AP Biology

This article is part of the Advanced Placement series.

General exam structure    •    Awards

Current subjects:

Art History Biology Calculus (AB & BC) Chemistry Chinese Language and Culture Comparative Government & Politics Computer Science A Computer Science Principles English Language & Composition English Literature & Composition Environmental Science European History French Language German Language Human Geography Italian Language and Culture Japanese Language and Culture Latin Macroeconomics Microeconomics Music Theory Physics 1: Algebra-based Physics 2: Algebra-based Physics C: Mechanics Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Psychology Research (Second part of AP Capstone program) Seminar (First part of AP Capstone program) Spanish Language Spanish Literature Statistics Studio Art (2-D, 3-D, & Drawing) U.S. History U.S. Government & Politics World History

In development:

Russian Language and Culture

Former subjects:

Computer Science AB French Literature German Literature Latin: Vergil Latin Literature Physics B

In the United States, Advanced Placement Biology (commonly abbreviated to AP Biology or AP Bio), is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course. For the 2012–2013 school year, the College Board unveiled a new curriculum with a greater focus on "scientific practices."

This course is offered to highly motivated students who wish to pursue an interest in the life sciences. The College Board recommends successful completion of high school biology and high school chemistry before commencing AP Biology, although the actual prerequisites vary from school to school and from state to state. Many schools, for example, require no background in biology to take the course.

Topics covered by this course include:

In addition to the standard biology topics above, students are required to be familiar with a set of 12 specific biology labs, as well as general lab procedure.

The makeup of the AP Biology exam is based on the following percentages of three topics:

The AP test for this course consists of two sections. Section I, administered over a period of 90 minutes, consists of 63 multiple-choice questions and 6 mathematics-related fill in questions. Students are allowed to use a four-function calculator. Calculators are generally needed for this mathematics portion, and are allowed on the test day. Section II, which also lasts 90 minutes, consists of 2 essay prompts to be answered comprehensively by the student, as well as 6 shorter essays that require concise answers. A mandated 10-minute reading period is held prior to beginning to write the eight essays, leaving only 80 minutes for writing.

In the 2007 administration, 144,796 students took the exam from 8,486 schools. In the 2008 administration, the exam grades were recalibrated, resulting in a substantial decrease in the top scores and increase in the bottom scores. In the 2009 and 2010 administrations, 159,580 and 172,512 students took the test, respectively. The 2013 revised test showed a marked decrease in the number of 5s and 1s received.

Most colleges award credit in an introductory biology course for a score of 3 or higher. Higher tier schools generally only accept a score of 4 or 5. The grade distributions for 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 were:

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