Biology for CLEP
10th grade, JSB
Outline
Questions on the Biology exam require test takers to demonstrate one or more of the
following abilities.
Knowledge of facts, principles, and processes of biology
Understanding the means by which information is collected, how it is
interpreted, how one hypothesizes from available information, and how one
draws conclusions and makes further predictions
Understanding that science is a human endeavor with social consequences
The subject matter of the Biology exam is drawn from the following topics. The
percentages next to the main topics indicate the approximate percentage of exam
questions on that topic.
First Semester
During the first semester, the following topics will be covered.
Molecular and Cellular Biology (33%)
Chemical composition of organisms
Simple chemical reactions and bonds (Concept: 2.3, 2.4)
Properties of water(Concept: 3.2)
Chemical structure of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic
acids(Concept:5.1 – 5.5 )
Origin of life(Concept:4.1, )
Cells
Structure and function of cell organelles(Concept:7.3, 7.4, 7.5,7.6)
Properties of cell membranes(Concept: 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5)
Comparison of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells(Concept: 7.2)
Enzymes
Enzyme-substrate complex(Concept: 6.4)
Roles of coenzymes(Concept:6.4)
Inorganic cofactors(Concept:6.4)
Inhibition and regulation(Concept:6.4)
Energy transformations
Glycolysis, respiration, anaerobic pathways(Concept: 10.1 – 10.6)
Photosynthesis(Concept: 11.1-11.3)
Cell division
Structure of chromosomes(Concept: 12.1)
Mitosis, meiosis, and cytokinesis in plants and animals(Concept: 12.2)
Chemical nature of the gene
Watson-Crick model of nucleic acids(Concept: 16.1 )
DNA replication(Concept:16.2 )
Mutations(Concept: 17.5)
Control of protein synthesis: transcription, translation, posttranscriptional
processing (Concept:17.1-17. 4 )
Structural and regulatory genes(Concept:18.1, 18.2)
Transformation(Concept:16.1 )
Viruses(Concept: 16.1)
Organismal Biology (34%)
Structure and function in plants with emphasis on angiosperms
Root, stem, leaf, flower, seed, fruit(Concept: 35.1-35.4 )
Water and mineral absorption and transport(Concept:36.3)
Food translocation and storage(Concept:36.5 )
Plant reproduction and development
Alternation of generations in ferns, conifers, and flowering plants(Concept:
28.3)
Gamete formation and fertilization(Concept:38.1, 38.2 )
Growth and development: hormonal control(Concept: 39.2)
Tropisms and photoperiodicity(Concept: 39.1, 39.3)
Second Semester
During the second semester, the following topics will be covered
Structure and function in animals with emphasis on vertebrates
Major systems (e.g., digestive, gas exchange, skeletal, nervous, circulatory,
excretory, immune) (Concept:42.2, 42.3, 43.2, 44.4, 47.1, 47.2, 47.3 )
Homeostatic mechanisms(Concept: 40.2 )
Hormonal control in homeostasis and reproduction(Concept: 41.2, 45.4 )
Animal reproduction and development
Gamete formation, fertilization(Concept: 45.2 )
Cleavage, gastrulation, germ layer formation, differentiation of organ
systems(Concept: 46.1, 46.2 )
Experimental analysis of vertebrate development(Concept: 46.1, 46.2 )
Extraembryonic membranes of vertebrates(Concept: 46.1, 46.2 )
Formation and function of the mammalian placenta(Concept: 45.5 )
Blood circulation in the human embryo(Concept: )
Principles of heredity (Chapter 14)
Mendelian inheritance (dominance, segregation, independent assortment)
Chromosomal basis of inheritance
Linkage, including sex-linked
Polygenic inheritance (height, skin color)
Multiple alleles (human blood groups)
Population Biology (33%)
Principles of ecology
Energy flow and productivity in ecosystems(Concept: 54.2, 55.1 )
Biogeochemical cycles(Concept: 55.4 )
Population growth and regulation (natality, mortality, competition, migration,
density, r- and K-selection) (Concept: 53.3, 53.5 )
Community structure, growth, regulation (major biomes and succession)
(Concept: 51.2, 54.4 )
Habitat (biotic and abiotic factors) (Concept: 51.4 )
Concept of niche(Concept: )
Island biogeography(Concept: 54.4 )
Evolutionary ecology (life history strategies, altruism, kin selection) (Concept:
52.4 )
Principles of evolution
History of evolutionary concepts(Concept:21.3 )
Concepts of natural selection (differential reproduction, mutation, Hardy-
Weinberg equilibrium, speciation, punctuated equilibrium) (Concept: 32.2 )
Adaptive radiation(Concept: 25.4 )
Major features of plant and animal evolution(Concept: 25.4 )
Concepts of homology and analogy(Concept: 22.2 )
Convergence, extinction, balanced polymorphism, genetic drift(Concept:
23.3)
Classification of living organisms(Concept: 22.1 )
Evolutionary history of humans(Concept: 25.5, 34.7 )
Principles of behavior
Stereotyped, learned social behavior(Concept: 52.1, 52.2, 52.3 )
Societies (insects, birds, primates) (Concept: 52.1, 52.2, 52.3)
Social biology (outsource)
Human population growth (age composition, birth and fertility rates, theory of
demographic transition) (Concept: )
Human intervention in the natural world (management of resources,
environmental pollution) (Concept: )
Biomedical progress (control of human reproduction, genetic engineering)
(Concept: )
Source: Biology, 2ed. 2020.Clarck etal.
