AP Chem and AP Bio Summer Prep??? Suggestions?

nate42 · 05-21-2012, 11:11 PM

Hello guys,

It's almost summer and I want to be prepared for my AP's next year. I have never done summer "prepping" but it can't hurt. As soon as I am finished studying for the SAT on June 2nd I will be free to do as I please.

I will start with AP Chem. I am taking this class online, outside of school. So I feel that it is essential that I prepare for what is to come. This year I had Honors Chem. Teacher was awesome but I had REALLY stupid people in my class. This put us behind at least a month (wish I was kidding). So this left me with no knowledge of Thermodynamics, Chemical Kinetics or Chemical Equilibrium. Not good, I know. So I am thinking I need to hit this HARD. Am I right? I just bought Barron's AP Chemistry for the course, plan on reviewing this for an hour a day until I leave for camp. *will explain later

I feel a lot better about AP Biology, but it can't hurt to prep. I am going to a Science and Math camp this summer for Biology (hoping to get college Bio course). This class will be taught exactly like a college BIO 101/ Lab BIO course, and it will be 5 hours a day for an entire month. I am pretty sure this will be sufficient review. What do you think? Is Barron's or the Princeton Review needed on top of this?

Thanks! Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for reading!

dundunyang · 05-22-2012, 01:02 PM

Not to be hurtful, but taking AP chem online is a bad idea. AP chem revolves around labs, and I doubt online courses will prepare you enough,

nate42 · 05-22-2012, 01:21 PM

The class I am taking has tons of video lessons, including many labs. I hope that it is enough. The people that I have talked to who have taken the course have all made 4's or better on the exam.

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ChemistryTutor · 05-28-2012, 06:36 AM

zero real lab exposure does not preclude one from getting 5 on AP Chem.

mathrom · 05-28-2012, 01:08 PM

I don't think you should worry THAT much for AP Chem. I started out with literally no knowledge about chemistry besides maybe some practice with balancing equations and the extremely easy stuff like precision vs. accuracy and the very basics, but I'm pretty sure that I did relatively well on the AP exam.

With that being said, however, if you have time over the summer to study and learn thermodynamics, kinetics, and equilibrium (AP stresses equilibrium a lot; there's an FRQ on it every year), I would say go ahead and study. I had to struggle through concepts that I didn't understand pretty often throughout the year, but with enough practice and studying, I was finally able to figure things out.

Make sure you know stoichiometry well, and practice a little bit with nomenclature and reaction writing (there's a RW FRQ every year). Overall, I think you should be fine with what you know right now, but considering you're taking online classes and don't have a real teacher, studying will definitely help you.

Finnimbrun · 05-31-2012, 09:27 PM

Just practice a lot of problems. I didn't do that and it really screwed me over. I just took the exam a few weeks ago and it was really hard. I think I got like a 2 or maybe a 1.... but if you do a lot of practice problems you will be fine

I am going to take bio next year as well. All i know is that it is a lot easier than chem.

asianandproud · 05-31-2012, 10:22 PM

Chem can definitely be mastered entirely with no lab experience.

Whatdoyouthink · 06-03-2012, 11:35 AM

@dundunyang
I think I got a 5 on the AP and 800 on the SAT Chem by watching old chem lectures. Chem can be mastered easily without lab experience (rofl I know more than my classmates who took the class)

@Finnimbrun
By the way, bio is soooooooooooooooo much harder than Chem. Chem is easy compared to bio. I just got my 2 bio books and they are HUGE. THousands of pages of reading....

Twiggy22 · 06-06-2012, 06:44 PM

I am taking Ap bio next year and i heard that the princeton review was perfect for ap bio

wynter · 06-10-2012, 10:48 AM

Enjoy your summer and don't worry about this. kids at my school don't take any chem before ap chem (they all do well on the exam, mostly 5s, some 4s and a few 1-3s), so you have a leg up on them. if some people can manage a 5 by reading a book 2 weeks before the test, i don't think you need to waste your summer preparing when you have 8 months.

popstar54 · 06-10-2012, 03:56 PM

Just if some of you don't know, College Board revised the curriculum for AP Bio:
AP Central - The Biology Exam

Their course and exam description states that the multiple-choice is shortened to 63 questions and they've included 6 grid-in questions that require you to apply mathematics.
So I'm guessing...the exam is more conceptual?

I'm not sure how different the exam will be, but I've put a hold on buying any study guides because the format of the books are not revised to accommodate with the new exam......yet, I hope...

apstudent1 · 06-11-2012, 10:47 PM

Math? I'm taking ap bio next year too. I guess cliffnotes may not be the best book after this change...=/

not sure if this is good or bad.

yodelo · 06-15-2012, 10:55 AM

Read over the review books that you have, take a few notes, but relax mostly. that way, when you go to class you will know what is going on, and never be behind on reading because you already read it!

clanc64 · 07-08-2012, 11:05 AM

@Whatdoyouthink
Where can I find these old chem lectures? Are they videos online?