identify it as such -State the control group -State the dependent and independent variable (s) -Identify other variables being held constant (i.e. amount of time, stirring, etc...typically there are two of these) -Identify what you are measuring (ex. pressure, change in mass) -State how and when data will be collected (ex. measure mass after 30 minutes) -State what calculation will be used (ex. avg 3 values for mass) -State how you will be confident in your results (ex. repeat trials) -State how you will share your results (ex. tables, graphs) -State what you expect to happen and why We will do practice AP Test Lab questions so that this will seem a breeze! Nevertheless, you should practice these in an AP exam practice book to prepare.

Guessing on the Exams Scores on the multiple-choice sections of the AP Exams are based on the number of questions answered correctly minus a fraction of the number of questions answered incorrectly. No points are awarded or deducted for unanswered questions. For questions with five answer choices, one- fourth of a point is subtracted for every wrong answer. For questions with four answer choices, one-third of a point is deducted for every wrong answer. Thus, random guessing is unlikely to raise or lower your grade. However, if you have SOME knowledge of the question, and can eliminate one or more answer choices, informed guessing from among the remaining choices is usually to your advantage.

Stragies Before beginning to solve the free-response questions, it is a good idea to read them all to determine which ones you feel most prepared to answer. You can then proceed to solve the questions in a sequence that will allow you to perform your best. In the exam booklet there is an insert that contains the same questions without the blank answer spaces. This can be removed from the booklet and used for reference. No credit is given for anything written on the insert; be sure to write your answers and do all your work for each problem in the pages provided in the answer booklet. Show all your work; partial credit is given for partial solutions to problems. If the answer is not correct, you are not likely to receive credit for correct thinking if the person scoring the examination does not see evidence of this process on paper. If you do work that you think is incorrect, simply put an "X" through it, instead of spending time erasing it completely.

Organize your answers as clearly and neatly as possible, showing the steps you took to reach your solution. If the faculty consultants cannot easily follow your reasoning, you are less likely to receive credit for it. Many free-response questions are divided into parts such as a, b, c, and d, with each part calling for a different response. Credit for each part is awarded independently, so you should attempt to solve each part. For example, you may receive no credit for your answer to Part a, but still receive full credit for Part b, c, or d. If the answer to a later part of a question depends on the answer to an earlier part, you may still be able to receive full credit for the later part, even if that earlier answer is wrong.

Review Sites Bio Review Study Questions Hippocampus Bio Animations Lab Bench