If you're taking AP Biology and want to get the most out of your course, contact Varsity Tutors to connect you with an experienced AP Biology tutor. Providing a one-on-one collaborative experience, AP Biology tutors can help you learn about cellular processes, genetics, or evolution, or prepare for an upcoming AP exam. Searching for "AP Biology tutors near me" can be a challenge, but we've made it easy to find AP Biology tutoring so you can get started right away and focus on learning more efficiently through personalized study sessions. Continue reading to learn more about how an AP Biology tutor can provide the learning experience you need.
AP Biology is available to any student interested in taking this introductory college-level biology course. You might enroll as a high school student if eligible. The course furthers your understanding of biology by integrating inquiry-based investigations. Students explore biological evolution as well as cellular processes, particularly those involved with energy and communication. Genetics is a big part of the course as well; you'll learn about information transfer and an array of biological functions that occur at the cellular and subcellular level. Passing an AP Exam enables you to earn college credit and placement at colleges and universities across the United States.
Below is a closer look at some of the topics you can expect to encounter in AP Biology:
AP Biology Topics (non-comprehensive)
- Natural selection
- Genetic variation and mutation
- Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
- Genetic drift
- Scientific evidence of biological evolution
- DNA and RNA
- Photosynthesis
- Surface-area-to-volume ratio
- Selective permeability
- Active transport
- Negative feedback mechanisms
- Homeostatic mechanisms
- Mammalian immune system
- Noneukaryotic organisms
- Mitosis
- Meiosis
- The regulation of gene expression and observed differences between different kinds of organisms
- Gene expression
- Viral replication
- Signal transduction pathways
- Action potentials
- Nucleic acids
- Chloroplasts
- Mitochondria
Advantages of Finding "AP Biology Tutoring Near Me"
AP Biology tutoring is an opportunity to hone your skills and receive a customized learning plan from your AP Biology tutor. Since your private tutor works solely with you, they can identify your strengths and spend the most time on topics you need to improve upon. Each lesson can move along at your pace; your AP Biology tutor will stay on topic until you understand the underlying concepts and can make your own observations and predictions, analyze data, and describe your findings. Tutors are flexible in that respect and in scheduling online lessons via an intuitive Live Learning Platform, so you get the help you need despite having a busy routine.
Test prep is another component of AP Biology tutoring. We realize you may have been searching for an "AP Biology tutor near me" to get help preparing for the AP Biology Exam. Your AP Biology tutor can provide a review of topics covered on the test or explain in detail the ones you have the most opportunity in. Lessons can include insightful study materials including practice questions, while practice tests may be used to gauge your pacing and confidence as well as measure your progress. No matter what you need, guidance is available, so you get the most out of the "AP Biology tutoring near me" you've been searching for all along.
AP Biology consists of some fairly comprehensive and advanced concepts. Overall, the course can be broken down into a few major areas as follows:
AP Biology Big Ideas
- The process of evolution explains the diversity and unity of life.
- Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain dynamic homeostasis.
- Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes.
- Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.
The Big Ideas of AP Biology represent the core principles, processes, and theories related to how living organisms and biological systems function. As you aim to understand these, your AP Biology tutor can discuss how molecular building blocks and energy are used by organisms to grow, maintain their biological functions, and reproduce. The interaction of biological systems is important to understand and AP Biology tutoring may concentrate on this area if you need to further your understanding of the complex properties of such systems.
Your tutor can also focus on the principles of scientific inquiry. In AP Biology, students are expected to use representations and models to solve problems and represent scientific phenomena. You need to have a working knowledge of mathematics principles, which AP Biology tutors are equipped to demonstrate and offer practice with if you need help in math. Other areas they can focus on include engaging in scientific questioning, collecting data related to your scientific question, and analyzing data and evaluating evidence. Your tutor may also help you better understand how to work with different scientific explanations and theories, in accordance with the expectations of the AP program.
When you take the AP Biology Exam, you will be required to solve mathematical problems, design and describe experiments, analyze data, explain and justify your answers, and interpret and develop conceptual models. Your tutor can spend time discussing the format of the test and how questions are presented, to help you become more at ease with the process. Reducing your anxiety towards the exam can build your confidence while focusing on developing more efficient study skills can save time and help you feel more at ease come test day.
