Many students become stressed and nervous on hearing these words. Three hours of wracking your brain, recalling facts from an entire year of information. While the AP® Biology Exam certainly is a big deal, that 5 is not unattainable. The right approach and resources can help you to pass with flying colors. Here we’ve compiled some detailed information to help you become acquainted with the AP® Biology multiple-choice questions in the hope of helping you relax and study more efficiently.

What is the Format of the AP® Biology Exam?

The exam for an AP® course is perhaps the most important part. If you don’t take the exam, colleges considering giving you AP® credit will have no way of knowing how well you did in the class. Thus, just as earning A’s and B’s on your AP® coursework is important, achieving 4’s and 5’s on your exams is equally vital. When preparing for the AP® Biology multiple-choice questions, you will want to familiarize yourself in as much detail as possible with the exam content for the course.

First, know that the AP® Biology Exam will strive to test your conceptual understanding of the topics taught in class by asking you to justify, defend, and explain answers rather than regurgitating memorized facts. You will also be asked to solve problems mathematically, including symbolically. Furthermore, a common way to test a student’s conceptual understanding of a science topic is to require experimental design, ranging from designing an experiment to describing it to analyzing results and sources of error.

The AP® Biology Exam lasts for three hours and is divided into two 90-minute parts: 69 multiple-choice questions and eight free response questions. Section I (multiple-choice) includes 63 discrete questions and questions in sets (Part A) as well as six grid-in discrete questions integrating math and biology concepts (Part B). If you didn’t already know, grid-in questions require you to calculate a numerical answer and enter it in a grid on a special section of your answer sheet. Section II (free-response) includes two long free-response questions, one lab- or data-based, and six short free-response questions requiring paragraph answers. Due to the simple math content of this exam, you will be allowed to use a four-function calculator.

One thing to note is that the multiple-choice questions on the AP® Biology exam will not require you to remember specific examples. Rather, the question may provide an example, such as a historical experiment, asking you to apply both your knowledge of essential biology concepts and your understanding of science practices. You’ll also need to implement your conceptual understanding of biological processes to justify claims and choosing appropriate supporting evidence. For example, a question might begin with “Which piece of evidence best supports this claim…”

Another important part of the multiple-choice questions will be representations and models in the form of illustrations and graphs that you will be asked to use and analyze. You may also be asked to analyze and apply information from a dataset, and to perform basic calculations you learned throughout your coursework. Finally, as you study, learn to recognize patterns as well as organisms and processes that deviate from said patterns, in addition to identifying connections between the various broad biological concepts.

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Why is the AP® Biology Multiple-Choice Section Important?

Often, students can be more intimidated by the free-response portion of an AP® exam and thus spend a disproportionate amount of time preparing for this section. Before you get caught in this trap, know that the multiple-choice section of the AP® Biology Exam accounts for 50 percent of your overall score, meaning Section I is just as important as Section II. Keep in mind that focusing solely on free-response questions can only earn you a 50 percent, so take the multiple-choice section seriously.

What Content is Covered in the Multiple-Choice Section of AP® Biology?

A key to winning a game or defeating an enemy is understanding your opponent. Thus, to do well on the multiple-choice section of the AP® Biology exam, you should have at least a basic understanding key concepts you will be responsible for learning. The CollegeBoard provides an extensive course and exam description including a concept outline for AP® Biology, which will tell you in great detail what you will be expected to know.

There are four big ideas, each of which is divided further into enduring understandings, which are divided even further into points of essential knowledge. Any of this is fair game for the exam. To get you started, here are the big ideas covered in the course, as well as their respective enduring understandings:

1. Evolution drives the unity and diversity of life

• Changes in genetic makeup of a population
• Common ancestry
• Life continues to evolve
• Origins explained by natural processes

2. Cells use free energy and molecular building blocks to carry out various functions

• Cellular processes require matter and free energy
• Cellular internal environments must be kept different from the external environment
• Feedback mechanisms
• Cellular processes are influenced by the environment
• Temporal regulation and coordination

3. Living systems store and interact with information necessary for life processes

• Heritable information
• Expression of genetic information
• Genetic variation
• Cellular communication via chemical signals
• Transmission of genetic information causes changes

4. Biological systems interact and possess complex properties

• Interactions lead to complex properties
• Competition and cooperation
• Diversity affects interactions with the environment

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How to Prepare for AP® Biology’s Multiple-Choice

Now that you have a good understanding of the exam content, let’s take a look at some specific AP® Biology tips useful in preparing for the multiple-choice section.

