How to do well in PCAT biology section?

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The PCAT ‘Biology’ section is one of the large and tough sections that appear as a nightmare for many PCAT candidates. Therefore, to do well in the PCAT ‘Biology’ section the candidates should take strong preparation. To Crack the PCAT ‘Biology’ section, a candidate can follow some steps stated below:

To get familiarity with the structure of PCAT ‘Biology’ section

The ‘Biology’ section has been designed to measure the level of knowledge on the biology related issues of the examinees. It also validates expertise of examinees in physiology related issues. This section comes at the third sequence. The time duration of this section is 30 minutes. The total number of question required to be answered in this section is 48 and the question type is multiple-choice question. In the ‘Biology’ section the examinees face questions from three categories; those are: General biology, Microbiology, Anatomy and physiology. Among the total 48 questions presented in this section, about 60% questions are drawn from general biology, 20% from microbiology and the rest 20% belong to the category of anatomy & physiology. In the question format the students are asked to choose the correct answer among the provided multiple options.

a) General biology

In the PCAT ‘Biology’ section the ‘general biology’ category covers several essential topics like:

Cellbiology: cell structure, cell components, cell properties, eukaryotic cell structure, prokaryotic cell structure, cellular Krebs cycle, cellular reproduction, cellular division, cellular membrane transport, cellular metabolism, etc.
Molecular biology: DNA, diverse enzymes, energy sources, nucleic acids, RNA, etc.
Kingdom of life: taxonomy, classification system on the basis 5 kingdoms, etc.
Ecology: plants, ecological cycles, environmental systems, etc.
Nutrition: glucose, vitamins, protein, etc.
Genetics: genes, chromosomes, genetic diseases, traits, etc.

b) Microbiology

The PCAT biology questions, drawn from the microbiology category cover topics that usually belong to the upper-level biology curriculum. Usually, the students taking biology major or microbiology major can do well on these topics. However, the other students can do well in this section through following standard study materials.

In the PCAT ‘Biology’ section the ‘microbiology’ category covers several essential topics like:

Microorganisms: Evolution process from the foremost replicate, Bacteria and archaea, Structure of Bacteria and archaea, The Germ Theory of Disease, Fungi (Mushrooms), Plants, Photosynthesis, Protists, Protists structure and growth, Viruses, Viruses structure, Viruses Transmission and replication, etc.
Infectious disease prevention: Transmission of diverse infectious diseases, the Baddies, Hygiene and other essential preventive measures, etc.
Medical microbiology: Mounting importance of emerging resistance against diverse antibiotic, How to test to justify the existence of certain bacteria, like the Petri Dish, etc.
Immunology: The goodies and their significance, Developmental immunology, How to develop protective army in body-cells, Passive immunity, Adaptive immunity, T-Lymphocyte cells, the Lymphatic system, etc.

c) Physiology and Anatomy

The PCAT biology questions, drawn from the physiology and anatomy category cover topics that usually belong to the highly advanced-level biology curriculum. However, the other students can do well in this section through following standard study materials.

In the PCAT ‘Biology’ section the ‘physiology and anatomy’ category covers several essential topics like:

The Organism structure: Cell membrane, Phospholipids, Tissues, Organs, Muscles, etc.
Skeletal/Muscular System: Body infrastructure, Agonistic- Antagonistic Relationships, etc.
Nervous System: Nerves & electrical conduction, the brain & its controlling mechanisms, Myelin sheath, etc.
Circulatory System: blood pressure & pulse related issues, etc.
Respiratory System: The internal air bags, Internal gas exchange, Common respiratory disease, etc.
Excretory/Digestive System: Esophagus, Stomach Acid Regulation, Digestive enzymes, the Kidneys, etc.
The Reproductive System: Female & Male Reproduction, Menstruation, Female Contraception, Male impotence, etc.
Endocrinology – the Science of Secretions: The Different systems & secrete-types, Sugar problems, Adrenals gland, Thyroid, Cholesterol, etc.
Integumentary system: Epidermis, Dermis, Skin disease & injury, etc.

To make a study plan for the PCAT Biology Preparation

To Crack the PCAT, it is advised to the candidates to formulate a pertinent study plan, depending on the time left for the exam. If a student starts his or her preparation about three months before the PCAT testing date, then s/he can certainly expect good score. The study plan needs to be created in a systematic way, in which a candidate must keep enough time to study at least one particular category– General biology, Microbiology, Anatomy and physiology – of biology in each single day for minimum one/two hours. The study plan should be developed complying with the daily schedule of the candidate to prevent any inconsistency or over-pressure. In addition, the candidate should dedicate at least one day in a week to take a PCAT ‘Biology’ practice test and review the answers.

To gather study materials for PCAT Biology Section

To Crack the PCAT, it is advised to the candidates to collect study guides and online resources for the ‘Biology’ section developed by reputable companies to take a good preparation in this section. The students should search study materials for the ‘Biology’ section from both offline libraries as well as the Internet. At present diverse study materials for PCAT biology section are available online for free. Additionally, the candidates can attain the advance-level microbiology and Physiology classes offered by several universities that aim to prepare the examinees for the PCAT ‘Biology’ section.

To attain practice tests for PCAT Biology section

The candidates should take practice tests for PCAT biology section during their preparation phase in order to identify the areas of their strength and weakness on the three categories. In other words, practice tests on biology section will assist the candidates to determine their level of performance to answer 48 questions correctly in the stipulated 30 minutes time. Diverse websites offer free and paid practice tests for the PCAT biology section.