# AP Biology tutor: live classes, unit by unit

Source: https://tutix.ai/programs/ap-biology  
Updated: 2026-10-21

**The short answer.** AP Biology on Tutix is a ready-made series of live classes with an AI tutor. It covers all 8 units and 60 topics, in five levels from 5 hours to the full 48. It ends with 2 full practice papers (66 questions each). You can start on the free plan.

- Follows the College Board AP course description
- 8 units and 60 topics, taught in 15-minute lessons
- Five levels, 5 to 48 hours of teaching
- 2 full practice papers, 94 marks each
- Starts on the free plan (45 live minutes a month)

## What AP Biology covers

AP Biology teaches biological concepts across chemistry of life, cells, energy, heredity, gene expression, evolution, and ecology. Students develop scientific practices for analyzing evidence, interpreting data, and explaining biological systems.

AP Biology is a College Board course organised around eight units: the chemistry of life, cells, cellular energetics, cell communication and the cell cycle, heredity, gene expression and regulation, natural selection, and ecology.

### Unit 1: Chemistry of Life (8–11%)

Topics: Structure of Water and Hydrogen Bonding; Elements of Life; Introduction to Macromolecules; Carbohydrates; Lipids; Nucleic Acids; Proteins.

### Unit 2: Cells (10–13%)

Topics: Cell Structure and Function; Cell Size; Plasma Membrane; Membrane Permeability; Membrane Transport; Facilitated Diffusion; Tonicity and Osmoregulation; Mechanisms of Transport; Cell Compartmentalization; Origins of Cell Compartmentalization.

### Unit 3: Cellular Energetics (12–16%)

Topics: Enzymes; Environmental Impacts on Enzyme Function; Cellular Energy; Photosynthesis; Cellular Respiration.

### Unit 4: Cell Communication and Cell Cycle (10–15%)

Topics: Cell Communication; Introduction to Signal Transduction; Signal Transduction Pathways; Feedback; Cell Cycle; Regulation of Cell Cycle.

### Unit 5: Heredity (8–11%)

Topics: Meiosis; Meiosis and Genetic Diversity; Mendelian Genetics; Non-Mendelian Genetics; Environmental Effects on Phenotype.

### Unit 6: Gene Expression and Regulation (12–16%)

Topics: DNA and RNA Structure; DNA Replication; Transcription and RNA Processing; Translation; Regulation of Gene Expression; Gene Expression and Cell Specialization; Mutations; Biotechnology.

### Unit 7: Natural Selection (13–20%)

Topics: Introduction to Natural Selection; Natural Selection; Artificial Selection; Population Genetics; Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium; Evidence of Evolution; Common Ancestry; Continuing Evolution; Phylogeny; Speciation; Variations in Populations; Origins of Life on Earth.

### Unit 8: Ecology (10–15%)

Topics: Responses to the Environment; Energy Flow Through Ecosystems; Population Ecology; Effect of Density on Populations; Community Ecology; Biodiversity; Disruptions in Ecosystems.

## A class in AP Biology, opened

Every class works like this. The tutor asks, you answer in your own words, and it reads what you wrote while you are still in the room, then tells you what is missing and asks you to try again.

A class, opened. A sample written to show how a class sounds (not a real learner); the scores show how the exam would credit each answer.

> **Unit 7 · Hardy-Weinberg.** Question: A population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and q^2 = 0.04. What fraction is heterozygous?
> The student wrote: 0.8 × 0.2 = 0.16 (the exam would credit 1 of 2)
> The tutor: Interesting: you found q = 0.2 and p = 0.8, so the set-up is right. In p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1 the heterozygotes are 2pq. That 2 is a clue. Where did it go?
> The student then wrote: 2pq = 2 × 0.8 × 0.2 = 0.32 (the exam would credit 2 of 2)

## How the AP Biology exam is built

The 2027 exam is on Monday, May 3, in the afternoon session. It has 60 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes and 6 free-response questions in 90 minutes (two long questions of 9 points and four short questions of 4 points), each section worth half of the score. A four-function, scientific or graphing calculator is allowed on both sections.

| Exam section | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Multiple choice | 60 questions · 90 min · 50% of the score; Calculator allowed |
| Free response | 6 questions · 90 min · 50% of the score; Calculator allowed |

## How students score on AP Biology

How students scored in 2026 (share of students at each AP score):

| Score | Share of students |
| --- | --- |
| 5 | 15% |
| 4 | 25% |
| 3 | 31% |
| 2 | 21% |
| 1 | 8% |

The share of students scoring 3 or higher on AP Biology was 59.2% in 2021 and 71% in 2026. The College Board reviews each exam's score standards every five to ten years, so a change from one year to the next can reflect a new standard as well as how students did. AP pass rates for every exam shows the whole table.

