Locate your unit
Find where topics such as cellular respiration, meiosis, or ecology fit in the eight-unit course map before you study them.
See the AP Biology units →AP BIOLOGY EXAM PREP
Make sense of the whole AP Biology course.
Use this course map to see the eight units, understand where the exam places its emphasis, and choose a useful next step for the part of Biology you are studying now.
HOW THIS PAGE HELPS
Find your place. Choose your next move.
Start here when you are not sure what to study next. Find the unit, name the kind of help you need, then move into the right AP Biology resource.
Choose your study task
Decide whether you need to learn a concept, interpret a graph or model, analyze evidence, or prepare for a question type.
Keep moving
Use reviewed practice when it is available, or ask the AP Biology Tutor to help you work through a concept or study decision.
Check practice status →This is your starting point—not a replacement for a complete unit review or practice set.
THE AP BIOLOGY COURSE MAP
Start with the unit you need right now.
The official course framework is organized into these eight commonly taught units. Each card shows the main ideas that belong in that unit and its multiple-choice weighting range. Your class may cover them in a different order, so use this map to locate the idea you are working on—not as a replacement for your teacher’s sequence.
Chemistry of Life
Water, macromolecules, and the chemical building blocks of living systems.
YOU’LL COVER
See practice status →- Water and hydrogen bonding
- Elements of life
- Carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins
Cells
Cell structure, membranes, transport, and the ways cells interact with their environments.
YOU’LL COVER
See practice status →- Cellular structure and function
- Membranes, osmosis, and transport
- Cell size and compartmentalization
Cellular Energetics
Enzymes, cellular energy, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration.
YOU’LL COVER
See practice status →- Enzyme structure and function
- Energy capture and cellular energy
- Photosynthesis and respiration
Cell Communication and Cell Cycle
Signaling, feedback, and the regulation of cell division.
YOU’LL COVER
See practice status →- Cell communication
- Signal transduction and feedback
- Cell cycle regulation
Heredity
Meiosis, genetic diversity, inheritance, and environmental effects on phenotype.
YOU’LL COVER
See practice status →- Meiosis and genetic diversity
- Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance
- Environmental effects on phenotype
Gene Expression and Regulation
DNA and RNA, gene expression, mutations, and biotechnology.
YOU’LL COVER
See practice status →- DNA replication, transcription, and translation
- Gene regulation and cell specialization
- Mutations and biotechnology
Natural Selection
Evolution, population genetics, phylogeny, and variation within populations.
YOU’LL COVER
See practice status →- Natural selection and population genetics
- Evidence of evolution and common ancestry
- Phylogeny, speciation, and variation
Ecology
Energy flow, populations, communities, biodiversity, and ecosystem change.
YOU’LL COVER
See practice status →- Responses to the environment and energy flow
- Population and community ecology
- Biodiversity and ecosystem disruptions
WHAT AP BIOLOGY ASKS YOU TO DO
Content matters. So does scientific reasoning.
Knowing a term is not the same as using it. AP Biology includes science practices that ask you to work with evidence, data, models, and scientific claims across the course.
Concept Explanation25%–33% of multiple-choice section
Visual Representations16%–24% of multiple-choice section
Questions and Methods8%–14% of multiple-choice section
Representing and Describing Data8%–14% of multiple-choice section
Statistical Tests and Data Analysis8%–14% of multiple-choice section
Argumentation20%–26% of multiple-choice section
A useful study decision: if you can name a process but struggle to interpret a graph, design an investigation, or justify a claim from evidence, spend your next study block practicing that skill with the Biology topic—not just rereading notes.
Course details last verified September 13, 2026. Unit names, multiple-choice weighting ranges, and science practices are based on the College Board AP Biology course framework for 2025–26. AP Study Lab is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by College Board.