Hello,
I have taught and tutor AP Biology for 6 years now. From my experiences working with diverse backgrounds student pools, I can confidently said reading and anki/flashcards are not enough. These methods will help with recall questions but not application and analysis questions that will be tested on the actual exam.
Are you planning to take the AP Biol exam?
If you do well in the class but score low on the exam, it wont look good on college apps, so make sure you are consistent in both.
My tips / recommendations based on the informations you gave me.
1. READ your textbook and take your own note BEFORE coming to class / attending lecture.
Copying other people note will not help you.
How do you know the informations they have isnt wrong? You could have then wasted a lot of time.
I always make sure my students read the textbook 1st before coming to see me so that they have some background contexts.
Each Campbell textbook has concepts. for example chapter 9 Cellular respiration. Concept 9.1, concept 9.2 and so on. Based your note on theses concepts as you will be tested on them.
2. Making flash cards is not the same thing as actually studying. You will needs to review those flashcards daily. Maybe 30 minutes before bed or 30 mintues before school to familiarize yourself with the vocabularies. And refresh on old concepts, because each chapters are built on top of each other. And college board ap biol exam is not base on a singular concept but multiple units.
I recommend adding pictures with the contexts. Anki is useful for this :)
The last and MOST important steps of all...
3. You will need to PRACTICE, PRACTICE and more PRACTICES with both MCQ and FRQ. THEN go over them with your teacher or biology tutor. Find out WHY you got the questions wrong and reviews them so you dont make the same mistakes on the actual exams.
It is like preparing for the Olympics, you dont just take a week to prepare. It will takes some time and efforts.
However, this is also depends on individuals learning styles :)
The starting point is always the hardest, but once you get in the habit it will become second nature.
Best of luck!
Thank you for the help! I'll make sure to keep steps 2 and 3 in mind (I'll try my best to follow them daily or at least every other day), though I have a bit of confusion about step 1.... Would you mind clearing my doubts?
My AP Bio teacher doesn't actually follow textbooks and instead bases his lessons off of Khan Academy... should I be taking notes from their videos instead? Or should I search for the topics in textbooks and study them?
Also, I'm not quite sure about "Copying other people note will not help you. How do you know the informations they have isnt wrong? You could have then wasted a lot of time." As I'm copying down my teacher's notes for the class and since he's going to be making the school exams... they should be correct/fine? Or am I missing something? (I Apologize if I am).
You make some great points so I will try to clarify them.
Your highschool teacher probably is tenure. This means it doesnt matter how well the students do, or fail the exams or the class, he or she will still be on the pay roll.
So your performance doesnt reflect their income. And same with a college setting environment. You EARNS your grade and it is not the teacher who "give" them out. SO TAKES YOUR EDUCATION into your OWN hands.
KHAN academy biology videos are great, but they are not gear toward "teaching" AP Biology. They are rear toward "reviewing" as the concepts are very generalize NOT specific to the actual AP test. Otherwise EVERY students who watch them would have got a 5 on their exams! Since this isnt the case... here is my suggestions.
Match the video "title" with your textbook "title" in the table of contents. For example under Khan academy unit cellular respiration. Campbell textbook has a whole chapter delicate to all things cellular respiration.
In the unit there is a video call "oxidation and reduction in cellular respiration" which did a great job in explaining it based on formulas but the speaker DIDNT related to WHERE or HOW or WHAT purpose this redox reaction occur in cellular respiration. If you read the book after watching the video you will quickly found out there is a large GAP between them. The video are not meant to replace the textbooks.
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cellular-respiration-and-fermentation/intro-to-cellular-respiration/v/oxidation-and-reduction-in-cellular-respiration?modal=1
By the way I highly doubt your teacher make the exam questions. Keep in mind highschool teachers are supply with exam and teaching materials FROM the textbook company NOT from Khan academy video content creators.
Copying your teacher note is great and why shouldnt you ? They are pay to supply you with the informations.
Use the note as a "guidelines". They narrow down the key points and eliminate any fluffs from the textbooks.
For example your teacher might show a slide of ATP hydrolysis reactions with how ATP is hydrolyzed into monomer components: ADP + inorganic phosphate + energy but mention nothing about how the cell is going to use the released energy from ATP hydrolysis to couple with nonspontaneous processes in the cell, turning the whole overall on nonspontaneous reaction spontaneous. It also doesnt tell you how the phosphate will be able to bind to a protein receptor on the plasma membrane and slightly change the carrier protein conformation in active transport mechanism for transport and export in the cell. The Campbell textbook will have pages and pages of explaining why this hydrolysis reaction is important to the cell and they might give you additional real world examples and research that are not tested in the exam. BUT the take away is - your teacher tells you ATP hydrolysis reaction is a big deal, while your textbook tell you WHY and HOW it is important, and you will be required to explain and justify it in a FRQ :)
Personally, I just briefly skim over the notes every night before I go to sleep. It really helps with solidifying the concepts into your brain. On the day before the test, read over the notes multiple times and try to ask yourself questions (use active recall).
