George Oxar

APBio/APChem/APES/Pre-AP Honors Chemistry/Honors Forensic Science 1 & 2/Honors Human Anatomy & Physiology Teacher

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

CDC urges people to prevent mosquito bites as West Nile virus season hits a strong, early start https://t.co/JXwK3LcdRz

[Trevor Packer @AP_Trevor]

The 2026 AP Biology Exam scores:
5: 15%; 4: 25%; 3: 31%; 2: 21%; 1: 8%

The 2026 AP Biology Exam was taken by 318,000 students, about 2% of the overall U.S. high school population.

Multiple-Choice Questions

Students scored highest, overall, on questions about Ecology (Unit 8). Generally, students achieving AP 5s earned all 10 points possible here, students achieving AP 4s earned 9/10 points, and students achieving AP 3s earned 8/10 points.

Students scored nearly as well on questions about Natural Selection (Unit 7). Students earning AP 5s generally earned all 8/8 points possible here, students earning AP 4s attained 7/8 points, and students earning AP 3s attained 6/8 points.

Questions related to the Chemistry of Life (Unit 1) were overall, and by far, the most challenging for students; 7% of students earned perfect scores on this unit’s questions, suggesting a need for more review / focus on these topics.

Free-Response Questions

The six FRQs collectively span the AP Biology curriculum — from molecular signaling and gene regulation to cellular energetics, meiosis, natural selection, and ecological analysis — asking students to interpret experimental data, construct graphs, evaluate hypotheses, and reason across biological scales. It’s terrific how the Development Committee designed these questions to embed classic content knowledge inside authentic scientific investigations, so that students who have truly mastered the material reveal themselves through how they apply their knowledge, not merely through what they recall.

Since AP scores are reported on a 5-point scale, the free-response questions deliberately include some very difficult points, designed to differentiate AP 5s from AP 4s, points of varying difficulty to differentiate AP 4s, 3s, and 2s, and more foundational points to separate AP 2s from AP 1s.

FRQ #1 asked students to investigate how molecular signals regulate plant stomatal closure. Students first recalled the structural components of a nucleotide, then interpreted experimental figures comparing stomatal size responses to different chemical treatments, justified the use of controls, and predicted outcomes based on mutation data. In the most integrative steps, students had to reason from molecular receptor function to transcriptional regulation — tracing a signaling cascade from cell surface to nucleus.

The real mix of difficulty levels across the 9 points available in FRQ #1 helped to identify a wide range of abilities:

Parts B.i. and B.ii. helped differentiate students receiving AP 1s from students receiving AP 2s, as students receiving AP 1s could typically only earn point B.ii, whereas students receiving AP 2s could typically earn both of these points, the two easiest in FRQ #1.

Parts C.i., C.ii, and C.iii helped differentiate students earning AP 4s, who could typically justify, describe, and predict here, whereas students earning AP 3s were less effective at part C.i., justifying.

Part D differentiated well between students achieving AP 4s and those achieving AP 5s, as D.ii. was the most difficulty point in FRQ #1, usually only earned by students receiving an AP 5, whereas students achieving AP 4s could typically answer part D.i. accurately. So if you’re able to complete both sections of Part D accurately and well, you’re very much performing in the AP 5 range.

FRQ #2, a long free-response question about gene expression regulation, presented students with data on mRNA levels across cells with different AGO2 genotypes and asked them to construct a bar graph, interpret statistical overlap, calculate percent change, and connect molecular-level findings to a cellular phenotype (meiotic arrest). The multi-step quantitative and reasoning demands — including graphing with appropriate error bars, applying statistical reasoning to determine equivalence, and explaining how the absence of a protein leads to a downstream meiotic failure — make this question an excellent showcase of the scientific reasoning AP Biology teaches.

Part A effectively distinguished students achieving AP 3s, who can consistently describe where ribosomes are found in eukaryotic cells, from students receiving AP 2s, who could not.

In Part B, students receiving 2s could typically earn partial credit, whereas students earning AP 3s were much more able to work effectively across the various tasks here of appropriately plotting and labeling their graphs and interpreting the statistical overlap.

