• 57 questions

AP Psych Unit 1 Practice Test

Unofficial multiple-choice practice for Unit 1 of AP Psychology, Biological Bases of Behavior.

Researchers measure how alike identical twins raised in different homes are on a shyness scale. What is this kind of study mainly used to estimate?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the College Board. Bank checked October 8, 2026.

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All 57 questions

Topic 1.1: Heredity and environment 4

  • A psychologist argues that fear of heights is common because ancestors who kept away from cliff edges were more likely to survive and have children. Which idea is the argument built on? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "natural selection"; course topic 1.1
  • A study finds that adopted children's scores on a personality test resemble their biological parents' scores more than their adoptive parents' scores. Which research design is this? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "adoption study"; course topic 1.1
  • Researchers measure how alike identical twins raised in different homes are on a shyness scale. What is this kind of study mainly used to estimate? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "twin study"; course topic 1.1
  • Which statement matches the view most scientists now hold on the nature-nurture issue? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "nature-nurture"; course topic 1.1
Show all 57 questions (53 more)

Topic 1.2: The nervous system 5

  • A hiker rounds a bend and sees a bear. Her pupils widen and her heart pounds. Which part of the nervous system is driving these changes? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "sympathetic nervous system"; course topic 1.2
  • A student decides to raise her hand. The nerves that carry the command to the muscles of her arm belong to which system? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "somatic nervous system"; course topic 1.2
  • An hour after a scare, a student's heart rate has slowed and his stomach is digesting lunch again. Which division brought his body back to rest? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "parasympathetic nervous system"; course topic 1.2
  • Which of these is controlled by the autonomic nervous system? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "autonomic nervous system"; course topic 1.2
  • Which two structures make up the central nervous system? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "central nervous system" and "peripheral nervous system"; course topic 1.2

Topic 1.3: The neuron and neural firing 13

  • A child touches a hot pan and pulls back before feeling any pain. Which path does the signal for this reflex take? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "reflex arc"; course topic 1.3
  • A drug binds to a receptor without stimulating it, which leaves fewer receptors open to the body's own neurotransmitter. What is such a drug called? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "antagonist" and "agonist"; course topic 1.3
  • A medication keeps the sending neuron from reabsorbing the serotonin it has released into the synapse. How is the medication best classified? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "reuptake"; course topic 1.3
  • A neuron is hit with a stimulus far above its threshold instead of one just above it. Under the all-or-none principle, how does the action potential compare? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "all-or-none law"; course topic 1.3
  • A runner finishes a long race on a sore ankle and says it hardly hurt until afterward. Release of which chemicals best explains this? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "endorphin"; course topic 1.3
  • A student drinks strong coffee and soon feels less tired, with a faster pulse. To which class of psychoactive drugs does caffeine belong? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "caffeine"; course topic 1.3
  • After months of regular use, a person needs a much larger dose of a drug to get the effect a small dose once produced. What has developed? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "tolerance"; course topic 1.3
  • During depolarization, what happens to the electric charge inside a neuron's membrane? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "depolarization"; course topic 1.3
  • In multiple sclerosis, neural transmission is disrupted because of damage to which part of the nerve? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "multiple sclerosis"; course topic 1.3
  • Myasthenia gravis makes muscles tire quickly because the body produces antibodies against the receptors for which neurotransmitter? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "myasthenia gravis"; course topic 1.3
  • Right after a neuron fires there is a brief span in which it will not respond to another stimulus. What is this span called? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "refractory period"; course topic 1.3
  • Which cells support neurons structurally and nutritionally and form the myelin sheath around axons? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "glia"; course topic 1.3
  • Which pairing of neurotransmitter and main effect is correct? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "gamma-aminobutyric acid" and "glutamate"; course topic 1.3

Topic 1.4: The brain 11

  • A hard blow to the very back of the head is most likely to disturb which function? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "occipital lobe"; course topic 1.4
  • A researcher spends two years studying one patient with a rare pattern of brain damage. What is the main limit of this method? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "case study"; course topic 1.4
  • A sleep researcher needs a continuous record of the brain's electrical activity through the night. Which tool gives it? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "electroencephalography"; course topic 1.4
  • A young child loses part of one brain region in an accident, and over the next years other regions take over much of its work. What does this show? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "functional plasticity"; course topic 1.4
  • After a stroke, a man understands what is said to him but struggles to produce speech. Where is the damage most likely? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "Broca's area" and "Wernicke's area"; course topic 1.4
  • After an injury low at the back of the brain, a gymnast has trouble keeping her balance and making smooth, well-timed movements. Which structure was most likely damaged? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "cerebellum"; course topic 1.4
  • After damage to one structure, a patient can no longer form new memories of facts and events. Which structure is most likely involved? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "hippocampus"; course topic 1.4
  • Brain scans show an almond-shaped part of the temporal lobe becoming active when volunteers view threatening pictures. Which structure is it? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "amygdala"; course topic 1.4
  • Damage to which structure would most directly threaten breathing and heartbeat? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "medulla oblongata"; course topic 1.4
  • Laying out a study plan for the week and holding back the urge to check a phone rely most on which region? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "prefrontal cortex"; course topic 1.4
  • Surgeons sometimes sever the corpus callosum to treat severe epilepsy. What is the direct result for the brain? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "split brain"; course topic 1.4

