AP Biology is considered one of the hardest AP classes. Yikes! Anticipating your Ap Bio exam score doesn’t need to be challenging, though. With our AP Bio Score Calculator, you’ll be able to predict your score ahead of time and identify areas for improvement. Indeed, preparing adequately for AP exams is important no matter how easy or challenging the AP class.
Like all AP exams, the AP Bio exam is administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. All AP exams are scored on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high), and can be interpreted as follows:
5 = Extremely well qualified (College Course Grade Equivalent: A or A+)
4 = Well qualified (College Course Grade Equivalent: A-, B+, or B)
3 = Qualified (College Course Grade Equivalent: B-, C+, or C)
2 = Possibly qualified (No grade equivalent provided by the College Board)
1 = No recommendation (No grade equivalent provided by the College Board)
AP Bio Score Calculator
Results
MCQ Score:
FRQ Score:
Total Composite Score:
/130
The 2024 AP Bio exam is scheduled for Thursday, May 16. May 16 is the second-to-last day of 2024 AP testing, so depending on how many AP exams you’re registered for, AP Bio will be either the final or one of the final exams you take. This can be a positive (you’re already in the zone) and/or a negative (exam fatigue is real).
Below, we’ll cover the following:
- Why do AP Exam Scores Matter?
- What is Covered on the AP Bio Exam?
- What Tools or Resources can I access during the AP Bio Exam?
- What is the Format of the AP Bio Exam?
- AP Bio FRQ
- How is the AP Bio Exam Scored?
- What is the Average Score on AP Bio?
- How to get a 5 on the AP Bio Exam
- When Will I Know My AP Bio Score?
Why do AP Scores Matter?
Your AP scores can earn you college credit or advanced placement (the ability to skip certain introductory courses). More selective schools require a 4 or 5, while others will award course credit for a 3 or above. A few schools will not award college credit regardless of your score. Meanwhile, some schools consider AP scores during the admissions process. It’s a good idea to research the schools in which you are interested and familiarize yourself with their AP policies so you can determine your target score before you sit for the exam (or even before you decide how many AP courses to take).
Our AP Bio Score Calculator will show you where you might improve on your score, and can help you focus your efforts in advance of the exam—whether your goal is a 3, 4, or 5.
Finally, note that even earning a 1 or 2 on the exam can bode well, with the College Board reporting that students who scored below a 3 still perform significantly better in introductory college classes.
What is Covered on the AP Bio Exam?
The AP Biology course is an introductory college-level course. Recommended perquisites include high school courses in biology and chemistry. The College Board provides detailed guidelines for the AP Biology Course, which is designed to cover the following skills:
- Designing experiments and procedures to test a prediction or theory
- Collecting and analyzing data
- Interpreting data to draw conclusions
- Developing and supporting a scientific claim with evidence
AP Biology Score Calculator (Continued)
By the time of the exam you’ll most likely have completed the following units in AP Bio:
- Chemistry of Life (8-11% of exam score)
- Cell Structure and Function (10-13% of exam score)
- Cellular Energetics (12-16% of exam score)
- Cell Communication and Cell Cycle (10-15% of exam score)
- Heredity (8-11% of exam score)
- Gene Expression and Regulation (12-16% of exam score)
- Natural Selection (13-20% of exam score)
- Ecology (10-15% of exam score)
The AP Bio exam tests your understanding of the biological concepts covered in the course units, as well as your ability to utilize the scientific method and analyze data.
Prior to the exam, we recommend experimenting with the AP Bio Score Calculator to help identify areas in need of further study or review in order to improve your predicted score.
What Tools or Resources can I access during the AP Bio exam?
Good news! Students are permitted to use a four-function (with square root), scientific, or graphing calculator on the AP Bio exam, as well as the AP Biology Equations and Formulas Sheet.
The AP Bio Formula Sheet is actually two pages of formulas and definitions you may need during the exam. It is available at the beginning of both sections, so you’ll have access to it for the entire duration of the exam. This means you won’t need to memorize the 23 formulas included, nor the meanings of the different symbols used in formulas.
What is the Format of the AP Bio Exam?
You’ll have 3 hours (180 minutes) to complete the AP Bio exam, which is divided into two sections:
- Section I: Multiple Choice
- 60 questions, including both individual questions and sets of questions with 4-5 questions per set that all refer to the same diagram or data presentation
- 1 Hour 30 Minutes (90 minutes)
- 50% of exam score
- Section II: Free Response
- 6 Free Response Questions (FRQ): 2 long questions (worth 8-10 points each) and 4 short questions (worth 4 points each)
- 1 Hour 30 Minutes (90 minutes)
- 50% of exam score
Section I questions are designed to test your ability to:
- Explain biological concepts, processes, and models
- Analyze diagrams, flow charts, and other visual representations
- Use the scientific method
- Perform mathematical calculations to analyze data (this is where the nifty AP Bio formula sheet will come in handy!)