Part C differentiated AP 4s, as they were generally much more able to succeed on this part than AP 3s. Similarly, Part D differentiated AP 5s, as they were the only group consistently successful at supporting the scientific claim and explaining the effect on the dividing cells.

FRQ #3, a short free-response scientific investigation about cyanide and cellular respiration, tested students' ability to analyze an experimental design, identify control groups, predict outcomes, and connect inhibited cellular respiration to the switch to fermentation. Across 4 points, students had to demonstrate understanding of electron transport chain function and the metabolic consequences of its disruption.

This question aimed at identifying performance at the AP 3, 4, and 5 levels, as students receiving 1s and 2s were not usually able to earn any of the points on this somewhat challenging FRQ. Students achieving AP 5s were generally able to sail through all parts of this question thoroughly and well. And the clearest boundary point between students receiving AP 4s and AP 3s was Part D, the most challenging part of this question, and one that AP 3s were not likely to earn.

FRQ #4, the most difficult question in this year’s free-response section, asked students to describe chromosome movement in Meiosis I, explain why chromosomes are visible during cell division, predict mRNA production differences from nondisjunction, and justify why triploid organisms cannot produce normal gametes. The progression from descriptive recall to predictive reasoning to mechanistic justification models precisely how AP Biology builds scientific argument across four parts in a single short-response format.

Similar to FRQ #3, this question focused squarely on differentiating performance across the scores of AP 3, 4, and 5. Students earning AP 3s could typically only succeed on Part A, whereas students earning AP 4s could also generally succeed on Part B, and only AP students achieving 5s were able to earn the especially difficult points in Parts C and D.

FRQ #5 required students to connect abiotic selective pressures to phenotypic shifts, read a geographic map figure, identify a region by storm intensity, and explain how divergent selective pressures could drive speciation through reproductive isolation. The question integrates Units 7 and 8 and demonstrates that AP Biology students are expected to reason about evolution at both the mechanistic and population levels simultaneously.

This was the easiest question on this year’s free-response section, and thus provided opportunities to differentiate students receiving AP 2s from those receiving 1s, as students receiving 2s were able to earn points in Part B and/or Part C, but unable to describe the role that changes in abiotic factors have in natural selection in the ways students receiving AP 3s and especially 4s were able to do. Part D served to identify students achieving AP 5s, so if you were able to earn that point, it’s likely you’re on track for a 5.

FRQ #6 asked students to interpret a box-and-whisker plot comparing annual percent change in raptor populations across three African regions, identify medians and extremes, evaluate a scientific hypothesis using the data, and explain ecosystem-level consequences of losing top predators.

This question aimed to differentiate clearly among students receiving AP 3s, 4s, or 5s, as the high difficulty level was generally above the knowledge and skills of students receiving AP 1s and 2s. Specifically, students receiving AP 3s were expected to succeed on Part A, while students receiving credit for Part B and Part C were students earning AP 4s or 5s, and students succeeding on part D were achieving an AP 5.

All subjects’ AP score distributions for 2026 will be posted here when available: https://t.co/OrkaQhPZYO

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

Rare tick-borne virus turns deadly fast as US cases reach record high, experts warn - Fox News https://t.co/1rBUyY7SLD

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

Saharan dust settles over hurricane breeding grounds. Here's what it means for hurricane season
https://t.co/GlxOB0jOOW

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

Here's everything you need to know about flesh-eating parasite in the US as cases triple in size
https://t.co/J0XM4AL9LD

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

Deep-sea discovery uncovers one of the largest known whale graveyards on the floor of the Indian Ocean
https://t.co/yJB70i4Cvh

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

Deadly parasite kills hundreds of salmon through well-known river expanding through Pacific Northwest
https://t.co/4a6dOhCeUg

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

https://t.co/lHrtcpwGZe

[Trevor Packer @AP_Trevor]

The 2026 AP Environmental Science Exam scores:
5: 13%; 4: 29%; 3: 27%; 2: 15%; 1: 16%

The 2026 AP Environmental Science exam was taken by ~245,000 students, roughly 1.6% of the U.S. high school population.

AP Environmental Science Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs):

Students demonstrated strong understanding of Unit 7: Atmospheric Pollution and Unit 5: Land and Water Use. Typically, students achieving AP 4s and AP 5s answered 100% of these questions correctly, students achieving AP 3s only missed a single point within this unit, and students receiving AP 2s answered all but two such questions right.

