should i even take this AP Bio exam?
so a few things.
1. i haven't learned much all year since i’ve been doing online school because of corona.
2. the major i’m planning to do doesn’t necessarily give college credit for this exam based on the classes for this major.
3. i wanna focus my study time on my other exam, ap comp sci principles, because my intended major gives me credit for this and i absolutely need a 4 or 5 to get credit.
4. overall, i’ve heard many horror stories about ap bio which have discouraged me.
honestly i’m not even sure i’ll be able to pass, i’ve mainly relied on my open notes for our tests which is why i have an A in my class. i’m scared that my teacher / colleges will look at me poorly for not taking the exam though. either i start hardcore studying right now to get a 4 or 5, or i lift this weight off my chest and focus on more important things.
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5 answers
If you are really busy (seems you are, good on you for that) schools should be understanding. Also if it won't help you with anything I don't see the point in paying to take the exam if you can't get credit for it regardless your grade. Schools look for rigor, so if you chose to take it or not should not have much of an effect.
Good luck on your other exams!
Don’t take it. I’m currently in AP Bio and it’s pretty rough. I’ve been in a hybrid model until we went in full time this week, so retaining all of the content has been super difficult. Instead, focus on other things and don’t overwork yourself. Good luck!
Honestly, as a student who took Bio last year, it was really hard for me. I wasted so much time just studying for the exams. If you have an option whether or not to take it, I wouldn't. Focus on other classes.
Don’t take the test if you don’t want to or don’t feel prepared.
The test is pretty much there to determine if you get college credit or not. Although that seems really important, a significant amount of schools will fight you and try to refuse your AP credits. A lot of them just completely refuse them which really sucks. If you don’t feel prepared, don’t take the bio test. My boyfriend isn’t taking it either because he also feels like he hasn’t really learned any of the content. If you’re worried about it looking bad on your applications, colleges will still see the fact that you took the class.
As a student who did AP Bio and AP Human last year I think you should take it. In my Bio class, I had a B only because my teacher would just tell us the answers to the questions we didn't know. Honestly, the only thing I can tell you that I remember from that class is that the Mitochondria is not in fact the powerhouse of the cell. As long as you know the vocabulary and have a general conception as to how processes work (photosynthesis, the Krebs cycle...) you should be fine. If you use Mastering Biology, resources on ColllegeBoard, or a Review book that should make you feel more confident. Also everyone's best bud Quizlet will help. If worse comes to worst you can just leave the score off of your transcript. (I ended up getting a 3 on the exam without it hindering my study for AP Human which I got a 5 on.) Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great!!
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