09-10-2008, 11:11 AM
Well, after two weeks of studying, I passed Biology today with a 69. I wanted to post my result and my study habits so that others may benefit/learn from it.
Like I said, I studied for two weeks, and about two hours each of those days. I used the book Biology Smart (you can find it on Amazon.com for really cheap) and learned all the material within that book. It isn't sufficient for the test, but it helps tremendously.
After reading through that book (and taking notes on the book), I studied the sections of IC that weren't covered well in Biology Smart (namely, Animal Behavior, Plants, and Genetics), but not too terribly in-depth. Like others have said, DO NOT try and memorize IC. Simply learn the concepts taught, and you'll be fine.
Finally, in order to see if I was making any progress, I took the Peterson's tests that others have recommended (Note: check your local library, like I did; they usually have FREE access to those tests). I only took the first two tests (I've heard the third test is incredibly difficult, so I didn't bother with it) and received pretty good scores on them, so I knew I was ready. But, don't stop there. Review the questions to see why you got them RIGHT and why you got them WRONG. Simply reviewing the wrong answers is not sufficient.
For all of those worrying about Biology- it can be done. You have to spend some time learning the basic concepts, but once you've learned those concepts, the more advanced questions become rather easy. I noticed throughout my exam that I hadn't heard of many of the terms/hadn't encountered a certain concept. But, the nice thing about Biology is that the concepts lay a great foundation for the more advanced topics. Biology is a great derivative subject in that respect. So, just put a couple weeks of good studying in, and you should be fine.
Like I said, I studied for two weeks, and about two hours each of those days. I used the book Biology Smart (you can find it on Amazon.com for really cheap) and learned all the material within that book. It isn't sufficient for the test, but it helps tremendously.
After reading through that book (and taking notes on the book), I studied the sections of IC that weren't covered well in Biology Smart (namely, Animal Behavior, Plants, and Genetics), but not too terribly in-depth. Like others have said, DO NOT try and memorize IC. Simply learn the concepts taught, and you'll be fine.
Finally, in order to see if I was making any progress, I took the Peterson's tests that others have recommended (Note: check your local library, like I did; they usually have FREE access to those tests). I only took the first two tests (I've heard the third test is incredibly difficult, so I didn't bother with it) and received pretty good scores on them, so I knew I was ready. But, don't stop there. Review the questions to see why you got them RIGHT and why you got them WRONG. Simply reviewing the wrong answers is not sufficient.
For all of those worrying about Biology- it can be done. You have to spend some time learning the basic concepts, but once you've learned those concepts, the more advanced questions become rather easy. I noticed throughout my exam that I hadn't heard of many of the terms/hadn't encountered a certain concept. But, the nice thing about Biology is that the concepts lay a great foundation for the more advanced topics. Biology is a great derivative subject in that respect. So, just put a couple weeks of good studying in, and you should be fine.
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