Your AP Biology Resource Center
Overview of AP Biology
AP Biology is a college-level course offered by the College Board to high school students who are interested in studying biology at an advanced level. It was opted by 242,000 students in 2023 as it is one of the preferred AP courses. The pass rate of the 2023 AP Biology exam was 64% and 14% of students scored a 5. AP Biology is known for its challenging curriculum and rigorous exams. It deals with topics such as cellular structure and function, genetics, evolution, ecology, and the diversity of life.
Course content
Unit 2: Cell Structure and Function
You’ll study the makeup of cells and the fundamentals of evolution.
- Cellular components and functions of those components
- Cell interaction with its environment
- The cell membrane structure and function
- Cell regulatory mechanisms like osmosis and selective permeability
- Cellular compartmentalization
Unit 3: Cellular Energetics
You’ll explore how cells interact with their environment and how fundamental biological processes work at the cellular level.
- The structure and function of enzymes
- The role of energy in living systems
- The processes of photosynthesis
- The processes of cellular respiration
- Molecular diversity and cellular response to environmental changes
Unit 4: Cell Communication and Cell Cycle
You’ll learn how cells grow and reproduce, as well as how cells communicate.
- The mechanisms of cell communication
- Signal transduction
- Cellular responses and feedback mechanisms
- The events in a cell cycle
Unit 5: Heredity
You’ll learn how traits are passed down from one generation to the next.
- The process and function of meiosis
- The concepts genetic diversity
- Mendel’s laws and probability
- Non-mendelian Inheritance
- Factors affecting inheritance and gene expression
Unit 6: Gene Expression and Regulation
You’ll study how hereditary information passes from parent to offspring and how those traits are expressed.
- The roles and functions of DNA and RNA
- The mechanisms of gene expression
- How genotype affects phenotype
- Mutations, genetic diversity, and natural selection
- Genetic engineering and biotechnology
Unit 7: Natural Selection
You’ll learn about Darwin’s theory, the concept of natural selection, and evolution.
- Evidential support for evolution and common ancestry
- The mechanisms of natural selection and speciation
- Environmental and human-caused factors in evolution
- Charting species ancestry through phylogenetic trees and cladograms
- Extinction
- Models of the origin of life on Earth
Unit 8: Ecology
You’ll explore biological concepts at a broader organism level and analyze how populations interact within ecosystems.
- Communication and responses to environmental changes
- Energy flow within and across ecosystems
- Factors in the growth, density, and success of populations
- Factors in community and ecosystem dynamic
- Invasive species, human interaction, and environmental changes
Exam Date
AP Biology Exam
Will be conducted on
Thu, May 16, 2024 | 12 PM Local
AP Biology Exam Guide
AP Biology is known for its challenging curriculum and rigorous exams. In the AP Biology exam guide, we provide you with the exam structure, topics, study resources, and student performance over the past 10 years of AP Biology exams to put together the comprehensive AP Biology exam guide.
Explore more in AP Biology
AP Biology Course Resources
AP Biology Course
The College Board website offers a variety of extra resources to help AP Biology students succeed on the exam. These resources include the AP Biology Course at a Glance, the AP Biology Course and Exam Description, the AP Biology CED Scoring Guidelines, the AP Biology Equations and Formulas Sheet, the AP Biology Lab Manual, and more. To help students prepare for the AP Biology exam, we have provided a list of extra resources below.
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