A handout will be distributed to students on time.
Study Resources
Most textbooks used in college-level biology courses cover the topics in the outline
given earlier, but the approaches to certain topics and the emphases given to them
may differ. To prepare for the Biology exam, it is advisable to study one or more
college textbooks, which can be found in most college bookstores. When selecting a
textbook, check the table of contents against the knowledge and skills required for
this test. Candidates would do well to consult pertinent articles from magazines such
as Scientific American, Science News, and Natural History.
Textbooks
A survey conducted by CLEP found that the following textbooks are among those
used by college faculty who teach the equivalent course. You might purchase one or
more of these online or at your local college bookstore.
Audesirk, Audesirk, and Byers, Biology: Life on Earth (Benjamin Cummings)
Brooker, Widmaier, Graham, and Stiling, Biology (McGraw-Hill)
Cain, et. al., Discover Biology (W.W. Norton)
Campbell and Reece, Biology (Benjamin Cummings)
Campbell, Reece, Taylor, and Simon, Biology: Concepts and
Connections (Benjamin Cummings)
Enger et al., Concepts in Biology (McGraw-Hill)
Freeman, Biological Science (Benjamin Cummings)
Lewis et al., Life (McGraw-Hill)
Mader, Essentials of Biology (McGraw-Hill)
Sadava, et al., Life: The Science of Biology (W.H. Freeman)
Solomon et al., Biology (Brooks/Cole)
Raven et al., Biology (McGraw-Hill)
Russell, Wolfe, Hertz, and Starr, Biology: The Dynamic Science (Brooks/Cole;
Thomson Learning)
Starr, Biology: Concepts and Applications (Brooks/Cole)
Tobin and Dusheck, Asking About Life (Brooks/Cole)
Online Resources
These resources, compiled by the CLEP test development committee and staff
members, may help you study for your exam. However, none of these sources are
designed specifically to provide preparation for a CLEP exam. The College Board
has no control over their content and cannot vouch for accuracy.
Estrella Mountain Community College: Online Biology Book
Free online CLEP course by Modern States Education Alliance
Hippocampus: Biology
University of Arizona: The Biology Project
University of California, Berkeley: Webcast lectures for Biology 1A and 1B
AP Biology: Some of the material covered in this AP course is also examined
by the CLEP Biology exam. CLEP test takers may use this course as a study
resource for the topics covered by the CLEP Biology exam. This AP course
includes 5 parts.
Khan Academy Biology
Score Information
Credit-Granting Score for Biology
ACE Recommended Score*: 50
Semester Hours: 6
Each institution reserves the right to set its own credit-granting policy, which may
differ from that of ACE. Contact your college as soon as possible to find out the
score it requires to grant credit, the number of credit hours granted, and the
course(s) that can be bypassed with a satisfactory score.
*The American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service
(ACE CREDIT) has evaluated CLEP processes and procedures for developing,
administering, and scoring the exams. The score listed above is equivalent to a
grade of C in the corresponding course. The American Council on Education, the
major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, seeks to
provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and to
influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. Visit
the ACE CREDIT website for more information.
Good Luck
Enjoy Learning
