AP Exam Prep
Pick a unit, answer 97 original questions across the course, and see exactly which topics need work. Every test is free, scored instantly and explained question by question. No sign-up needed.
A practice test is most useful when it tells you what to do next. Each StudyCoach unit test shows you:
Every question is tagged with a topic from the course framework, so you see which topics are strong and which need work.
Explanations cover the correct answer and the reasoning behind the tempting wrong ones.
Mark how sure you are as you answer. Questions you guessed right, or got wrong while sure, are worth reviewing first.
Mistake Detective separates one-off slips from repeated patterns, targeted practice gives you new questions on your weak topics (each answer key checked by a second, independent AI pass), you can ask for any explanation in a different way, and a revision plan weighs each unit against your exam date. See pricing
The 2027 exam is on Monday 3 May 2027. It has two sections of equal weight.
| Unit | Weighting | Class periods |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chemistry of Life | 8–11% | ~9–11 |
| 2. Cells | 10–13% | ~14–16 |
| 3. Cellular Energetics | 12–16% | ~12–14 |
| 4. Cell Communication and Cell Cycle | 10–15% | ~12–14 |
| 5. Heredity | 8–11% | ~8–10 |
| 6. Gene Expression and Regulation | 12–16% | ~18–20 |
| 7. Natural Selection | 13–20% | ~19–21 |
| 8. Ecology | 10–15% | ~19–21 |
Source: College Board, AP Biology Course at a Glance (framework updated for 2025-26).
Use this as a checklist. Each unit page has the full topic list, key ideas, common mistakes and its practice test.
Unit 1 explains how the chemistry of water and carbon-based molecules makes life possible. You need to connect a molecule's structure to what it does: why water sticks to itself, which elements end up in which macromolecules, and how a protein's amino acid sequence decides its shape.
Focus on: water's properties come from hydrogen bonds; elements are recycled into specific molecules; polymers are built and broken with water; structure determines function.
Unit 2 is about how a cell's parts and its membrane let it stay alive and different from its surroundings. Expect questions that ask you to predict which way water or solutes will move, and to explain why cells stay small or fold their membranes.
Focus on: organelles divide the work; surface area limits size; membranes are selectively permeable; water follows water potential.
Unit 3 follows energy through cells: how enzymes speed up reactions, how temperature and pH change enzyme activity, and how photosynthesis and respiration capture and release energy. Many questions give you a graph or an experiment and ask you to explain the result.
Focus on: enzymes lower activation energy; shape decides activity; photosynthesis stores energy; respiration releases it.
Unit 4 covers how cells send and respond to signals, how feedback keeps conditions stable, and how the cell cycle is controlled. Questions often ask what happens when one step of a pathway or a checkpoint stops working.
Focus on: signals act at different distances; pathways relay and amplify; feedback keeps or pushes change; checkpoints control division.
Unit 5 explains how traits pass from parents to offspring. You need to follow chromosomes through meiosis, work out genetic probabilities, recognise inheritance that doesn't follow Mendel's ratios, and test results with chi-square.
Focus on: meiosis makes varied gametes; probability predicts crosses; not all inheritance is mendelian; genes and environment both matter.
Unit 6 follows information from DNA to protein and shows how cells control which genes are used. It also covers what mutations do and how biotechnology reads and changes DNA.
Focus on: replication is semiconservative; transcription and translation; genes are switched on and off; mutations and biotechnology.
Unit 7 carries the largest exam weighting. It explains how populations change over time, how to measure that change with Hardy–Weinberg, what evidence supports common ancestry, and how new species form.
Focus on: selection acts on variation; other forces change allele frequencies; hardy–weinberg is a null model; evidence and relationships.
Unit 8 scales up from organisms to ecosystems. You need to calculate energy transfer and population growth, explain how species interact, and predict what happens when an ecosystem is disrupted.
Focus on: energy flows, matter cycles; populations grow until limited; species interact; diversity gives resilience.
Yes. Every unit test, its score, the explanations and the topic breakdown are free, and you don't need an account to take them. Premium adds AI coaching on your mistakes, extra targeted questions and a revision plan.
No. StudyCoach wrote original questions mapped to the College Board's current AP Biology course framework. They practise the same topics and skills, but they are not released exam questions.
Yes. Unit names and topic lists follow the framework the College Board updated for the 2025-26 school year, including the reorganised Unit 1 and the renamed Unit 2 (Cells).
Your scores are saved in this browser so you can track progress across units. They aren't linked to your StudyCoach account yet, so clearing your browser data removes them.
Not yet. These tests are multiple choice. Free-response practice is planned; until then, use the explanations and key ideas on each unit page to practise explaining concepts in your own words.
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