Download Biology Exam Snapshot

Biology Exam Snapshot
Time Allowed:
240 minutes
Format:
Multiple-choice
Number of Questions:
145
On-Screen Exhibits:
(available as relevant)
Standard calculator; Periodic Table
Passing Score:
Proficient: 266
Distinguished: 311
Exam Summary:
(The number of questions answered
correctly is converted to a scaled
score ranging from 0 to 500.)
Content Domains
Approximate
Percentage of
Examination
General Science Knowledge
20%
Scientific Investigation
15%
Biochemical Basis of Life
6%
Cell Biology and Microbiology
10%
Classical Genetics
4%
Molecular Biology
11%
Evolution
7%
Comparative Physiology
6%
Human Physiology
9%
Plant Biology and Physiology
6%
Ecology
6%
About This Exam
The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence believes that highly skilled biology teachers should
possess a comprehensive body of scientific knowledge that is research-based and promotes student achievement.
The biology exam is a rigorous assessment of a candidate’s knowledge and application of general biology. The topics
assessed are characteristically covered in introductory college level biology courses, although some more advanced
questions are included, as teachers must hold a more sophisticated understanding of biology content than that
presented to their students.
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Biology Exam Snapshot
General Science Knowledge
•
Classical Genetics
General science knowledge in the subjects of
chemistry, Earth science, and physics
Scientific Investigation
•
Scientific method
•
Accuracy, precision, and error
•
Scientific notation and significant digits
•
Procedures for the safe handling of laboratory
materials
•
Mendelian principles of independent
assortment, segregation, and rules of
inheritance
•
Relation of genotype to phenotype
•
Inheritance and genetic linkage
•
Causes and symptoms of common genetic
diseases and chromosomal abnormalities
Molecular Biology
Biochemical Basis Of Life
•
Discovery and importance of the DNA
structure
•
DNA replication, transcription, and translation
•
Mutations, genetic variation, and gene
expression
•
Chemical structures and functional groups
•
Classification of molecules and isomers
•
pH and ionization
•
Chromosomal rearrangements
•
Structures and classification of polymers,
carbohydrates, nucleic acids, fatty acids, and
proteins
•
Function and regulation of bacterial operons
•
Eukaryotic gene regulation
•
Cell differentiation in multicellular organisms
•
Process and purpose of DNA technology
•
Pluripotency of plant cells and animal stem
cells
Cell Biology And Microbiology
•
Development of cell theory
•
Means of transport in a cell system
•
Functions of glycolysis, fermentation, the citric
acid cycle, and electron transport system
•
ATP generation
•
Functions of light-dependent and lightindependent reactions of photosynthesis
•
C4 and CAM plants
•
Endomembrane system in eukaryotic cells
•
Structures and functions of cell components
•
Cell division
•
Structure and characteristics of bacteria and
viruses
•
Lamarck’s and Darwin’s theories of evolution
Evolution
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•
Important biological events and the geologic
time scale
•
Mass extinction and the fossil record
•
Endosymbiotic hypothesis
•
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
•
Natural selection
•
Macroevolution, microevolution, gradualism,
punctuated equilibrium, and homologous and
analogous structures
Biology Exam Snapshot
Comparative Phsyiology
•
Characteristics and body plan of the major
animal phyla
•
Levels of organization and the structures and
functions of different types of animal tissues
•
Evolution and structure of the respiratory,
circulatory, digestive, excretory, and nervous
systems of vertebrates and invertebrates
Plant Biology / Physiology
Human Physiology
•
Structure and function of the human sensory
organs
•
The nervous system
•
The digestive system
•
Blood pressure, the various components of
blood, and the route of blood through the
human body
•
Evolution of plants
•
Structure of a flowering plant and its
reproductive structures and functions
•
Alteration of generation in plants
•
Cellular structure of a leaf, photosynthesis,
and transpiration
•
Meristematic tissues
•
Sugar loading and unloading in plants
•
Plant response to the environment and
different types of stress
Ecology
•
Structure and dynamics of a population
•
Density-dependent and density-independent
factors in a population
•
The respiratory system
•
•
Pathogens, immunity, and the body’s
nonspecific defenses
Theoretical niche, realized niche, Gause’s
principle of competitive exclusion
•
Antigens, the production of antigen-specific
antibodies, and vaccines
Symbiotic relationships and organism defense
mechanisms
•
The nitrogen cycle
•
Nutrient cycling
•
The processes of ecological succession
•
Human impact on the biosphere
•
•
Functions of the kidneys, the liver, and the
excretory system
•
The endocrine system
•
The reproductive system
•
The musculoskeletal system
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