GRE Subject Tests Overview | Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, GRE Test Preparation Practice Exercises for Verbal, Antonyms, Analogies with Explanations, Analytical Writing, Quantitative

GRE Subject Tests Overview | Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology

The test consists of approximately 180 multiple-choice questions, a number of which are grouped in sets toward the end of the test and based on descriptions of laboratory situations, diagrams or experimental results.
The content of the test is organized into three major areas: biochemistry, cell biology and molecular biology and genetics. In addition to the total score, a subscore in each of these subfield areas is reported. Because these three disciplines are basic to the study of all organisms, test questions encompass both eukaryotes and prokaryotes.
Throughout the test, there is an emphasis on questions requiring problem-solving skills (including mathematical calculations that do not require the use of a calculator) as well as content knowledge.
While only two content areas in the following outline specifically mention methodology, questions on methodology and data interpretation are included in all sections.
In developing questions for the test, the test development committee considers both the content of typical courses taken by undergraduates and the knowledge and abilities required for graduate work in the fields related to the test.
Because of the diversity of undergraduate curricula, few examinees will have encountered all of the topics in the content outline. Consequently, no examinee should expect to be able to answer all questions on the edition of the test he or she takes.
The three subscore areas are interrelated. Because of these interrelationships, individual questions or sets of questions may test more than one content area. Therefore, the relative emphases of the three areas in the following outline should not be considered definitive. Likewise, the topics listed are not intended to be all-inclusive but, rather, representative of the typical undergraduate experience.

I. BIOCHEMISTRY 36%

A. Chemical and Physical Foundations

Thermodynamics and kinetics
Redox states
Water, pH, acid-base reactions and buffers
Solutions and equilibria
Solute-solvent interactions
Chemical interactions and bonding
Chemical reaction mechanisms

B. Structural Biology: Structure, Assembly, Organization and Dynamics

Small molecules
Macromolecules (for example, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, proteins and complex Lipids)
Supramolecular complexes (for example, membranes, ribosomes and multienzyme
complexes)

C. Catalysis and Binding

Enzyme reaction mechanisms and kinetics
Ligand-protein interaction (for example, hormone receptors, substrates and effectors, transport proteins and antigen-antibody interactions)

D. Major Metabolic Pathways

Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur assimilation
Anabolism
Catabolism
Synthesis and degradation of macromolecules

E. Bioenergetics (including respiration and photosynthesis)

Energy transformations at the substrate level
Electron transport
Proton and chemical gradients
Energy coupling (phosphorylation and transport)

F. Regulation and Integration of Metabolism

Covalent modification of enzymes
Allosteric regulation
Compartmentalization
Hormones

G. Methods

Spectroscopy
Isotopes
Separation techniques (for example, centrifugation, chromatography and
electrophoresis)
Immunotechniques

II. CELL BIOLOGY 28%

Methods of importance to cellular biology, such as fluorescence probes (for example, FRAP, FRET and GFP) and imaging, will be covered as appropriate within the context of the content below.

A. Cellular Compartments of Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes: Organization, Dynamics and
Functions

Cellular membrane systems (structure and transport across membrane)
Nucleus (envelope and matrix)
Mitochondria and chloroplasts (including biogenesis and evolution)

B. Cell Surface and Communication

Extracellular matrix (including cell walls)
Cell adhesion and junctions
Signal transduction
Receptor function
Excitable membrane systems

C. Cytoskeleton, Motility and Shape

Regulation of assembly and disassembly of filament systems

Motor function, regulation and diversity

D. Protein, Processing, Targeting and Turnover

Translocation across membranes
Posttranslational modification
Intracellular trafficking
Secretion and endocytosis
Protein turnover

E. Cell Division, Differentiation and Development

Cell cycle, mitosis and cytokinesis
Meiosis and gametogenesis
Fertilization and early embryonic development (including positional information, homeotic genes, tissue-specific expression, nuclear and cytoplasmic interactions, growth factors and induction, environment, stem cells and polarity)