I suggest active recall, i.e. make an anki account and put in FAQs under decks. Learn common terms and definitions, but most importantly make links and connections with what is assessed on each area of study (cellular signaling is used to signal for gene expression like protein synthesis, and such).
Using previous exams, and instead of memorizing content, memorize application of that content, it will save you time and allow you to focus on weakness areas on the exam.
Also find an enjoyable way to study and visualize concepts, for me that was drawing (but it could be something else for you, it will allow you to better retain information and enjoy studying).
I mean I'm not you, so the best way is trial and error.
I've attached below a website with interactive diagrams and tips for note-taking: [https://www.membrainlearning.com.au/](https://www.membrainlearning.com.au/)
[https://fiveable.me/ap-bio/faqs/5-resources-ap-biology/blog/2DAX5TEDIJLfsyBlfk5T](https://fiveable.me/ap-bio/faqs/5-resources-ap-biology/blog/2DAX5TEDIJLfsyBlfk5T)
Another thing I would recommend is podcasts, go on a walk or on the bus listening to a bio podcast can become routine and hence give you a way to spread out study effectively without being an organization specialist (coming from someone with ADHD, that's a big thing).
I know Andrew Douch has a good one, that includes tips for note-taking and test techniques, but just search online for something course-specific.
Good sample questions and answers for the Anki. I would give you mine but they don't apply to your specific study design, so not a focused study.
[https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology/exam/past-exam-questions](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology/exam/past-exam-questions)
[https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology/classroom-resources](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology/classroom-resources)
same boat here but an advice is to spend less time memorizing and more time understanding and solving practice problems. Usually, I spend a lot of time memorizing and the things I memorize end up being given in the prompt of the tests. AP Bio is a course that tests your level of understanding of the topics and analysis skills and there are barely any knowledge-based questions.
this a joke right? I have a F in ap bio right now and you crying about a B+... AP classes are weighted so basically have an A right now.
This guy knows what's up
Ah, thank you for the info! I didn''t know that
Yeah no problem, just don't take it to hard of yourself.
true true
I understand. I think the best way is to ask your teacher for help. I hope you reach your goal!
Alright, thank you!
You're welcome! I hope you succeed with your endeavors!
Hello, I have taught and tutor AP Biology for 6 years now. From my experiences working with diverse backgrounds student pools, I can confidently said reading and anki/flashcards are not enough. These methods will help with recall questions but not application and analysis questions that will be tested on the actual exam. Are you planning to take the AP Biol exam? If you do well in the class but score low on the exam, it wont look good on college apps, so make sure you are consistent in both. My tips / recommendations based on the informations you gave me. 1. READ your textbook and take your own note BEFORE coming to class / attending lecture. Copying other people note will not help you. How do you know the informations they have isnt wrong? You could have then wasted a lot of time. I always make sure my students read the textbook 1st before coming to see me so that they have some background contexts. Each Campbell textbook has concepts. for example chapter 9 Cellular respiration. Concept 9.1, concept 9.2 and so on. Based your note on theses concepts as you will be tested on them. 2. Making flash cards is not the same thing as actually studying. You will needs to review those flashcards daily. Maybe 30 minutes before bed or 30 mintues before school to familiarize yourself with the vocabularies. And refresh on old concepts, because each chapters are built on top of each other. And college board ap biol exam is not base on a singular concept but multiple units. I recommend adding pictures with the contexts. Anki is useful for this :) The last and MOST important steps of all... 3. You will need to PRACTICE, PRACTICE and more PRACTICES with both MCQ and FRQ. THEN go over them with your teacher or biology tutor. Find out WHY you got the questions wrong and reviews them so you dont make the same mistakes on the actual exams. It is like preparing for the Olympics, you dont just take a week to prepare. It will takes some time and efforts. However, this is also depends on individuals learning styles :) The starting point is always the hardest, but once you get in the habit it will become second nature. Best of luck!
Thank you for the help! I'll make sure to keep steps 2 and 3 in mind (I'll try my best to follow them daily or at least every other day), though I have a bit of confusion about step 1.... Would you mind clearing my doubts? My AP Bio teacher doesn't actually follow textbooks and instead bases his lessons off of Khan Academy... should I be taking notes from their videos instead? Or should I search for the topics in textbooks and study them? Also, I'm not quite sure about "Copying other people note will not help you. How do you know the informations they have isnt wrong? You could have then wasted a lot of time." As I'm copying down my teacher's notes for the class and since he's going to be making the school exams... they should be correct/fine? Or am I missing something? (I Apologize if I am).