- Support scientific claims with evidence
Section 2 questions will test your ability to:
- Interpret and evaluate results from an experiment
- Graph and analyze data
- Understand the principles and procedures of lab investigations
- Predict the causes or effects of a change in a biological system
- Analyze a visual representation of a biological phenomenon
AP Bio FRQ
While most students are familiar with a multiple-choice exam structure, the AP Bio FRQ can be a bit more daunting for many students. Fortunately, the College Board allows you to access free response questions from past exams, along with scoring guidelines and sample responses from exam takers.
Here’s an example of a short FRQ from 2023—one estimated to take about 10 minutes to answer:
Sand lances of the genus Ammodytes are small fish that function as keystone organisms in several coastal ecosystems. These sand lances are prey fish that support organisms at higher trophic levels. Scientists performed experiments to examine how sand lance populations are likely to be affected by the rising temperatures and CO 2 levels associated with climate change.
AP Biology Score Calculator (Continued)
Sand lance embryos typically develop and mature into adult fish at low temperatures (approximately 5°C) and stable, low CO 2 levels (approximately 400 μatm). Over the course of two years, the scientists measured the survival rate of sand lance embryos allowed to develop and mature in a laboratory at three different temperatures, 5°C, 7°C, and 10°C, with the level of CO 2 maintained at 400 μatm, 1,000 μatm, and 2,100 μatm for each temperature.
(a) Describe the effect of increased biodiversity on the resilience of an ecosystem in a changing environment.
(b) Justify the scientists’ selecting 5°C as the lowest temperature and 400 μatm as the lowest CO 2 level in their study of sand lance embryo survival.
(c) State a null hypothesis for the experiment.
(d) The scientists claim that a reduction in the population size of the Ammodytes sand lances will affect the stability of the entire coastal ecosystem. Provide reasoning to support the scientists’ claim.
The College Board provides a number of strategies for answering the free response questions, including monitoring your time appropriately and reading through all questions first to determine which ones you feel most prepared to answer.
How is the AP Bio Exam Scored?
Section I (multiple-choice) is scored by machine. Scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly. No points are deducted for incorrect answers, so don’t leave any questions blank! It’s always better to at least hazard a guess.
Section II (Free Response) is evaluated and scored by trained AP readers hired by the College Board. Rubrics are provided by the College Board after the exams are administered.
AP Biology Score Calculator (Continued)
After your raw scores from Sections I and II are calculated, the scores are combined to produce the composite score. The composite score is converted to a scaled score from 1-5.
Our interactive AP Bio Score Calculator can help you experiment with different scenarios and prepare you for possible score outcomes. It is useful to go into the exam knowing how many points you need in each section for your target score.
What is the average Score on AP Bio?
In 2023, 239,470 students sat for the AP Bio exam. The mean score was 3.04. It is also important to consider the overall score distributions, which show that an encouraging 64.42% of students scored a 3 or higher. While this statistic speaks more to students’ preparedness than the exam itself, it does mean that aiming for a 3 or higher is a realistic goal.
Here’s the full distribution of 2023 AP Bio scores:
- 26% of students scored a 5
- 98% of students scored a 4
- 18% of students scored a 3
- 56% of students scored a 2
- 02% of students scored a 1
We recommend establishing a target score before sitting for the exam, and reviewing previous score distributions (from 2023 and beyond) can help you with this process.
How to get a 5 on the AP Bio Exam
While a 5 is the best AP score, it is important to establish your individualized target score before the exam. Depending on various factors, including your college and major aspirations, your AP course load, and your anticipated AP exam schedule, you may determine that your target score is actually a 3 or a 4.
You can prepare for the AP Bio exam by working hard in the AP Bio course. Remember that the topics of each unit are important for the exam.
We also recommend:
- Familiarizing yourself with the exam format
- Practice! This includes everything from taking a full-length, timed practice exam to tackling assorted previous Free-Response Questions and comparing your responses to the sample responses given
- Reviewing the Colleges Board’s AP Bio exam tips
- Using the interactive AP Bio Score Calculator to explore different scenarios and determine where and how to strive for improvements to your score based on individual goals
When will I know my AP Bio Score?
According to the College Board timeline, AP exam scores will be made available in July. You’ll be able to access them online using your account username and password.
However, you can reduce uncertainty (and lessen the stress of the waiting period) by preparing adequately for the AP Bio exam and using the AP Bio Score Calculator to predict your score.
Additional Resources
In conclusion, we also wanted to suggest checking out some of our other useful calculators such as:
- SAT Score Calculator
- ACT Score Calculator
- APUSH Score Calculator
