Cracking the AP Biology Exam, 2004-2005 Edition

Rating:
Summary: Thank you, Princeton Review!
Review: I basically paid $13 for a 5 on the AP Biology Exam.

At my school, there is no AP Biology course. Instead, there is simply an honors course. A few friends and I, enrolled in that course, decided that we would take the AP Biology Exam. We all bought this book and we all studied. People doubted us, as taking an AP test without the class is often a recipe for failure at our school. In the class, due to an adaptation in the schedule, we didn't even cover plants, protists, fungi, photosynthesis, or respiration. Most of the body systems were left up to us to study, as well.

Fast forward to July 1. Being impatient, I call AP to find my scores. I'm praying for a 3 in Biology, but lo and behold, a 5. How?

The book goes over everything. Every subject that the book could test for it covers. In addition, the tests help prepare for the same kind of questions. I didn't incur the same problems as another reviewer, who said there were incorrect answers, but all the answers are explained and I really did not have a problem. In any case, the AP exam doesn't ask for the correct answer; it asks for the best answer. This book even goes over the experiments, which we didn't even have a chance to do, and thus helped me do well on the essay section even though I hadn't ever done the experiment.

If you are taking the AP Biology Exam, buy this book. With a little bit of work and this book, getting a 5 really isn't too difficult.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book for AP Bio
Review: I found this book very helpful for AP Preparation. It was easy to read and understand. The important facts were stressed. I also used Campell's Biology Text, which was used as a good reference. However, Patrick Leonardi's --The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations volume 1, volume 2 and volume 3 were also very good references. The questions helped me to test myself before taking the AP exam. Some of the questions were similar to AP type. It definitely helped me to pass the AP biology exam.


Rating:
Summary: Life saver!
Review: I had a horrible AP bio teacher this past year and I pretty much had to study on my own to learn this stuff. I also bought the AP Bio Cliffs book, but I used that as a review after I finished each chapter in the Princeton one. The Princeton one gives great descriptions and teaches you in essay format, while the Cliffs just gives you bullet points, so the information doesn't quite flow as smoothly. Also, Princeton's "words to know" and quiz questions at the end of each chapter helped me so much! I scored a 4 on the test, which would have never happened had I not got this book!

Rating:
Summary: Overall a good book
Review: I took AP Biology class the year that I took the test (2003-2004). However, because of the immense amount of material, it is impossible to remember all the stuff for the SAT 2 test. The book gives a very good review. Sometimes the book dwelves too much into topics which are not as important as others, but overall, if you took some biology course in school and know the material in general, but still want to get an 800 on the test :), buy this book!
It worked for me, Thanks Princeton Review!

PS: one great thing about Princeton Review is that their books are written in an interesting tone, and are as much fun as test preperation books can be.

Rating:
Summary: A solid and throughout review of the material
Review: Ok, I need to be honest here, I took an AP BIO class they year that I took the test (2003-2004). However, because of the immense amount of material, it is impossible to remember all the stuff for the SAT 2 test. The book gives a very good review. Sometimes the book dwelves too much into topics which are not as important as others, but overall, if you took some biology course in school and know the material in general, but still want to get an 800 on the test :), buy this book!
It worked for me! Thank you Princeton Review!

Rating:
Summary: Overall a good book
Review: This book is a good review for what you need to know for the Biology exam. My AP class used it in the weeks approaching the test for after school study and we were successful in preparing. The only problem we came across was that many of the answers to the multiple choice questions are incorrect. It is advisable to use your text to look up any answer that you are unsure about. If you are only going to buy one review for AP Biology, I would encourage you to purchase Cliffs AP instead. Cliffs actually helped me prepare for in class tests...Campbell is insanely hard to understand and Cliffs will break it down for you. I used that for my own independent study and found the review and the questions to be more comparable to the actual AP exam. However, consider this book when you buy your study materials for the exam.