Biology is killing me

[jackbanta]

Arthiel,

Biology is an overwhelming subject. There's a lot there and frankly, the CLEP seemed to skip around various areas. So, it's not like I could say "drill this one section" and that'd work. I found that studying broad helped me, which you seem to be doing as well. I never watched the Khan videos, since I took this CLEP a couple years ago and I didn't know about them. I did watch the Hippocampus videos, but you're probably just as well off using Khan Academy, since I know from the quality of his other work, they're quite good.

Don't worry if you feel like you aren't getting it. You're probably retaining more than you think. I can't speak to the Peterson's for Biology, I actually never took them (I wasn't in my hardcore testing mode back when I took the Bio), but I would bet that they're tougher than the actual exam. That's generally the case and I can imagine them getting into great depth in Biology. I did take the official CLEP test and scored a 68 % a couple days before the test, but I did do some more studying after that. I ended up with a 70 on the actual exam and believe me, I honestly thought I was possibly failing it during it.

Basically, bottomline, I think you're on track and from a time standpoint, I think taking it before Christmas is a great idea. Just try to finish up the Khan videos and use IC more! I know it's frustrating when you don't know them at the beginning, but they absolutely do work. Outside of Hippocampus, they were just about all that I used. And once you've completed the Khan videos, I bet the cards will make a lot more sense ("oh yeah! I remember something about that before").

I wouldn't suggest trying to do anything more than that. There are a ton of IC cards and I know videos take a little bit of time to watch. It sounds like you might be spreading yourself too thin with resources. Multiple resources is definitely good, but there can be a point of diminishing returns. Look at the last ten weeks as your introduction and now just focus on Khan and IC. A couple dedicated weeks and I think you'll be absolutely ready. Hell, like I was saying, you're probably pretty close already. And don't feel bad for the time that you've taken... it's a six credit exam. It's taking the place of A YEAR of Biology. That's not easy.

Good luck, hope some of this helps!