Sign up freeSign in

Exam prep · AP Biology

AP Biology flashcards for all eight units

AP Biology asks you to apply concepts to data, but you cannot reason about a graph of enzyme activity without knowing what an enzyme does. The decks below cover the core units; add your own from your teacher’s slides and the textbook.

Start studying free Turn my prep book into flashcards

Updated 2026-10-23. Decks are shared by Quizcard and its users; study them on the page or copy them into a free account.

AP Biology at a glance

Format
Section I: 60 multiple-choice questions, 90 minutes, 50%. Section II: 6 free-response questions (2 long, 4 short), 90 minutes, 50%.
Length
3 hours. Calculator allowed on both sections; a formula sheet is provided.
Scoring
1 to 5. Many colleges give credit for 4 or 5, some for 3.
Date
Early May each year, set by College Board.

What the AP Biology tests

  • Unit 1: Chemistry of Life. 8 to 11%. Water, macromolecules, nucleic acids.
  • Unit 2: Cell Structure and Function. 10 to 13%. Organelles, membranes, transport, compartmentalization.
  • Unit 3: Cellular Energetics. 12 to 16%. Enzymes, photosynthesis, cellular respiration.
  • Unit 4: Cell Communication and Cell Cycle. 10 to 15%. Signaling, feedback, mitosis, regulation.
  • Unit 5: Heredity. 8 to 11%. Meiosis, Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics, chi-square.
  • Unit 6: Gene Expression and Regulation. 12 to 16%. DNA replication, transcription, translation, regulation, biotechnology.
  • Unit 7: Natural Selection. 13 to 20%. Evolution evidence, Hardy-Weinberg, speciation, phylogeny.
  • Unit 8: Ecology. 10 to 15%. Populations, communities, ecosystems, biodiversity.

Free AP Biology flashcard decks

  • AP Biology: Genetics and Heredity30 cards · High school · Beyond Mendel · Biotech · Chromosomes · Mendel
  • Biology: Cell Structure and Function30 cards · High school · Cell basics · Cell cycle · Energy · Organelles
  • Biology: Evolution and Ecology30 cards · High school · Cycles · Ecology · Energy · Evidence
  • USMLE Step 1 Microbiology: High-Yield Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi42 cards · University · Atypical/acid-fast bacteria · Atypical/intracellular organisms · Fungi · GI gram-negative rods
  • AP Biology: Gene Expression and Regulation24 cards · High school · DNA & RNA Structure · DNA Replication · Genetic Code · Prokaryotic Gene Regulation
  • USMLE Step 1 Pathology: Cell Injury, Inflammation and Neoplasia59 cards · University · Amyloidosis · Apoptosis vs Necrosis · Carcinogens · Cell Injury
  • AP Biology: Cell Communication and the Cell Cycle41 cards · High school · Apoptosis · Cancer and Cell Cycle Control · Cell Cycle Phases & Checkpoints · Cell-to-Cell Communication Types
  • AP Biology: Cellular Energetics, Photosynthesis and Respiration39 cards · High school · AP Exam Skills · ATP · Activation Energy · Calvin Cycle

Missing a topic? Upload the chapter from your prep book and Quizcard builds the deck for you, grouped by topic, with figures kept from PDFs. How it works.

Test yourself: free AP Biology practice quizzes

  • AP Biology: Genetics and Heredity quiz18 multiple-choice questions with explanations · no account needed
  • Biology: Cell Structure and Function quiz18 multiple-choice questions with explanations · no account needed
  • USMLE Step 1 Microbiology: High-Yield Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi quiz15 multiple-choice questions with explanations · no account needed
  • AP Biology: Gene Expression and Regulation quiz14 multiple-choice questions with explanations · no account needed
  • USMLE Step 1 Pathology: Cell Injury, Inflammation and Neoplasia quiz15 multiple-choice questions with explanations · no account needed
  • AP Biology: Cell Communication and the Cell Cycle quiz10 multiple-choice questions with explanations · no account needed
  • AP Biology: Cellular Energetics, Photosynthesis and Respiration quiz15 multiple-choice questions with explanations · no account needed

Each quiz scores you at the end and explains every answer. Redo it any time; the questions reshuffle.