Their performance was similarly strong on questions related to Unit 5, Land and Water Use. To achieve an AP 5, students generally answered 100% of these questions right, to achieve an AP 4, at least 91% of these questions right, and to achieve an AP 3, at least 80% of these questions right.

Questions about Unit 2: The Living World - Biodiversity helped to distinguish students earning AP scores of 3 or higher, who were typically able to answer most of these questions correctly, from students receiving AP scores of 1 and 2, who were not. Based on this, students may benefit from more instructional emphasis on concepts related to biodiversity.

The most challenging MCQs required Skill 6: Mathematical Routines. Math remains one of the most differentiating skills for students in this course, as students were generally able to answer a meaningful number of these questions correctly in order to receive an AP 3 or higher, and typically answered all or all-but-one correctly to receive an AP 5.

AP Environmental Science Free-Response Questions (FRQs):

The FRQ section is designed to assess students' capacity to integrate topics across the AP Environmental Science course framework and apply their understanding of these topics to real-world scenarios. For the 2026 exam, the FRQ section covered topics such as species distribution, climate adaptation, energy systems, aquatic pollution, and wildlife conservation. Each free response question includes 10 points and is designed to assess a range of skill levels within the same question, with a focus on higher-order skills expected of college-level learning in environmental science.

Here’s a link to this year’s questions:
https://t.co/NlGC19cyVS

Since AP scores are reported on a 5-point scale, the free-response questions deliberately include some very difficult points, designed to differentiate AP 5s from AP 4s, points of varying difficulty levels to differentiate AP 4s, 3s, and 2s, and more foundational points to separate AP 2s from AP 1s.

This section as a whole required students to demonstrate their understanding of experimental design (Q1), analyze real environmental data (Q2), and use mathematical operations to analyze an environmental problem (Q3). To be blunt: the faculty committee who wrote these questions was laser-focused on the higher-order skills that represent college-level performance.

FRQ #1: Design an Investigation

This question presented students with a diagram of five bird species' current and predicted future elevation distributions within a tropical mountain range. Among other tasks, students had to interpret species richness patterns, reason about climate conditions at different elevations, and explain predator-prey dynamics in response to shifting prey communities. The question required students to demonstrate the capacity to apply fundamental concepts to a breadth of scenarios grounded in terrestrial ecology, marine biology, and climate systems.

Part A was a basic entry point that requires a fundamental skill expected even among many students receiving AP 1s: the ability to accurately read a scientific diagram. 93% of students earned this point.

Part C differentiated between students receiving an AP 2 and those receiving an AP 1; it required students to verbalize an understanding of a core principle in predator / prey dynamics.

Parts D and F, which require students to understand and explain a scientific prediction, and to identify an independent variable within a scientific experiment, distinguish students achieving AP 3s, who were able to earn these points, from students receiving AP 2s, who are not.

Part G, which required students to articulate an experimental design question relevant to the stimulus, was the best differentiator between students achieving AP 4s and students achieving AP 3s; students receiving the lower score were usually unable to demonstrate this skill.

Part H, in which students were asked to explain how sediment volume changed experimental conclusions, was the most difficult point to earn, typically achieved only by students receiving AP 5s, and Part I (in which students needed to describe a positive feedback loop in the Arctic) was also quite challenging, the best differentiator between AP 4s, who often could not earn this point, and AP 5s, who typically could; 17% of students earned the point for Part I.

FRQ #2: Analyze an Environmental Problem and Propose a Solution

This question used a graph of energy consumption by source from 1950 to 2020 to assess students' ability to read longitudinal data, explain mechanisms behind energy transitions, and reason about electricity generation from both fossil fuel and nuclear sources. The question then shifted to aquatic ecology, asking students to explain how excess nutrients from runoff can drive eutrophication and hypoxia, and to propose and justify a realistic solution to this problem.

Part B – as in FRQ 1, the point requiring basic, accurate understanding of scientific data within a graph – was expected even among many students receiving an AP 1. 96% of students were able to earn this point, the easiest within this year’s entire FRQ section.

Part A was the key differentiating point between AP scores of 2 and 1, as students receiving an AP 1 were generally unable to recall and state with accuracy a renewable energy source that is used to generate electricity.

