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11 min read•june 18, 2024
A Q
A Q
We know that studying for your AP exams can be stressful, but Fiveable has your back! We created a study plan to help you crush your AP Environmental Science exam. This guide will continue to update with information about the 2025 exams, as well as helpful resources to help you do your best on test day. Unlock Cram Mode for access to our cram events—students who have successfully passed their AP exams will answer your questions and guide your last-minute studying LIVE! And don't miss out on unlimited access to our database of thousands of practice questions.
This year, all AP exams will cover all units and essay types. The 2025 Environmental Science exam format will be:
The exam is on paper and in school.
The exam will be given on Thursday, May 13, 2025, at 12 PM your local time.
Before you begin studying, take some time to get organized.
🖥 Create a study space.
Make sure you have a designated place at home to study. Somewhere you can keep all of your materials, where you can focus on learning, and where you are comfortable. Spend some time prepping the space with everything you need and you can even let others in the family know that this is your study space.
📚 Organize your study materials.
Get your notebook, textbook, prep books, or whatever other physical materials you have. Also, create a space for you to keep track of review. Start a new section in your notebook to take notes or start a Google Doc to keep track of your notes. Get yourself set up!
📅 Plan designated times for studying.
The hardest part about studying from home is sticking to a routine. Decide on one hour every day that you can dedicate to studying. This can be any time of the day, whatever works best for you. Set a timer on your phone for that time and really try to stick to it. The routine will help you stay on track.
🏆 Decide on an accountability plan.
How will you hold yourself accountable to this study plan? You may or may not have a teacher or rules set up to help you stay on track, so you need to set some for yourself. First, set your goal. This could be studying for x number of hours or getting through a unit. Then, create a reward for yourself. If you reach your goal, then x. This will help stay focused!
The first unit sets up the rest of the course. It is a refresher of ecology topics learned in biology. If you have not taken biology yet, no worries. Here you will learn how species interactions are affected by various ecosystem resources, the global distribution of biomes, biogeochemical cycles, and energy transfers within food webs and chains.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
✍️ Practice:
This unit investigates the different forms of diversity and how that diversity is essential for ecosystems. Then it presents the impacts of ecosystems from both human and natural disturbances. The unit concludes by looking at organisms’ adaptations for survival due to the disturbances.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
This unit discusses the different population dynamics within an ecosystem. First is a look at the species being a generalist vs. specialist and K- vs. r-. This is followed by how resource availability affects population grow and how that looks graphically. This unit finishes with human population dynamics and the four demographic transitions.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
Surprising Changes Will Affect Biodiversity in 2019 (Scientific American) ✍️ Practice:
Population Dynamics: Species, Reproductive and Survival Strategies
This unit discusses the abiotic factors that influence life. Earth’s massive plates and their movements show that our planet is still changing. Soils also influence the type of life in an area from the topsoil to the bedrock. Atmospheric movements influence weather patterns and ocean currents.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
This unit looks at how humans use the land and waters. This entails the harvesting of crops, meat, and fish along with the effects of harvesting on the land and water. The effects of overfishing, mining, and urbanization are also discussed. Lastly, this unit looks into your ecological footprint and sustainable practices.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
Energy is either renewable or nonrenewable. Both types have impacts on the land, water, or air. Different areas of the world have different energy needs and availability. Conserving energy and finding efficient alternatives will extend the supply of our nonrenewable energy sources.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
Atmospheric pollution has both natural and anthropogenic sources. Air pollution affects the health of an ecosystem and may harm humans. Many businesses are required by law to remove certain chemicals before releasing wastes into the atmosphere.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
Pollution created by human activities directly impacts ecosystems in the air, on land, and in water. The source of pollution can be easy to identify, but other times the source is diffused. We’ll learn how to evaluate data related to pollution and explain concepts related to the different types of pollution that impact land and water. Legislation has been created to reduce discharges of pollution in water and regulate drinking water.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
✍️ Practice:
In this unit, we’ll look at how the actions of humans can have global impacts. We explore cases of countries having great success in preservation of Earth’s natural resources, but also times when humans have directly resulted in irreparable harm. Some topics we’ll learn about include global climate change, alteration of the ocean’s temperature and pH, and loss of biodiversity.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
✍️ Practice:
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11 min read•june 18, 2024
A Q
A Q
We know that studying for your AP exams can be stressful, but Fiveable has your back! We created a study plan to help you crush your AP Environmental Science exam. This guide will continue to update with information about the 2025 exams, as well as helpful resources to help you do your best on test day. Unlock Cram Mode for access to our cram events—students who have successfully passed their AP exams will answer your questions and guide your last-minute studying LIVE! And don't miss out on unlimited access to our database of thousands of practice questions.