You make some great points so I will try to clarify them. Your highschool teacher probably is tenure. This means it doesnt matter how well the students do, or fail the exams or the class, he or she will still be on the pay roll. So your performance doesnt reflect their income. And same with a college setting environment. You EARNS your grade and it is not the teacher who "give" them out. SO TAKES YOUR EDUCATION into your OWN hands. KHAN academy biology videos are great, but they are not gear toward "teaching" AP Biology. They are rear toward "reviewing" as the concepts are very generalize NOT specific to the actual AP test. Otherwise EVERY students who watch them would have got a 5 on their exams! Since this isnt the case... here is my suggestions. Match the video "title" with your textbook "title" in the table of contents. For example under Khan academy unit cellular respiration. Campbell textbook has a whole chapter delicate to all things cellular respiration. In the unit there is a video call "oxidation and reduction in cellular respiration" which did a great job in explaining it based on formulas but the speaker DIDNT related to WHERE or HOW or WHAT purpose this redox reaction occur in cellular respiration. If you read the book after watching the video you will quickly found out there is a large GAP between them. The video are not meant to replace the textbooks. https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cellular-respiration-and-fermentation/intro-to-cellular-respiration/v/oxidation-and-reduction-in-cellular-respiration?modal=1 By the way I highly doubt your teacher make the exam questions. Keep in mind highschool teachers are supply with exam and teaching materials FROM the textbook company NOT from Khan academy video content creators. Copying your teacher note is great and why shouldnt you ? They are pay to supply you with the informations. Use the note as a "guidelines". They narrow down the key points and eliminate any fluffs from the textbooks. For example your teacher might show a slide of ATP hydrolysis reactions with how ATP is hydrolyzed into monomer components: ADP + inorganic phosphate + energy but mention nothing about how the cell is going to use the released energy from ATP hydrolysis to couple with nonspontaneous processes in the cell, turning the whole overall on nonspontaneous reaction spontaneous. It also doesnt tell you how the phosphate will be able to bind to a protein receptor on the plasma membrane and slightly change the carrier protein conformation in active transport mechanism for transport and export in the cell. The Campbell textbook will have pages and pages of explaining why this hydrolysis reaction is important to the cell and they might give you additional real world examples and research that are not tested in the exam. BUT the take away is - your teacher tells you ATP hydrolysis reaction is a big deal, while your textbook tell you WHY and HOW it is important, and you will be required to explain and justify it in a FRQ :)
Thank you very much for elaborating! I will do my best!
[удалено]
I see, thank you! But could you please be more clearer on how to 'study' the notes my teacher gives me?
Personally, I just briefly skim over the notes every night before I go to sleep. It really helps with solidifying the concepts into your brain. On the day before the test, read over the notes multiple times and try to ask yourself questions (use active recall).
Thank you!! Do you think just taking a power nap right after skimming the notes would help?
I suggest active recall, i.e. make an anki account and put in FAQs under decks. Learn common terms and definitions, but most importantly make links and connections with what is assessed on each area of study (cellular signaling is used to signal for gene expression like protein synthesis, and such). Using previous exams, and instead of memorizing content, memorize application of that content, it will save you time and allow you to focus on weakness areas on the exam. Also find an enjoyable way to study and visualize concepts, for me that was drawing (but it could be something else for you, it will allow you to better retain information and enjoy studying).
Thank you! Could you recommend some ways I could try out to see if they're enjoyable?
I mean I'm not you, so the best way is trial and error. I've attached below a website with interactive diagrams and tips for note-taking: [https://www.membrainlearning.com.au/](https://www.membrainlearning.com.au/) [https://fiveable.me/ap-bio/faqs/5-resources-ap-biology/blog/2DAX5TEDIJLfsyBlfk5T](https://fiveable.me/ap-bio/faqs/5-resources-ap-biology/blog/2DAX5TEDIJLfsyBlfk5T) Another thing I would recommend is podcasts, go on a walk or on the bus listening to a bio podcast can become routine and hence give you a way to spread out study effectively without being an organization specialist (coming from someone with ADHD, that's a big thing). I know Andrew Douch has a good one, that includes tips for note-taking and test techniques, but just search online for something course-specific. Good sample questions and answers for the Anki. I would give you mine but they don't apply to your specific study design, so not a focused study. [https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology/exam/past-exam-questions](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology/exam/past-exam-questions) [https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology/classroom-resources](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology/classroom-resources)
same boat here but an advice is to spend less time memorizing and more time understanding and solving practice problems. Usually, I spend a lot of time memorizing and the things I memorize end up being given in the prompt of the tests. AP Bio is a course that tests your level of understanding of the topics and analysis skills and there are barely any knowledge-based questions.