Part E, H, and I distinguished students achieving AP 4s and AP 5s from students achieving AP 3s, who were able to succeed on the other parts of this FRQ, but often found these three parts too challenging.

FRQ #3: Analyze an Environmental Problem and Propose a Solution Doing Calculations

This question required students to apply mathematical skills to the analysis of a real-world conservation scenario involving ocelots. Students estimated percent change in ocelot habitat, applied the Rule of 70 to estimate population doubling time, and reasoned through dietary needs based on available prey and assumptions about trophic energy transfer. They also proposed and justified a realistic solution to wildlife-vehicle collisions.

Part A, in which students identified an environmental consequence of a reduced ocelot population, was earned by 85% of students, serving as the key differentiator between AP 2s and AP 1s on this question.

Parts B, C – each of which require mathematical calculations – were the most significant differentiators between students achieving AP 4s and students receiving AP 3s, as students receiving AP 3s were not consistently able to earn all four of these points.

Part E, which required students to calculate the number of individual prey needed to fill a particular dietary component for ocelots, was the clearest distinction between students earning a 3, who were generally able to succeed on these tasks, and students receiving a 2, who were not.

Part D, which did not require a mathematical operation, was the most challenging part of this FRQ, usually only earned by students receiving AP 4s and 5s.

All subjects' AP score distributions for 2026 will be posted here when available: https://t.co/OrkaQhPZYO.

[Trevor Packer @AP_Trevor]

The 2026 AP Chemistry Exam scores:
5: 15%; 4: 31%; 3: 30%; 2: 18%; 1: 6%

In 2026, ~185,000 AP students took the AP Chemistry Exam — roughly 1% of the U.S. high school population.

AP Chemistry Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ)

• Students performed especially well on questions covering Unit 1: Atomic Structure and Properties (70% of students earned most of the points available on such questions), Unit 4: Chemical Reactions (74% of students earned most of these points), and Unit 9: Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry (72% earned most of these points).

• The most challenging MCQ content area was Unit 7: Equilibrium, a unit that requires students to write equilibrium expressions, calculate equilibrium quantities, predict shifts using Le Chatelier's Principle, and relate Ksp to ion concentrations in solubility problems. 34% of students answered most of these questions correctly. Almost as challenging were the questions related to Unit 6: Thermochemistry; 49% of students got most of these right.

AP Chemistry Free-Response Questions (FRQ)

Each AP exam has multiple versions, for different time zones. I'll focus the commentary below on the version taken by most students:
https://t.co/9ABpo6mn4z

Since AP scores are reported on a 5-point scale, the free-response questions deliberately include some very difficult points, designed to differentiate AP 5s from AP 4s, points of varying difficulty to differentiate AP 4s, 3s, and 2s, and more foundational points to separate AP 2s from AP 1s.

FRQ #1, the KCl Calorimetry and Solubility question (10 points), is a multi-part investigation anchored in dissolution thermochemistry, and it was the most difficult of the long questions on this year’s exam, serving to differentiate among exams scoring AP 3s, 4s, and 5s, as students receiving AP 1s and 2s were generally unable to earn many of these points. The breadth of knowledge and skills demanded here, from conceptual reasoning about atomic structure to multi-step calorimetric calculations to qualitative equilibrium analysis, is a great representation of rigorous, college-level lab chemistry.

• Part B (describing how to identify when dissolution ends) was a key differentiator between AP 3s and AP 2s, as AP 3s were consistently able to earn this point, whereas AP 2s were not.

• Part D (applying error analysis to justify a directional claim about the calculated enthalpy) was the most challenging part of this question, typically achieved only by students receiving AP 5s.

FRQ #2, the Chromium Species question (10 points), asked students to work through various concepts, from Lewis structures to electrochemical stoichiometry using Faraday's laws, and first-order reaction kinetics. The final part required students to draw a natural log of concentration versus time graph to demonstrate their understanding of how changing reactant concentration shifts a kinetics curve. Almost as challenging as FRQ 1, this question also served to differentiate among students scoring AP 3s, 4s, and 5s, as students receiving scores of AP 1s and 2s were generally unable to earn many of these points.

