Exam Content

The exam questions will cover material that a senior high school biology student is likely to have come across in their studies. The contents of the exam will reflect the similarities in the secondary school biology curricula across the Canadian provinces. The major topics covered on the exam include:
 

• General biochemistry: basic chemical concepts, chemical bonds, biochemical reactions, biologically important organic molecules
   
• Cell structure and processes: cell structure and function, membrane structure, transport across membranes
   
• Cell metabolism: energy in the cell, enzymes, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, mitosis, cell cycle
   
• Genetics: meiosis, sexual and asexual reproduction, Mendelian inheritance, DNA, genes and chromosomes, protein synthesis, mutation, genetic disorders in humans, gene expression and manipulation
   
• Evolution: historical context for evolutionary theory, evidence for evolution, population genetics, evolutionary mechanisms, adaptation, speciation, extinction
   
• Biological diversity: taxonomy, phylogeny, origin of life, microbial, fungal, plant, and animal diversity
   
• Plant structure and function: structure, growth, and reproduction, transport mechanisms, growth regulators
   
• Vertebrate structure and function: digestion, circulation, gas-exchange, reproduction, development, homeostasis, excretion, and nervous, endocrine, and immune systems
   
• Ecology: species interactions, matter exchange and energy flow, population dynamics, human ecology, conservation biology
   
• “Hot” biology topics in the news