USABO: Student Study Guides

Mentors at USABO Finals

Preparing for USABO

All registered teachers will receive access to the USABO Teacher Resource Center. The Teacher Resource Center provides guidance to teachers and students preparing for the USABO exams. It contains sample questions, study hints, helpful links and the IBO exam guidelines.

Download examples of USABO Part A and Part B exam questions.

Primary Reference

The overall content of the USABO exams comes from the leading textbook in biology, Campbell and Reece's Biology. The best thing students can do to prepare for the competition is thoroughly study the textbook. Students should attempt to learn the charts and formulas in the book and be able to reproduce them.

Biology (8th Edition)

  • by Neil A. Campbell; Jane B. Reece; Lisa A. Urry; Michael L. Cain; Steven A. Wasserman; Peter V. Minorsky; Robert B. Jackson
  • Publisher: Benjamin Cummings
  • Copyright Year: 2008
  • Publishing Date: 11/27/2007
  • eText ISBN-10: 0-321-54844-2 eText ISBN-13: 978-0-321-54844-3
  • Print ISBN-10: 0-321-54325-4 Print ISBN-13: 978-0-321-54325-7
  • Course: Introductory Biology
  • Pages: 1393

Additional References

Biology Open Course Ware
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Biology/
Advanced: MIT OpenCourseWare is a free and open educational resource for educators, students, and self-learners around the world. A student can consult the Introductory Biology courses (7.012, 7.013 and 7.014) and review the associated problem sets. These problems are concept based and excellent way to study once the student has memorized the facts from Campbell’s Biology. The courses may offer actual tapes of the lectures, recitations, notes, readings, problem sets, quizzes and exams. There is no cost.

Biology, An online textbook.
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/
Less Advanced: An additional reference for those who wish to check something quickly. It is organized alphabetically, by topic. Rapidly changing topics such as immunology are regularly updated. Many of the graphics are exceptionally well done.

Biology of Plants (7th Edition)

  • Authors: Peter H. Raven, Ray E. Evert, Susan E. Eichhorn
  • Publisher: W. H. Freeman
  • Publishing Date: 12/17/04
  • ISBN: 0716710072
  • Pages: 944

Molecular Biology of the Cell
This book is a classic and a requirement for molecular biology students. However, it is expensive and detailed. You are not required to purchase it.