• Part E (using data specifically from the concentration versus time graph to support that the reaction is first order) was the most challenging point on Q2, and it differentiated between students receiving an AP 5 and those earning an AP 4, who were not usually able to earn this point.

• Part B(i) (writing a balanced net ionic equation for the reaction between chromate and a strong acid) was almost as challenging, also often making the difference between whether a student received a 4 or a 5.

FRQ #3, the Nitrous Acid question (10 points), was somewhat less challenging than the two other long questions, serving also to differentiate between scores of AP 2 and 3. Across this FRQ, students were asked to demonstrate a range of college-level chemistry knowledge and skills, from identifying conjugate acid-base pairs to calculating various weak acid equilibrium quantities to analyzing the results of a titration experiment.

• Part D (using the titration curve to determine the pH at the equivalence point) was an important distinguishing point for students earning AP 3s, requiring a fundamental understanding of the stoichiometric endpoint; students receiving AP 2s were not typically able to earn this point.

• Part G (calculating the K value for the neutralization reaction) was the most difficult point on this question, usually only earned by students achieving AP 4s and 5s.

FRQ #4, the P4 and P2 Equilibrium question, spans molecular structure reasoning all the way to thermodynamic argumentation — in just four points.

• The second point of Part B (calculating Kp from partial pressures) was earned by most students, but was not typically attained by students receiving 1s and 2s.

• Part C (justifying whether the reaction was endothermic based on thermodynamic principles) was the most challenging part of this question, typically performed accurately by students receiving 4s and 5s.

FRQ #5, the CBrClF2 Molecular Structure question (4 points) was challenging, distinguishing between scores of AP 4 and 5, as students receiving other scores were not usually able to earn many of these points. This question weaves together VSEPR theory, electronegativity, and intermolecular force reasoning — three important and interconnected concepts in first-semester college chemistry.

• Part B (explaining bond angle differences via electron cloud size and repulsion) was the most challenging point, generally only earned by the students receiving AP 5s.

FRQ #6, the Vanadium(II) Spectrophotometry question (4 points), was a moderately challenging question, and helped to distinguish among students within the score range of AP 3, 4, and 5, as students with lower scores generally could not engage with this level of difficulty. This question was anchored in an authentic laboratory context: students had to draw a particle diagram to represent the dilution of a V2+ solution; apply Beer's Law to calculate molar absorptivity from a standard curve; use molar absorptivity to find the concentration of an unknown solution; and assess the effect of a volumetric error on the calculated molarity — correctly determining the direction of the error and supporting the claim with a valid justification.

• Part A (drawing a particle model consistent with dilution by a factor of 2) is an effective differentiator between students achieving AP scores of 2, which could not earn this point, and scores of 3, which could.

FRQ #7, the Na2O Enthalpy question (4 points), was another challenging one. Students had to apply Hess's Law to calculate ΔH°; identify the limiting reactant from reactant masses; calculate the energy released from that amount of limiting reactant; and explain why Na2O has weaker lattice energy than Rb2O by connecting the separation between ions to Coulombic force.

• Part C (requiring students to invoke the relationship between ionic separation and lattice energy using Coulomb's law reasoning) was earned by 17% of students, typically only achieved by students receiving an AP 5.

All subjects' AP score distributions for 2026 will be posted here when available: https://t.co/OrkaQhPZYO

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

AI weather models changing the hurricane forecast game https://t.co/CgbHEEK68s

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

https://t.co/2e17HMCN4C

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

Animal Advocate: Great hammerhead sharks show temperature resilience, researchers say https://t.co/wpGjM0BYZW

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

Trump administration reverses course on deep-ocean monitoring system after bipartisan backlash https://t.co/20OMsQEX6L

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

One of America's most dangerous fault lines reaches highest stress levels in 1,000 years, study finds
https://t.co/QIDR7Dewzm

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

Warnings of a shark surge in California this summer https://t.co/mPWtxlWUwb via @YouTube

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

https://t.co/ZhB9FD1sZP

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

https://t.co/wD5dSGhcb3

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

A massive volunteer network in Florida works to save endangered sea turtles - Inside Climate News https://t.co/635GccB20X

[George Oxar @Georgeoxar]

https://t.co/zg4UMbUcoF