MCAT SYLLABUS OF BIOLOGY 2015

MCAT MARKS DISTRIBUTION

Serial no	Subject	No. of Questions
1	PHYSICS	44
2	CHEMISTRY	58
3	ENGLISH	30
4	BIOLOGY	88
	TOTAL	220

TABLE OFCONTENTS

1. Introduction to Biology

2. Cell Biology

3. Biological Molecules

4. Microbiology

5. Kingdom Animalia and Plantae

6. Human Physiology

7. Bioenergetics

8. Biotechnology

9. Ecosystem

10. Evolutionand Genetics

1. INTRODUCTION TOBIOLOGY:

Content

Branches of Biology

Learning outcomes:

a) Define the following terms:

Transgenic  plants,  Cloning,  Pasteurization,  Preventive  measure,  Vaccinization,

Drug therapy

2. CELL BIOLOGY:

Content

Cell structure

Structure and Function of cellular organelles

Cell division

Learning outcomes:

a) Compare the structure of typical animal and plant cell

b) Compare and contrast the structure of Prokaryotic cell with Eukaryotic cells

c) Fluid  mosaic  model  of  cell  membrane  and  transportation  (diffusion,  facilitated

diffusion, active and passive transport), endocytosis and exocytosis.

d) Outline the structure and function of the following organelles:

Nucleus,  Endoplasmic  reticulum,  Golgi  apparatus,  Mitochondria,  Centrioles,Ribosomes

e) Describe  Meiotic  errors  (Down’s  syndrome,  Klinefelter’s  syndrome,  Turner’s syndrome)

3. BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES:

Content

Carbohydrate

Proteins

Lipids

Nucleic acids

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Ribonucleic acid (RNA)

Enzymes

Learning outcomes:

a) Discuss  carbohydrates:  Monosaccharides  (Glucose),  Oligosaccharides  (Cane  sugar,

sucrose), Polysaccharides (Starches)

b) Describe Proteins: Amino acids, structure of proteins

c) Describe Lipids: waxes, Phospholipids, Terpenoids

d) Describe  the  structure  along  its  back  bone  composition  and  function  of  DNA  as

hereditary  material,  Replication  of  DNA (Semi-conservative),  Role  of  triplet  codons,

Transcription  (making  up  of  mRNA),  Translation  (protein  synthesis:  role  of ribosomes, mRNA, tRNA)

e) Give the structure and typesof RNA (mRNA, rRNA, tRNA)

f) What is enzyme and its role in reducing activation energy?

g) Define the following terms:

 Enzymes, Coenzyme, Co-factor, Prosthetic group, Apoenzyme and Holoenzyme

h) Explain the mode/mechanism of enzyme action

i) Describe  the  effects  of  temperature,  pH,  enzyme  concentration  and  substrate

concentration on the rate of enzyme catalysed reaction

j) Explain  the  effects  of  reversible  and  irreversible,  competitive  and  non -competitive

inhibitorson the rate of enzyme activity

4. MICROBIOLOGY:

Content

Virus

Bacteria

Fungi

Learning outcomes

a) Which are the viral diseases in humans?

b) Reteroviruses and Acquired Immunodeficiency diseases

c) Describe the Life cycle of Bacteriophage (in detail with its all steps) including:

 Lytic cycle

 Lysogenic cycle

d) Describe the structure and types of bacteria

e) Discuss in detail:

 Gram +ve bacteria

 Gram –ve bacteria

 Nutrition in bacteria

f) What are the uses and misuses of antibiotics?

g) What  are  molds  (fungi)?  How  they  are  useful  and  harmful  to  mankind,  give

examples.

h) Describe the Life cycle of fungus (Rhizopus).

5. KINGDOM ANIMALIA AND PLANTAE:

Content

Kingdom Animalia (phyla)

Kingdom Plantae

Learning outcomes:

a) Porifera (with respect to their capacity to regenerate)

b) Coelenterata (coral reefs as habitat for sea animals)

c) Platyhelminthes

d) Ascheliminthes (Infection in humans) with examples

e) Arthropoda (Economic importance of Arthropods and harmful impacts on Man)

f) Define the following terms:

 Coelomata, Acoelomata, Pseudocoele, Radiata, Bilateria, Diploblastic and

Triploblastic organization.

6. HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY:

Content

a) Digestive System

b) Gas exchange and Transportation

c) Excretion and Osmoregulation

d) Nervous System

e) Reproduction

f) Support and Movement

g) Hormonal Control (Endocrine Glands)

h) Immunity

Learning outcomes:

a) Digestive System:

 Anatomy of digestive system and specify the digestion in:

-Oral cavity (role of saliva andenzymes)

-Stomach (enzymes)

-Small intestine

-Large intestine

b) Gas exchange and Transportation:

 Anatomy of respiratory system (nostrils, trachea, lungs)

 Explain the term breathing

 Lymph, structure of heart, carriage of oxygen and carbon dioxide

c) Excretion and Osmoregulation:

 Describe the structure of kidney and its functions with respect to homeostasis

What are Kidney problems and cures?

-Kidney stones, lithotripsy, kidney transplant, dialysis, renal failure

 What do you understand by the term Homeostasis?

d) Nervous System:

 What is Nervous system and its types?

 Explain CNS (Central Nervous System) including forebrain, mid brain, hind brain

and spinal cord

 Explain PNS (Peripheral Nervous System) and its types (Autonomic and

Sympathetic Nervous System)

 Neurons (Associative, motor and sensory neuron)

 Discuss the Nervous disorders (Parkinson’s disease, Epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease)

 What do you understand by Biological clock and circadian Rhythms?

e) Reproduction:

 Explain the Reproductive system in malein detail

 Explain the Reproductive system in female / Menstrual cycle

 Explain:

-Spermatogenesis

-Oogenesis

 Discuss the following Diseases in detail which are sexually transmitted:

- Gonorrhea, Syphilis, AIDS and how these diseases can be controlled

(treatmentis not required)

f) Support and Movement:

 Explain the role of Human skeleton and skeletal musclesin locomotion

 Explain the process of muscle contraction

 What is Muscle fatigue, Tetani, Cramps?

 Describe the structure and functions of involuntary, voluntary and cardiac muscles

g) Hormonal control (Endocrine glands):

 What are hormones?

 Describe Hypothalamus with its hormones.

 Describe Pituitary gland with hormones secreted from its Anterior, Median and Posterior lobe

 Describe adrenal gland with its hormones.

 What are Islets of langerhans?

 What are the hormones of alimentary canal (Gastrin, secretin)?

 Thehormones of ovaries and testes

h) Immunity:

 Immune system and define its components:

-Antigen

-Antibody (structure of antibody)

-Lymphocytes (B and T cells)

 What is cell mediated response and humoral immune response?

 Types of Immunity:

-Active immunity

-Passive immunity

 What do you mean by vaccination?

7. BIOENERGETICS:

Content

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration

Learning outcomes

a) Photosynthetic pigments and their absorption spectrum

b) Light dependent stage

c) Light independent stage

d) Describe the respiration at cellular level including:

Glycolysis, Krebs cycle, Electron Transport Chain

8. BIOTECHNOLOGY:

Content

DNA technology

Learning outcomes

a) Explain Recombinant DNA Technology

b) Discuss Polymerase Chain Reaction (detailed procedure)

c) What do you understand by the following terms:

 Gene therapy

 Transgenic animals

9. ECOSYSTEM:

Content

Components of Ecosystem

Biological succession

Energy flow in ecosystem

Impacts of Human activity on ecosystem

Learning outcomes:

a) What is succession, give various stages of succession on land.

b) What is the significance of Human activity on ecosystem as population, deforestation,

ozonedepletion, Green house effect.

10. EVOLUTIONAND GENETICS:

Content

Darwin’s theory

Lamarck’s theory

Evidences of evolution

Genetics

Learning outcomes

a) Theory of Darwin and Lamarck, also discuss the merits and demerits

b) Evidences of evolution from paleontology

c) Sex determination and sex linkage in humans

d) Define the following terms:

 Mutations, Epistasis, Gene, Allele, Multiple allele.

 

Table of Specification (Biology-2015)

Topic                                                                      MCQs

1. Introduction to Biology                                           01

2. Cell Biology                                                             10

3. Biological Molecules

a) Carbohydrates                                                          02

b) Proteins                                                                     01

c) Lipids                                                                        01

d) Nucleic Acids                                                           01

e) Enzymes                                                                   04

4. Microbiology

a) Virus                                                                         01

b) Bacteria                                                                     02

c) Fungi                                                                          01

5. Kingdom Animalia and Plantae                                 05

6. Human Physiology

a) Digestive System                                                      05

b) Gas exchange and Transportation                             05

c) Excretion and Osmoregulation                                 06

d) Nervous System                                                         04

e) Reproduction                                                              05

f) Support and Movement                                              05

g) Hormonal Control (Endocrine Glands)                     04

h) Immunity                                                                    05

7. Bioenergetics                                                             05

8. Biotechnology                                                            05

9. Ecosystem                                                                  05

10.Evolutionand Genetics                                             05

Total                                                                                88

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