As for the AP Biology Exam itself, here is a look at what you can expect:
AP Biology Exam Overview
- 3 hour exam
- 2 sections
- Section I
- 90 minutes
- 69 questions
- 63 multiple-choice
- Discrete questions
- Questions in sets
- 6 grid-in
- Discrete questions
- Integrating biology and math skills
- Section II
- 90 minutes
- 8 free response
- 2 long response (1 is lab or data-based)
- 6 short response (paragraph-length argument or response)
What this overview reveals is that you need to be prepared for all types of questions on the exam. The test is long and comprehensive. You'll be asked discrete questions and questions arranged in sets. Questions are also worded in ways that can reveal subtle meanings you'll need to grasp in order to answer them correctly, especially since you're required to make predictions based on specific data. If you're not sure what a grid-in question is or haven't encountered one before, your AP Biology tutor can explain what it is and then guide you in practicing how to answer questions in this format.
The AP Biology Exam also features a free response question. Here, you'll be required to describe your answers in short paragraphs, with a response or argument based on the data presented. Two longer responses will be required as well, one being data-based or a laboratory experiment. The test, therefore, challenges many areas of skill and knowledge. Despite its complexity, the exam is scored only on a scale from 1-5.
The scores of test takers have been thoroughly analyzed. If you've been using AP Biology tutoring to get prepared for the exam, here is how the body of students who've taken it have performed:
2018 AP Biology Scoring Distributions
Score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Percentage of Students | 10.2 | 28.3 | 32.8 | 21.6 | 7.2 |
What You Can Gain from AP Biology Tutoring
An AP Biology tutor can help you gain a lot from your Advanced Placement course. The Advanced Placement Program has benefited millions of students. You may wonder what your search for "AP Biology tutors near me" can lead to. The knowledge you gain in class and earning a qualifying score on the AP Exam can have many benefits. First, you can earn college credit early, while still in high school. This can mean starting college with more advanced biology courses rather than introductory ones. You might save money on tuition as well if you are able to complete your college studies sooner.
By taking AP Biology, you can learn more than you would in a typical biology class. You are also placed with students who have a stronger interest in the subject, so friendships may be forged in the process of learning advanced topics. If you're planning on possibly majoring in biology, the AP course may give you an idea if that's the right path for you. An AP Biology course certainly looks good on your transcript and can qualify you for a variety of majors. Some students who work with an AP Biology tutor major in biochemistry or biotechnology, or possibly in areas as diverse as agriculture, botany, chemistry, ecology, environmental science, forensic science, molecular biology, industrial engineering, or pre-medicine.
AP Biology can also pave the way towards a career that requires a foundation in biological sciences. The skills and concepts you learn can be applied to nursing or a job as an athletic trainer or coach. Aerospace engineers, chemists, farmers, zoologists, computer scientists and programmers, teachers, industrial engineers, sales and marketing professionals, and chefs are just a few professions AP Biology can help prepare you for. Then there are jobs in the medical profession, including emergency medical technicians, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, massage therapists, pharmacists, physician assistants, veterinarians, and surgeons.
If you're uncertain about the directions you might take, your AP Biology tutor can help make the connections between your coursework and real-world applications. The topics covered can include examples of how they pertain to fields such as medicine, food science, or forensics. With this in mind, you may have a clearer focus knowing the potential opportunities the course may one day open up. At the very least, you'll be able to apply your learning to other areas of interest, which can be highly motivating.
Connect with AP Biology Tutors Today
Your search for "AP Biology tutor near me" can be fast and simple when you contact Varsity Tutors for help. We'll connect you with qualified tutors who can meet online, and who have the flexibility to meet on your schedule and structure lessons around your exact needs. Working directly with a tutor can make all the difference in reaching for your learning goals and becoming more confident in your abilities. Whether it's supplementing your classwork or preparing for a standardized exam, your AP Biology tutor can collaborate with you until you're ready to face the exam. If you're ready to work with a subject matter expert, contact us today and we'll locate a tutor who can focus on getting you on the right track.