Biology Prep - "Assess your knowledge in biology to target your study time more effectively."


PRIMARY SOURCES:

Biology (Foundations) online course - requires registration
Biology Upper Secondary - 1 online course - continues from Biology (Foundations)
Biology Upper Secondary - 2 online course - continues from Upper Secondary - 1
CK-12's Biology Textbook
CK-12's Biology Textbook, Teacher's Edition
CK-12's Biology Workbook
Online Biology Textbook
HippoCampus Biology
Virtual Labs - 31 virtual lab experiments
Virtual Pig Dissection
Virtual Cat Dissection


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

PASS Biology - this file contains both teacher and student editions of the textbooks.
Biology lectures - requires free iTunes software
MIT's Open Course Biology
University of Arizona's The Biology Project
Action Bioscience
Biology in Motion
Biology Tutorial Sites
Unseen Life on Earth - 12 half-hour videos about microbiology
CLEP Biology Exam description page


TESTING PRACTICE AND FINAL EXAM:

Final Exam
Biology study guides, sample tests, and End-of-Course exam


CLEP Biology Exam Outline (2010)

The following is a breakdown of the topics covered by the CLEP test for Biology. Keep this outline handy during your studies and make notes for each portion of the exam, for reviewing later.

33% Molecular and Cellular Biology

Chemical composition of organisms

Simple chemical reactions and bonds

Properties of water

Chemical structure of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids

Origin of life

Cells

Structure and function of cell organelles

Properties of cell membranes

Comparison of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells

Enzymes

Enzyme-substrate complex

Roles of coenzymes

Inorganic cofactors

Inhibition and regulation

Energy transformations

Glycolysis, respiration, anaerobic pathways

Photosynthesis

Cell division

Structure of chromosomes

Mitosis, meiosis, and cytokinesis in plants and animals

Chemical nature of the gene

Watson-Crick model of nucleic acids

DNA replication

Mutations

Control of protein synthesis: transcription, translation, posttranscriptional processing

Structural and regulatory genes

Transformation

Viruses

34% Organismal Biology

Structure and function in plants with emphasis on angiosperms

Root, stem, leaf, flower, seed, fruit

Water and mineral absorption and transport

Food translocation and storage

Plant reproduction and development

Alternation of generations in ferns, conifers, and flowering plants

Gamete formation and fertilization

Growth and development: hormonal control

Tropisms and photoperiodicity

Structure and function in animals with emphasis on vertebrates

Major systems (e.g., digestive, gas exchange, skeletal, nervous, circulatory, excretory, immune)

Homeostatic mechanisms

Hormonal control in homeostasis and reproduction

Animal reproduction and development

Gamete formation, fertilization

Cleavage, gastrulation, germ layer formation, differentiation of organ systems

Experimental analysis of vertebrate development

Extraembryonic membranes of vertebrates

Formation and function of the mammalian placenta

Blood circulation in the human embryo

Principles of heredity

Mendelian inheritance (dominance, segregation, independent assortment)

Chromosomal basis of inheritance

Linkage, including sex-linked

Polygenic inheritance (height, skin color)

33% Population Biology

Principles of ecology

Energy flow and productivity in ecosystems

Biogeochemical cycles

Population growth and regulation (natality, mortality, competition, migration, density, r- and K-selection)

Community structure, growth, regulation (major biomes and succession)

Habitat (biotic and abiotic factors)

Concept of niche

Island biogeography

Evolutionary ecology (life history strategies, altruism, kin selection)

Principles of evolution

History of evolutionary concepts

Concepts of natural selection (differential reproduction, mutation, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, speciation, punctuated equilibrium)

Adaptive radiation

Major features of plant and animal evolution

Concepts of homology and analogy

Convergence, extinction, balanced polymorphism, genetic drift

Classification of living organisms

Evolutionary history of humans

Principles of behavior

Stereotyped, learned social behavior

Societies (insects, birds, primates)

Social biology

Human population growth (age composition, birth and fertility rates, theory of demographic transition)

Human intervention in the natural world (management of resources, environmental pollution)

Biomedical progress (control of human reproduction, genetic engineering)

Recommended Course of Study:

Pre-test your knowledge with the Biology Prep site. Complete the online courses. Download the CK-12 textbooks and workbook and design a study schedule. Complete the lessons on the HippoCampus Biology website, and explore the virtual labs. Complete the virtual pig and/or cat dissections. Use the Online Biology Textbook for further studying. The additional resources are provided for extra practice and help. Finish the course by taking some practice quizzes and then one or both of the End-of-Course/Final exams.

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