AP Biology Exam Information

Score and placement info for AP: Biology | Calculus AB | Calculus BC | Chemistry | English Language | English Literature | European History | Physics B | Psychology | Spanish Language | Statistics | U.S. Government | U.S. History | World History

The AP Biology exam has three main sections: molecules and cells, heredity and evolution, and organisms and populations. AP Biology is the most popular Advanced Placement course in the natural sciences, and in 2011 over 184,000 students took the exam, and the mean score was 2.70. Most colleges and universities have a science and lab requirement, so a high score on the AP Biology exam will sometimes fulfill this requirement.

The chart below presents some representative data from a variety of colleges and universities. This information is meant to provide a general overview of the scoring and placement practices related to the AP Biology exam. For other schools, you'll need to explore the college website or contact the appropriate Registrar's office to get AP placement information.

For more information on AP classes and exams, check out these articles:

• Is My AP Score Good Enough?
• AP Classes - Why They Matter

The distribution of scores for the AP Biology exam is as follows (2011 data):

• 5 - 18.8%
• 4 - 16.5%
• 3 - 15.2%
• 2 - 14.6%
• 1 - 34.8%

To learn more specific information about the AP Biology exam, be sure to visit the official College Board website.

AP Biology Scores and Placement
College	Score Needed	Placement Credit
Georgia Tech	5	BIOL 1510 (4 semester hours)
Grinnell College	4 or 5	4 semester credits; no placement
Hamilton College	4 or 5	1 credit after completing a course beyond BIO 110
LSU	3, 4 or 5	BIOL 1201, 1202 (6 credits) for a 3; BIOL 1201, 1202, 1208, & 1209 (8 credits) for a 4 or 5
MIT	-	no credit or placement for AP Biology
Mississippi State University	4 or 5	BIO 1123 (3 credits) for a 4; BIO 1123 and BIO 1023 (6 credits) for a 5
Notre Dame	4 or 5	Biological Sciences 10101 (3 credits) for a 4; Biological Sciences 10098 and 10099 (8 credits) for a 5
Reed College	4 or 5	1 credit; no placement
Stanford University	-	No credit for AP Biology
Truman State University	3, 4 or 5	BIOL 100 Biology (4 credits) for a 3; BIOL 107 Introductory Biology I (4 credits) for a 4 or 5
UCLA (School of Letters and Science)	3, 4 or 5	8 credits; no placement
Yale University	5	1 credit; MCDB 105a or b, 107a, 109b, or 120a