Topic 1.5: Sleep 9

  • A man's breathing stops for short spells many times a night, and he is very sleepy by day. Which sleep disorder is described? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "sleep apnea"; course topic 1.5
  • A nurse who switches between day and night shifts finds herself wide awake at bedtime and drowsy at work. What has been disrupted? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "circadian rhythm" and "jet lag"; course topic 1.5
  • A woman has sudden attacks of sleep during the day and drops straight into REM sleep when they come. Which sleep disorder fits? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "narcolepsy"; course topic 1.5
  • According to the activation-synthesis view, what is a dream? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "activation-synthesis hypothesis"; course topic 1.5
  • During REM sleep a man kicks and shouts, acting out his dreams, because the usual muscle relaxation of REM is missing. Which disorder is this? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "REM sleep behavior disorder" and "sleepwalking disorder"; course topic 1.5
  • Researchers flip a coin to place each volunteer in a group allowed eight hours of sleep or a group allowed four, then test everyone's reaction time. Why use the coin flip? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "random assignment"; course topic 1.5
  • Volunteers are woken each time they enter REM sleep for three nights, then allowed to sleep undisturbed. What is most likely on the recovery night? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "REM rebound"; course topic 1.5
  • While drifting off to sleep, a student briefly sees a vivid, dreamlike image. What is this kind of experience called? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "hypnagogic"; course topic 1.5
  • Why is REM sleep also called paradoxical sleep? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "REM sleep"; course topic 1.5

Topic 1.6: Sensation 15

  • A lifter notices when 1 kg is added to a 10 kg bar but not when 1 kg is added to a 50 kg bar. Which principle explains this? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "Weber's law"; course topic 1.6
  • A musician reports that whenever she hears a certain note she also sees a patch of green. What is this experience called? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "synesthesia"; course topic 1.6
  • A swimmer shivers on entering a cool pool, but after a few minutes the water no longer feels cold. What explains the change? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "adaptation"; course topic 1.6
  • According to gate-control theory, what must pain signals do before a person feels pain? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "gate-control theory"; course topic 1.6
  • After a brain injury, a woman can no longer recognize her friends by their faces, although she identifies everyday objects without trouble. What is this condition? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "prosopagnosia"; course topic 1.6
  • After staring at a bright yellow square for a minute, a viewer looks at a white wall and sees a square in the complementary color. Which theory of color vision best accounts for this? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "afterimage" and "opponent process theory of color vision"; course topic 1.6
  • In a hearing test, the faintest tone a listener can detect on half of the trials marks which value? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "absolute threshold"; course topic 1.6
  • Minutes after entering a dark theater, a moviegoer can make out the shapes of the seats but not their colors. Which receptors are doing most of the work? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "retinal rod"; course topic 1.6
  • Months after losing his left arm, a man still feels tingling where his hand used to be. What is this experience called? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "phantom limb"; course topic 1.6
  • To test whether background noise changes how faint a tone people can detect, a researcher tests one group in a quiet room and another in a noisy room. What is the noise level in this study? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "independent variable" and "dependent variable"; course topic 1.6
  • Which finding fits trichromatic theory? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "trichromatic theory"; course topic 1.6
  • Which structures in the inner ear detect movements of the head and are essential for keeping balance? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "semicircular canals"; course topic 1.6
  • Which theory says that pitch is coded by where along the basilar membrane stimulation is greatest? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "place theory"; course topic 1.6
  • Why does each eye have a blind spot? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "blind spot"; course topic 1.6
  • With her eyes closed, a dancer can still tell exactly where her arms and legs are. Which sense is she using? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "kinesthesis"; course topic 1.6

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to Unit 1 (Biological Bases of Behavior) of the College Board's AP Psychology Course and Exam Description, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-psychology-course-and-exam-description.pdf, read 2026-10-08. Each fact was read on 2026-10-08 in the entry of the APA Dictionary of Psychology (American Psychological Association, https://dictionary.apa.org) named under its question. Licence: Own work.

How it works

This AP Psychology Unit 1 practice test has 57 questions of our own on Biological Bases of Behavior, from heredity to sensation. It is unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by the College Board.

Read the full guide

What Unit 1 covers

The College Board's course description, read October 8, 2026, gives Unit 1 six topics, and each has a set here: 4 questions on heredity and environment, 5 on the nervous system, 13 on the neuron and neural firing, 11 on the brain, 9 on sleep and 15 on sensation. The description gives no topic a share, so the spread is ours.

Where the answers come from

Under each answer is the APA Dictionary of Psychology entry its fact was checked in, with a link to open it.

How the exam uses the unit

Most multiple-choice questions on the exam ask you to apply a concept to a scenario, so most questions here are short scenarios. A few ask about research design, as the exam does.

  • Learn the nervous system as a tree: central and peripheral, then somatic and autonomic, then sympathetic and parasympathetic.
  • The description limits the exam to eight neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, glutamate, GABA, endorphins, substance P and acetylcholine.
  • For each sleep disorder, note the one feature that sets it apart, such as narcolepsy's direct drop into REM sleep.

Questions and answers

What is Unit 1 in AP Psychology?

Biological Bases of Behavior: heredity and environment, the nervous system, the neuron and neural firing, the brain, sleep, and sensation. It is the first of five units in the current course description.

How much of the AP Psych exam is Unit 1?

Between 15 and 25% of the multiple-choice section, by the College Board's course page. All five units carry that same weighting.

Does AP Psych Unit 1 cover research methods?

Not as a unit of its own. In the current description, research methods and design is a science practice tested inside every unit, at about 25% of the multiple-choice section.

What does the exam leave out of Unit 1?

The description excludes details of genetics such as genotype and DNA, the sodium-potassium pump, endocrine glands other than the pituitary, and the psychoanalytic theory of dreams. None appears in these questions.

Is this the AP Psych Unit 1 Progress Check MCQ?

No. The Progress Check is the College Board's own set, about 15 multiple-choice questions for Unit 1, assigned by teachers in AP Classroom. These questions were written for this site and none repeats or rewords a real one.

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