<p>Its a few weeks till the test, I’m completely spazzing out now. I’m about 300 pages into my 2nd time reading campbells(skimmed parts of it the first time - during the school year, so I guess that kinda doesn’t count). I’ve gotten the CliffsAP study guide for it. Any advice? I’m a bit worried about the labs and essays… </p>
<p>For the multiple choice sections, I think I’m missing some major concepts and big picture things; I’ve got some details, but I can’t link them together too well. </p>
<p>Would it be a good idea to reread Campbells entirely? Or would it just be smarter to memorize CliffsAP? I don’t know if I’ll get everything in the amount of detail Campbells covers it in.</p>
<p>I heard the curve for a 5 is at 60% but still very few people get 5s :/.</p>
<p>i got a 5 last year. i mainly read campbell before tests throughout the year. some of it stuck, some of it didn’t. about two weeks before the ap (around this time), my class started having after school review sessions like every day of the week. we basically took a practice test from cliffs, then honed in on the areas we sucked at. cliffs ap is REALLY good. i doubt that reading campbells at this point would help you memorize any of those mini details (which aren’t even required for the m/c or the essays). just a tip on the essays that my teacher gave last year: DON’T STOP WRITING. if you find that you have time left before the essay writing period is over, don’t stop! you can PM me if you have questions regarding the more fine details.</p>
<p>also, i think around 22 or 23% of people get 5s.</p>
<p>Might be true… but I recall hearing in AP Euro that a 70% on AP test questions was considered excellent, and ~60% was generally the cut off mark for 5s… I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that was the curve for Bio/Chem, but of course the curves for both of those are known to be extra generous… I’m sure it varies alot. I could see 80% as being the curve for something like psych or another easy AP, but the sciences are really hardcore :-/. </p>
<p>So a good idea would be to just to focus on Cliffs? Because I really haven’t gotten much out of this class… I’m missing alot of major concepts, I don’t feel too confident about the material I guess heh… Like how everything fits together in the gist of things. All I’ve learned are a couple of the details required to pass the tests, etc, I’m currently pulling a solid B in class :(.</p>
<p>Btw, I heard you can’t get counted off for incorrect info in essays :).</p>
<p>i would agree with the precise without small details</p>
<p>i wrote pretty generally on the open questions last year, i barely knew the last question of the four, managed to write briefly on it, while focusing more on the other two, and went back and added details to them, after i was sure that i had everything that i could write down that gave a general idea of my understanding of the questions, but i know i did very well on the multiple choice so that could have made up for my lack of knowledge on the free response. overall i did get a 5. did not do a whole bunch of review cause i was focusing on my other classes, and my biology class had been very hard all year, and i felt like i knew the material very well…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You have a 10 minute reading period before you start writing. Read through all four questions carefully and write down a brief outline for each question on the green question sheet.</p></li>
<li><p>You have 90 minutes to write all four questions. about 22 minutes each. Write your answer based on your outlines. Don’t repeat the questions in your answer. Don’t write a thesis paragraph. Don’t write a summary paragraph. Save that stuff for the SAT essay.</p></li>
<li><p>Write to your outline to the best of your ability and move on. If, after you have answered all four questions you want to “expand” some of the essays, fine, but many people who like to “brain dump” end up lacking enough time to answer the fourth question. Be sure you have covered all parts of each essay.</p></li>
<li><p>Use a black or blue pen. The average age of the essay readers goes up every year, and that means more reading glasses. Cross out mistakes, don’t bother with erasing or white-out, it wastes time. Labeling part a), b) and such, if it exists, also helps, though the readers will read the whole essay and sort out information.</p></li>
<li><p>Correct information relevant to the question will get credit. Wrong information that does not contradict correct information (for example, you can’t say in one place a bacteria has no nucleus and then later on say it has a nuclear envelope) is ignored. Correct information that does not respond to the question is ignored.</p></li>
<li><p>If the question asks for two examples, give only two examples. The third one will be ignored, even if one of the first two are incorrect.</p></li>
<li><p>If you have read this far, congratulations! </p></li>
<li><p>You don’t have to score a 9 or 10 to do well on an essay, you only have to do better than most of the other students. On some essays, a 4 will do the trick, on others an 8 is required. It’s hard to predict. So don’t freak out, don’t give up, don’t panic. Do the best you can and if you have prepared well, all will go fine.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I got a 5 on the test, and all I did was pay attention in class and use CliffsAP Bio book. It was really helpful. </p>
<p>Also, a lesser known review book (that is based upon Campbell’s) is 5 Steps to a 5 AP Biology by Mark Anestis. It’s basically an in-depth review/summary of each chapter.</p>
<p>“”“Wrong information that does not contradict correct information (for example, you can’t say in one place a bacteria has no nucleus and then later on say it has a nuclear envelope) is ignored.”“”“”"</p>
<p>REALLY??? (i dont think i’m interpreting the sentence correctly)…</p>
<p>so, i can write about differnce between prokaryotes and eukaryotes:</p>
<p>prokaryotes have no nucleus. Eukaryotes have a nucleus. Eukaryotes are generally complex organisms. Prokaryotes are usually one-celled organisms. Some prokaryotes have flagella/cilia or other types of mechanisms for movement. All Prokaryotes have chitin around their cell membrane, also.</p>
<p>If i said that ^(the chitin thing)…would they TAKE OFF points? or, just IGNORE It and not give any points.</p>
<ol>
<li>prokaryotes have no nucleus. </li>
<li>Eukaryotes have a nucleus. </li>
<li>Eukaryotes are generally complex organisms. </li>
<li>Prokaryotes are usually one-celled organisms. </li>
<li>Some prokaryotes have flagella/cilia or other types of mechanisms for movement. </li>
<li>All Prokaryotes have chitin around their cell membrane, also.</li>
</ol>
<p>Depending on what the question was asking, 1, 2, 4 (perhaps), 5 (perhaps) would receive credit.</p>
<p>5 may get credit for flagella, with the right question, even though prokaryotes don’t have cilia. “or other types of mechanisms” gets you nothing and doesn’t fool anyone. Ditt for the phrase “among others”.</p>
<p>1 and 2 together might count as one “point” depending upon the question, as it is describing one difference between the two cell types.</p>
<p>The reader might ignore 6 totally, or give credit for cell membrane if it answers an issue in the question (for example: “list some cell parts that prokaryotes have in common with eukaryotes,” though essays don’t ask for lists, they usually ask for explanations and descriptions.)</p>
<p>Number 3 and 4 are problematic, as the terms usually refer to cells and not organisms, but it would depend on the question. 4 is specific enough, but 3 doesn’t really say anything – “generally complex” is vague – a specific example would help. </p>
<p>Again, don’t use this as permission to just fill paper. There is a very real restriction on your time. Be sure you have answered everything you know on all four questions before you even CONSIDER just writing a bunch.</p>
<p>Points are never taken off. However, a point that is contradicted elsewhere in the essay is not given.</p>
<p>It means you answer the question directly with what you think you know, and don’t spend time worrying that something you put down might be incorrect and will cost you.</p>