Exam Day
Time budgets, traps, and a last-week plan.
The AP exam rewards a clear strategy as much as memorized content. Pacing, eliminating bad MCQ distractors, and answering the verb that's asked all swing your score.
Pacing
| Section | Time | Per question |
|---|---|---|
| MCQ ×60 | 90 min | 1.5 min |
| Long FRQ ×2 | ~50 min | 22–25 min each |
| Short FRQ ×4 | ~40 min | ~10 min each |
Read all 6 FRQs in the first minute and start with the one whose data set you understand best.
MCQ technique
- Circle EXCEPT / NOT / LEAST in the stem — they flip the meaning.
- For data stimuli: identify the IV, DV, and control before reading the answer choices.
- Eliminate impossible answers first; many AP MCQs hinge on a single distinguishing detail.
- Mark and skip — the easy questions in the back are worth as much as the hard ones in the front.
Calculations
- Pull out the formula sheet at the start of the FRQ section. Write the formula before plugging numbers — earns the set-up point even if your math is off.
- Watch units. Water potential T must be in Kelvin (°C + 273).
- Chi-square: sum (O−E)²/E for each category, not overall.
- Hardy-Weinberg: q² is the homozygous recessive frequency, not the heterozygote frequency.
Common pitfalls
Last-week study plan
- Drill the formula sheet until you can apply each formula cold (water potential, chi-square, Hardy-Weinberg).
- Re-read the priority deep dives — water potential, cellular respiration, meiosis, replication.
- Take 2 official released FRQs under timed conditions; grade with the official rubric.
- Drill all flashcards with the deck — at least one full pass with the K key marking known cards.
- Review your lab experiences — College Board references the AP labs (transpiration, enzyme catalysis, photosynthesis with DPIP, peas-respirometer respiration, osmosis/diffusion, mitosis/meiosis, BLAST, fly genetics, Hardy-Weinberg simulation, energy dynamics, transformation, restriction enzyme analysis, animal behavior).