This year, all AP exams will cover all units and essay types. The 2025 Environmental Science exam format will be:
The exam is on paper and in school.
The exam will be given on Thursday, May 13, 2025, at 12 PM your local time.
Before you begin studying, take some time to get organized.
🖥 Create a study space.
Make sure you have a designated place at home to study. Somewhere you can keep all of your materials, where you can focus on learning, and where you are comfortable. Spend some time prepping the space with everything you need and you can even let others in the family know that this is your study space.
📚 Organize your study materials.
Get your notebook, textbook, prep books, or whatever other physical materials you have. Also, create a space for you to keep track of review. Start a new section in your notebook to take notes or start a Google Doc to keep track of your notes. Get yourself set up!
📅 Plan designated times for studying.
The hardest part about studying from home is sticking to a routine. Decide on one hour every day that you can dedicate to studying. This can be any time of the day, whatever works best for you. Set a timer on your phone for that time and really try to stick to it. The routine will help you stay on track.
🏆 Decide on an accountability plan.
How will you hold yourself accountable to this study plan? You may or may not have a teacher or rules set up to help you stay on track, so you need to set some for yourself. First, set your goal. This could be studying for x number of hours or getting through a unit. Then, create a reward for yourself. If you reach your goal, then x. This will help stay focused!
The first unit sets up the rest of the course. It is a refresher of ecology topics learned in biology. If you have not taken biology yet, no worries. Here you will learn how species interactions are affected by various ecosystem resources, the global distribution of biomes, biogeochemical cycles, and energy transfers within food webs and chains.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
✍️ Practice:
This unit investigates the different forms of diversity and how that diversity is essential for ecosystems. Then it presents the impacts of ecosystems from both human and natural disturbances. The unit concludes by looking at organisms’ adaptations for survival due to the disturbances.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
This unit discusses the different population dynamics within an ecosystem. First is a look at the species being a generalist vs. specialist and K- vs. r-. This is followed by how resource availability affects population grow and how that looks graphically. This unit finishes with human population dynamics and the four demographic transitions.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
Surprising Changes Will Affect Biodiversity in 2019 (Scientific American) ✍️ Practice:
Population Dynamics: Species, Reproductive and Survival Strategies
This unit discusses the abiotic factors that influence life. Earth’s massive plates and their movements show that our planet is still changing. Soils also influence the type of life in an area from the topsoil to the bedrock. Atmospheric movements influence weather patterns and ocean currents.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
This unit looks at how humans use the land and waters. This entails the harvesting of crops, meat, and fish along with the effects of harvesting on the land and water. The effects of overfishing, mining, and urbanization are also discussed. Lastly, this unit looks into your ecological footprint and sustainable practices.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
Energy is either renewable or nonrenewable. Both types have impacts on the land, water, or air. Different areas of the world have different energy needs and availability. Conserving energy and finding efficient alternatives will extend the supply of our nonrenewable energy sources.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
Atmospheric pollution has both natural and anthropogenic sources. Air pollution affects the health of an ecosystem and may harm humans. Many businesses are required by law to remove certain chemicals before releasing wastes into the atmosphere.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
Pollution created by human activities directly impacts ecosystems in the air, on land, and in water. The source of pollution can be easy to identify, but other times the source is diffused. We’ll learn how to evaluate data related to pollution and explain concepts related to the different types of pollution that impact land and water. Legislation has been created to reduce discharges of pollution in water and regulate drinking water.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
✍️ Practice:
In this unit, we’ll look at how the actions of humans can have global impacts. We explore cases of countries having great success in preservation of Earth’s natural resources, but also times when humans have directly resulted in irreparable harm. Some topics we’ll learn about include global climate change, alteration of the ocean’s temperature and pH, and loss of biodiversity.
📚 Read these study guides:
🎥 Watch these videos:
📰 Check out these articles:
✍️ Practice:
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