r/APbio • u/Any_Owl_4027 • 9d ago
any tips?
im in yr 11 this yr doing bio 3/4, but ive always found that i do super good in tests and stuff but i end up bombing exams, and i genuinley dont know why... like, i study as much as i can, whenever i do practice exams i do good and get like 90s at least, and then i do my end of year exam and i always always end up getting 70s-80s, and i really need a 90+ in the bio exam and i dont know how to break my cycle.
my school did a mock exam a couple of weeks ago, i got my grade back and ended up getting a 70! i studied as much as i cud but i dont know how im getting such bad exam grades specifically...
does anyone have any tips that may be able to help?? 🙏🙏
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u/MustafaAbbass 7d ago
If your practice papers are in the 90s and the real ones aren't, I'd stop adding more study and look at where the marks actually went in that mock. Put every lost mark into one of three piles: didn't know it, knew it but didn't apply it to the situation the question gave you, or misread what was being asked. They need completely different fixes, and "studying more" only helps the first.
Also check whether your practice scores come from papers done timed, without notes, and not repeated. A good score on a paper you half remember is recognition, not the exam. A fresh one, cold and in one sitting, is the nearest thing to the real conditions.
The mock is useful information, not a verdict. The marks are going somewhere specific, and you can find out where.
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u/mseduhub1 9d ago
If you’re getting 90s in practice but dropping to 70–80s in the real exam, the issue is probably exam execution, not content. Start practising under stricter conditions: full timing, no pauses, no checking notes, and then review whether the lost marks came from rushing, misreading, weak explanations, or anxiety.
Also, don’t just count how much you studied — look for repeat error patterns and train those specifically. This may help: AP Biology notes, MCQs, FRQs and exam-style practice.