1. Use lecture and class time to your advantage

Class time is free test preparation, so use it! Engage in the lecture by taking good notes, asking questions for clarification, and answering questions for practice.

2. Organize your information

Keep your notes neat so you can eliminate stress and confusion while studying. Make flashcards for difficult concepts. Fill in blanks in your notes using your textbook.

3. Learn to recognize patterns as well as their exceptions

Multiple-choice questions often require you to choose the “best” answer or the one “false” answer. Strive to know each detail about a concept and to make connections to other concepts. For example, know which enzymes are similar and different in both DNA replication and transcription.

4. Learn to read charts, graphs, and data tables

If you know how to interpret a data set, you’ll have a free answer to a multiple-choice question.

5. Learn to think conceptually

Analytical, conceptual thinking is a learned art. Work to move beyond simple memorization to relating concepts to each other, to the larger field of biology, and to other scientific disciplines. Listen carefully when your teacher makes these connections, and familiarize yourself with this type of thinking by completing practice questions.

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How to Answer AP® Biology Multiple-Choice Questions

In addition to having a good handle on the biology material itself, work to apply several test-taking strategies while practicing for and taking the multiple-choice section of the AP® Biology Exam. Having these strategies in place will maximize your score and reduce stress on test day. Use the following AP® Biology tips in answering the multiple-choice questions:

1. Manage your time

The best way to do this is to mark and skip difficult questions as you move through the test. Answer easy questions for guaranteed points, then return to your marked questions at the end, ensuring that you answer all the questions you know and will maximize your score.

2. Understand the question

Circle words that will determine your answer to the question such as only, best, or not. If you’re having a difficult time visualizing or recalling a concept, draw a quick sketch or figure. These strategies are important firstly because biology utilizes a lot of figures and depictions of processes. Secondly, trying to hold and interact with information just in your head is challenging. Cut yourself as much slack as possible by writing and drawing.

3. Eliminate choices you know to be incorrect

Try to answer a question before looking at the options. If you aren’t sure, then begin by eliminating obviously wrong answer choices. There’s no penalty for a wrong answer, so you significantly increase the probability of answering correctly by removing one or two answer choices.

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What are AP® Biology Multiple-Choice Questions Like?

To familiarize yourself with the setup of AP® Biology multiple-choice questions and the thought process behind determining the answer, peruse the following two examples from the CollegeBoard’s 2013 Public Practice Exam:

When you first see a question, begin by zoning in on just the relevant information. In this case, ignore the parts about the dog and the rabbit. In reality, only the last five words of this question are important. Choice A reverses the process of communication from receptors to the brain and is incorrect. Choice C is obviously false in this case because we are considering smell rather than taste, and Choice D is wrong because sensory information is not sent to the motor area of the brain. You are left with Choice B. While this option is perhaps less “precise” than the others, it does not contain any incorrect information.

For this question, the first thing to do is study the diagram carefully, realizing that it is depicting a reflex. Thus, you can eliminate Choices A, B, and D because they all involve sending sensory information regarding the stimulus to the brain when you can see from the diagram that axon I is only part of a reflex. Thus, Choice C is the best option.

These questions should give you a vague idea of what is involved in the multiple-choice section of the AP® Biology Exam. For additional insight into and help with multiple choice question you can check out Albert’s AP® Biology practice questions.

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How can I Practice AP® Biology Multiple-Choice?

Now that you are armed with information about the AP® Biology multiple choice questions, it’s time to study and get that 5. The best course of action involves developing your own AP® Biology study plan so you can work ahead, paying attention in class, and utilizing excellent resources. Albert’s biology resources provide an extensive bank of question designed with the student in mind. You can also peruse a list of 2017’s best AP® Biology review books. For further study tips, check out this extensive AP® Biology Review Guide.

Need help preparing for your AP® Biology exam?

Albert has hundreds of AP® Biology practice questions, free response, and full-length practice tests to try out.