Barron’s AP Biology

Book Preface

Why Should I Buy This Book?
This book includes: • More than 400 pages of subject review • More than 350 multiple-choice questions and answers with explanations in the content area • One diagnostic test to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses • Two practice tests with questions that mimic the actual AP Biology Exams • Review of the 12 required AP labs • Presentation of 5 themes to help you write a great essay on the AP exam • Explanation of how to grade an essay the way the College Board does

GENERAL INFORMATION The AP Biology course is designed to be the equivalent of a two-semester, college introductory biology course and is meant to be taken after a first-year high school biology course. This course is rigorous. The textbook you are using probably has more than twelve hundred pages. You have nine and a half months to complete it and to prepare for the exam, which is in mid-May. You will be reading volumes of text, devising and carrying out sophisticated experiments, and writing lots of essays.

This book has fifteen chapters of subject area review, which most likely follow the same order as the textbook you are using. All key words are in bold, and vocabulary terms are defined in the glossary. After each review section, the book provides sample multiple-choice questions with answers and explanations. There are many sample essays throughout the book, which will give you plenty of practice answering free-response questions.

The College Board requires AP Biology students to complete twelve college-level lab exercises before the examination. This book includes a complete review of all twelve labs and gives you detailed guidelines on how to devise an experiment.

During the school year, study from your textbook and your notes from class and then review from this book. This book is tailored to help you prepare for the AP Exam as well as for exams during the school year. Good luck.