FRQ 3 – Scientific Investigation (Short)

This guide organizes advice from past students who got 4s and 5s on their exams. We hope it gives you some new ideas and tools for your study sessions. But remember, everyone's different—what works for one student might not work for you. If you've got a study method that's doing the trick, stick with it. Think of this as extra help, not a must-do overhaul.

📌 Overview

• Students are given an lab investigation scenario and are asked to describe processes and make/justify predictions
• 6% of Exam Score:
• Spend about 12 min
• Scored on a 4 point rubric
  • Explains biological processes (1)
  • Justifies experiment design (1)
  • Predicts results (1)
  • Justifies predictions (1)

💭 General Advice

Tips on mindset, strategy, structure, time management, and any other high level things to know

• Before the exam, get comfortable with a few types of high level lab investigation scenarios that are likely to appear on the exam. These include gel electrophoresis, injecting mRNA, and bacterial transformation.
  • You can find practice questions for these on Google for the specific scenario you want to practice (ex: “AP Bio gel electrophoresis frq”)
• Look at past AP Bio FRQs on the College Board website—they have answers too!
• Practice, practice, practice! Practice writing FRQs throughout your exam preparation. Learning what they look like and getting comfortable with formatting your exams will take a lot of pressure off when it comes to exam day, and let you just focus on the content you need to answer the questions.

🕐 Before You Write

What should a student do in the first few minutes, before they start writing?

• Carefully read through the entire problem.
• Circle or underline parts of the question to make sure you can easily identify what you need to include in your essay.
• Identify common task words:
  • Describe - provide details on a specified topic
  • Identify - provide direct info about a specified topic (you’re not explaining here!)
  • Predict - predict causes or effects and changes
  • Justify - explain why something may be happening
• Mind-dump everything you know about the topic—this will make it easier to recall information about the biological concepts once you start writing your response.

💯 Tips for Earning Each Point

Describe Biological Concepts, Processes, or Models

• If the scenario involves specific terms, make sure to define them before delving into the details. This not only helps you organize your response but also ensures that you're using the terms correctly.
• Relate the scenario to fundamental biological concepts you've learned in class.
• If the scenario involves multiple concepts, processes, or models, consider comparing and contrasting them. Highlight similarities and differences to showcase a complete understanding.
• Discuss biological concepts at various levels of organization, from molecular to ecological.
  • If applicable, consider discussing how the biological concepts in the scenario relate to evolutionary principles (A lot of the FRQs relate to evolution!). Evolution is a central theme in biology, and connecting your response to it can strengthen your argument.
• This is where you’re going to need a strong knowledge of background information in biology. Practice FRQs and pay attention to what types of topics come up and what depth of knowledge they require, and prepare adequately leading up to the exam.

Justify Experimental Design

• Clearly state the independent and dependent variables. Additionally, if there are control variables, mention them!
• Provide a clear rationale for the chosen experimental design. Why is this particular setup the most suitable for addressing the research question?
• Briefly discuss any alternative experimental designs that could address the same research question.
• If relevant, discuss the importance of a control group in the experimental design. Explain how it helps to isolate the effects of the independent variable.
• Acknowledge potential limitations in your experimental design and suggest how these limitations could be addressed in future research. This demonstrates awareness of the complexity of scientific investigations.

Predict Results

• Base your predictions on logical reasoning supported by your understanding of biological concepts. Avoid making predictions that do not have evidence.
• When predicting results, consider the impact of different variables on the outcome.
• If possible, make quantitative predictions. This adds a level of precision to your response and demonstrates a more detailed understanding of the experimental scenario.
• Acknowledge that biological systems can be variable. Discuss how variability might influence the predicted results and how this variability could be addressed.
• If the scenario provides data or trends, discuss how these trends might continue or change under different conditions.
• Make sure you brush up on your statistics. A lot of the predictions you’ll be making will involve stating null and alternative hypotheses—make sure you know what that means and how to write them!

Justify Predictions

• When justifying predictions, refer back to biological principles. Explain why you expect certain outcomes based on the underlying biology involved in the scenario.
• Justify predictions by linking them to the chosen experimental design. How does the design of the experiment support the expected outcomes? Show a coherent connection between your predictions and the experimental approach.
• Acknowledge alternative outcomes and briefly discuss why they might occur.
• If applicable, discuss the broader implications of the predicted results. How might the outcomes impact the understanding of a particular biological process or phenomenon?
• Try not to stress about the “right” answer here. The correct answer is one you can justify using your knowledge of biology. Let that guide you and the answers will come easily!