Sample cards from “AP Biology: Genetics and Heredity”

What are the complementary base pairs in DNA?

Answer: Adenine pairs with thymine; guanine pairs with cytosine.

Explanation

In RNA, uracil replaces thymine.

What does CRISPR-Cas9 do?

Answer: Uses a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 enzyme to cut DNA at a specific sequence, enabling gene editing.

Explanation

Adapted from a bacterial immune system.

What are restriction enzymes?

Answer: Enzymes that cut DNA at specific recognition sequences, often leaving sticky ends.

Explanation

Used to insert genes into plasmids.

What is gel electrophoresis used for?

Answer: Separating DNA fragments by size; smaller fragments move farther through the gel toward the positive electrode.

Explanation

DNA is negatively charged because of its phosphate backbone.

What does PCR do?

Answer: Amplifies a specific DNA segment through repeated cycles of denaturing, annealing primers, and extension.

Explanation

Uses heat-stable Taq polymerase.

What is epigenetics?

Answer: Heritable changes in gene expression without changes to the DNA sequence, such as DNA methylation and histone modification.

Explanation

Explains how identical genotypes can differ in expression.

Showing 6 of 30 cards. Study the whole deck or copy it into your account.

A flashcard study plan for the AP Biology

  1. Through the year: after each unit, upload the slides or chapter and generate a deck. Study it before the unit test and again a month later.
  2. 8 weeks out: one unit per week from the decks below plus your own. Two released FRQs a week, timed.
  3. 3 weeks out: a full practice exam. Card every missed multiple-choice concept and every FRQ rubric point you missed.
  4. Final week: missed deck daily, formula sheet familiarity, the big processes (respiration, photosynthesis, protein synthesis) on cards as steps.

How to write AP Biology cards that work

  • Process cards as ordered steps: front “glycolysis inputs and outputs”, back the list. Then a second card for “where in the cell”.
  • Card the experiments the exam loves: Meselson-Stahl, Hershey-Chase, Griffith, Hardy-Weinberg conditions.
  • Keep figures. Cropped diagrams of the electron transport chain or a signaling cascade are better cards than any paraphrase.
  • FRQ verbs deserve cards: “describe”, “explain”, “predict”, “justify” each want something specific.

Questions

Are these decks aligned to the current AP Biology course?

They cover the core content of the units. Your teacher’s emphasis matters, so add cards from class material.

Can I make flashcards from my teacher’s slides?

Yes. Upload the PowerPoint or PDF export; Quizcard groups the cards by topic and keeps figures from PDFs.

Is Quizcard free for students?

Making and studying your own cards is free with no limits. Two generated documents are free; teachers can get Pro free and share decks with the class.

Other exams

  • SATFree SAT flashcards for vocabulary, algebra and geometry, the digital SAT format at a glance, and an 8-week flashcard study plan. Turn your prep book PDF into cards.
  • ACTFree ACT flashcards for English, math, reading and the optional science section, the current ACT format at a glance, and a flashcard study plan you can keep up with.
  • NCLEX-RNFree NCLEX-RN flashcards for pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, medical terminology and nutrition, the NGN format and client-needs weights, and a 6-week flashcard study plan.
  • ATI TEASFree TEAS flashcards for anatomy and physiology, chemistry, biology, math and English, the ATI TEAS 7 format at a glance, and a 4-week flashcard study plan for nursing school applicants.

Official information: College Board: AP Biology. Formats and weights change; check the official page before test day.

Try it with your own material

Upload a PDF, slides or notes and study the deck in minutes. Making your own cards is free with no limits.

Make flashcards from my prep bookSee how Quizcard works