APExam
3May 2027afternoon
Total time3 hr
Format60 Multiple choice + 6 Free response
Scored 3+ worldwide · 202671%
Portola High School Scored 3+ · 202692%181 exams

All eight College Board units with science practices and FRQ work.

Formats

6 to 8 student seminars with homework, 32 weeks, no spring break, ending before the AP exam; also 1-on-1, online or in person.

How to start

Start with a placement assessment. We use it to set the level and class, then confirm the year plan with the family. For schedules, tuition, and bundle offers, request the 2026-27 program guide through the form below.

Want to talk to a course advisor now?

The button takes you to the contact section below: scan the QR code, call, or leave your details.

Contact a course advisor

How the exam is built

Sections drawn to their share of the score; the wider the block, the more practice it deserves.

SectionQuestionsTimeWeight
Multiple choice601 hr 30 min50%
Free response (2 long + 4 short)61 hr 30 min50%

Calculator permitted

Units and exam weighting

Each ruler segment equals the unit’s midpoint exam weight. The yellow unit carries the most points and gets the most class time.

  1. 1Chemistry of Life8–11%
  2. 2Cells10–13%
  3. 3Cellular Energetics12–16%
  4. 4Cell Communication and Cell Cycle10–15%
  5. 5Heredity8–11%
  6. 6Gene Expression and Regulation12–16%
  7. 7Natural Selection13–20%
  8. 8Ecology10–15%

Global score distribution 2026

Out of every 100 test takers.

71% scored 3 or higher

At Irvine public high schools

Whether each school offers it, which grades can enroll, the gate, and last year’s results. Updates with the school guides.

Portola High School

Open to 11-12
Scored 3+ · 202692%181 exams

PrerequisitesAvg B- or better in Chem of Earth + Living Earth OR admin approval; completion/concurrent Physics in the Universe or AP Physics 1; teacher rec

Honors point; 2 hr/wk; A's recommended

Full school guide →

Woodbridge High School

Open to 11-12

PrerequisitesCompletion of or co-enrollment in Physics in the Universe or AP Physics 1; teacher rec; recommended A in Living Earth & Chemistry or B+ in Honors versions

Weighted

Full school guide →

IUSD course-selection rules

Which grade can take this AP at each school, what the prerequisites are, and how weighted GPA is calculated. Confirm with the school's current course catalog before choosing.

  • Irvine High School: Grade 9 may take AP World History, AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Computer Science A. AP Precalculus and AP Art History open in grade 10. AP Physics 1 is taken in grade 11 and the remaining AP science courses in grade 12; AP Psychology and AP Macroeconomics require enrollment in grade 11 or 12.
    Only AP courses and the honors courses starred on the School Profile add 1 point, and only when the grade is C or higher. Weighted, an A counts 5 points, a B 4, a C 3, and a D still 1.
  • Northwood High School: No AP courses are offered in grade 9. Grade 10 is limited to four: AP Art History, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Music Theory, and AP Precalculus, assigned as seats allow. The remaining AP courses are concentrated in grades 11 and 12, and most require a current teacher's signed recommendation on the course request form.
    Only honors and AP courses whose names carry a plus sign (+) on the transcript add 1 point to the GPA (A counts 5, B 4, C 3, and D adds nothing). Embedded Honors courses in grades 9 and 10 do not add a point.
  • Portola High School: Grade 10 has a single AP option, AP Human Geography, which the school calls the "grade 10 choice." The large majority of AP courses are for grades 11 and 12. AP Precalculus, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Computer Science A open from grade 10 subject to math prerequisites. Restricted to grade 12 are AP Physics C, AP English Language, AP United States Government together with Honors Political Economy, AP 3-D Design, and Honors Engineering Design and Development. Grade 9 students may not sit an AP exam at the school unless they have taken the course or the Irvine Unified School District GATE office approves it on the basis of existing preparation.
    Unweighted courses are scored A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1; the 28 AP courses and 11 weighted Honors courses are scored A=5, B=4, C=3, D=1. Weighted Honors courses are electives in grades 11 and 12; core courses in grades 9 and 10 are not weighted.
  • University High School: No AP courses are offered in grade 9. From grade 10, students may take AP Precalculus, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Statistics, and AP Cybersecurity. AP United States History is offered in grade 10 on the condition that the student earned Honors Distinction in both semesters of World History. Most AP courses are concentrated in grades 11 and 12.
    Only AP courses and fourth-year world languages (French 4, Latin 4, Spanish 4, American Sign Language IV) add 1 point to the GPA, and the grade must be C or higher.
  • Woodbridge High School: Grade 9 may take one AP course, AP Human Geography, the only AP course open to grade 9 at any of the five comprehensive high schools in the Irvine Unified School District. Grade 10 may take AP World History, AP English Language, AP Precalculus, and AP Computer Science Principles. From grade 11, AP United States History, AP Physics 1, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Calculus AB and BC, and AP Statistics open. AP Physics 2, AP Physics C, AP United States Government, and AP Macroeconomics are taken in grade 12.
    The GPA is calculated on a 4.0 scale without +/- distinctions. Only Honors courses taken in grades 11 and 12 and all AP courses add 1 point, and only when the grade is C or higher. The added point depends on the grade level: the same Honors course adds nothing in grade 10 and adds a point in grade 11.

Sources: College Board course and exam descriptions (2027 exam calendar, 2026 score distributions); school course catalogs and School Profiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What grade should Irvine students take AP Biology?

AP Biology is open to grades 8 through 12, usually after school biology or honors biology. It matches introductory college biology, and both the terminology load and the reading load are heavy, so English reading at high school level is the practical prerequisite. Grade eligibility at each school appears in the Irvine public high schools section above.

Should Irvine students take AP Biology or AP Chemistry first?

There is no required order, but AP Biology includes the chemistry of life and cellular energetics, so students with a chemistry base move faster. Students heading toward medicine and the life sciences commonly take both. Course-selection rules differ by school; see the IUSD course-selection rules section above, and AP Chemistry.

What does the exam look like?

The exam runs 3 hours. Multiple choice has 60 questions worth 50 percent; free response has 6 questions worth 50 percent, 2 long and 4 short, with a calculator allowed. Free response leans heavily on experimental design and data interpretation rather than recall.

Which units matter most?

Natural selection carries 13 to 20 percent, and cellular energetics and gene expression and regulation each carry 12 to 16 percent, so the three together approach half the exam. The course follows the eight College Board units with science practices and FRQ work.

How do Irvine public high school students score on AP Biology?

In 2026, 71 percent scored 3 or higher and 15 percent scored 5. School-level numbers appear in the section above. Lost points concentrate in free response, where students must propose a hypothesis from a figure, design a control, and explain the result. Memorized definitions alone do not earn credit.