| Year | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 or higher | Students | Mean score |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | 15% | 25% | 31% | 21% | 8% | 71% | n/a | n/a |
| 2025 | 18.9% | 24.1% | 27.4% | 21.0% | 8.6% | 70.4% | 287,232 | 3.24 |
| 2024 | 16.8% | 23.1% | 28.4% | 21.7% | 10.0% | 68.3% | 260,062 | 3.15 |
| 2023 | 14.3% | 23.0% | 27.2% | 23.6% | 12.0% | 64.4% | 239,470 | 3.04 |
| 2022 | 15.0% | 23.1% | 29.7% | 21.6% | 10.5% | 67.8% | 237,338 | 3.11 |
| 2021 | 7.4% | 19.4% | 32.4% | 30.0% | 10.8% | 59.2% | 212,198 | 2.83 |

## How long does AP Biology take?

Every level covers the whole syllabus. A deeper level only adds classes, so you can go deeper later and keep everything you have done. Hours are hours of teaching, counted in classes of 45 or 60 minutes.

| Level | Hours | Classes of 45 min |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Short | 5 | 7 |
| Standard | 23.8 | 32 |
| In depth | 35 | 47 |
| Extended | 45 | 60 |
| Full syllabus | 48 | 64 |

The Programs page draws AP Biology beside the other eleven programs on one hours scale, with what a pass costs at each level.

## Questions

**How many hours of teaching does AP Biology take on Tutix?**

The Standard level takes 23.8 hours: 32 classes of 45 minutes, or 24 of 60. The Full syllabus level takes 48 hours (64 classes of 45 minutes). The Short level is 5 hours. Every level covers the whole syllabus; deeper levels add classes.

**What does the AP Biology exam look like?**

As the board publishes it, the exam has these parts: Multiple choice (60 questions, 90 minutes); Free response (6 questions, 90 minutes). Check your board's current specification for the exact format of the year you sit it.

**Which AP Biology units carry the most weight?**

The heaviest units are Natural Selection (13–20%); Cellular Energetics (12–16%); Gene Expression and Regulation (12–16%), measured as a share of the multiple-choice section.

**Are there practice papers for AP Biology?**

Yes. The Full syllabus level includes 2 full practice papers written for Tutix in the style of the real exam (66 questions and 94 marks each). You can sit them as long homework, and a class can go over them afterwards.

**Is this an official College Board AP course?**

No. Tutix is not affiliated with College Board and its AP Biology classes are not endorsed by College Board. The lessons and questions are Tutix's own, prepared to follow the published AP Biology course description, and the real exam is set and marked by College Board.

**Can I try AP Biology for free?**

Yes. The Free plan includes 45 live class minutes a month, about one class of the default length, and no card is needed. Pro is $15 a month for 360 live minutes (6 hours), and Pro+ is $30 a month for 900 live minutes.

**Is the AP Biology tutor a person?**

No. The tutor is an AI. It talks with you in real time, teaches on a whiteboard, reads your answers and remembers what each earlier class covered. A parent can set up a child's classes and choose to get a recap after each one.

**When is the AP Biology exam in 2027?**

AP Biology is on Monday, May 3, 2027, in the afternoon session. The 2027 AP exam window runs from May 3 to May 7 and from May 10 to May 14, set by the College Board.

**What is a good AP Biology score?**

The College Board calls a 5 extremely well qualified, a 4 very well qualified and a 3 qualified. In 2026, 71% of students who sat AP Biology scored 3 or higher. What counts as good for you depends on the colleges you are aiming at.

**Does AP Biology count for college credit?**

It depends on the college. The College Board says many US colleges grant credit or advanced placement for scores of 3 and above, and that each college makes its own decisions about which scores it accepts. Check each college's credit policy before you rely on a score.

## Sources

- College Board: [AP Biology: the exam](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology/exam) (accessed October 21, 2026)
- College Board: [AP Biology: the course](https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology) (accessed October 21, 2026)
- College Board: [AP exam dates](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/exam-administration-ordering-scores/exam-dates) (accessed October 21, 2026)
- College Board: [AP score distributions, 2026](https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/about-ap-scores/score-distributions) (2026 results)
- College Board: [The AP score scale](https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/about-ap-scores/ap-score-scale-table) (accessed October 21, 2026)
- College Board: [Getting credit and placement](https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/getting-credit-placement) (accessed October 21, 2026)
- College Board: [AP score distributions, by year (2021 to 2026)](https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/about-ap-scores/score-distributions) (2021 to 2026 results)

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