OAT (Optometry Admission Test) Biology Syllabus

Biology syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Biology in OAT (Optometry Admission Test), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Cell and Molecular Biology

   5 topics

   • Cell Structure and Organelles
     • Prokaryotic vs. eukaryotic cells
     • Membrane-bound organelles and their functions
     • Cytoskeleton and cell motility
     • Plasma membrane structure and the fluid mosaic model
   • Membrane Transport
     • Passive diffusion and osmosis
     • Facilitated diffusion and active transport
     • Endocytosis and exocytosis
   • Bioenergetics and Metabolism
     • Glycolysis and fermentation
     • Citric acid cycle
     • Oxidative phosphorylation and the electron transport chain
     • Photosynthesis: light and dark reactions
   • Enzymes and Catalysis
     • Enzyme kinetics and inhibition
     • Cofactors and coenzymes
   • DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis
     • DNA replication
     • Transcription and RNA processing
     • Translation and the genetic code
     • Gene regulation
2. 2

   Genetics

   4 topics

   • Mendelian Genetics
     • Law of segregation and independent assortment
     • Monohybrid and dihybrid crosses
     • Test crosses and probability
   • Non-Mendelian Inheritance
     • Incomplete dominance and codominance
     • Multiple alleles and polygenic traits
     • Sex-linked and epistatic inheritance
   • Molecular Genetics
     • Mutations and their effects
     • Chromosomal abnormalities
   • Population Genetics
     • Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
     • Allele and genotype frequencies
3. 3

   Cellular Processes and the Cell Cycle

   4 topics

   • Mitosis
     • Phases of mitosis
     • Cytokinesis
   • Meiosis
     • Meiosis I and II
     • Crossing over and genetic recombination
     • Nondisjunction
   • Cell Cycle Regulation
     • Checkpoints and cyclins
     • Apoptosis
   • Cell Signaling
     • Signal transduction pathways
     • Receptor types and second messengers
4. 4

   Human Anatomy and Physiology

   5 topics

   • Nervous System
     • Neuron structure and the action potential
     • Synaptic transmission
     • Central and peripheral nervous systems
   • Circulatory and Respiratory Systems
     • Heart anatomy and the cardiac cycle
     • Blood composition and gas exchange
   • Digestive and Excretory Systems
     • Digestive tract and accessory organs
     • Nephron structure and urine formation
   • Endocrine and Reproductive Systems
     • Major glands and hormones
     • Feedback regulation
   • Musculoskeletal and Immune Systems
     • Muscle contraction and the sliding filament theory
     • Innate and adaptive immunity
5. 5

   Diversity of Life and Evolution

   5 topics

   • Taxonomy and Classification
     • Three-domain system
     • Kingdoms and phylogenetics
   • Microbiology
     • Bacteria and archaea
     • Viruses and viral replication
     • Protists and fungi
   • Mechanisms of Evolution
     • Natural selection and adaptation
     • Genetic drift and gene flow
     • Speciation
   • Ecology
     • Population dynamics and growth models
     • Community interactions
     • Energy flow and biogeochemical cycles
   • Developmental Biology
     • Fertilization and early embryogenesis
     • Cell differentiation and morphogenesis

Biology flashcards for OAT (Optometry Admission Test)

22 of 79 cards from the Biology deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the two key organelles that contain their own DNA, and what is their endosymbiotic origin?

   Mitochondria (from aerobic bacteria) and chloroplasts (from cyanobacteria). Both have circular DNA, 70S ribosomes, and double membranes, supporting the endosymbiotic theory.

2. What is the function of the rough endoplasmic reticulum versus the smooth ER?

   Rough ER (studded with ribosomes) synthesizes and folds proteins for secretion/membranes; smooth ER synthesizes lipids/steroids, detoxifies, and stores calcium.

3. Which organelle is the site of post-translational modification, sorting, and packaging of proteins into vesicles?

   The Golgi apparatus. It modifies (e.g., glycosylates) and packages proteins received from the ER for transport to their destinations.

4. Distinguish lysosomes from peroxisomes by function.

   Lysosomes contain acid hydrolases for intracellular digestion/autophagy; peroxisomes break down fatty acids (beta-oxidation) and detoxify, producing and degrading H2O2 via catalase.

5. What structural features distinguish prokaryotic from eukaryotic cells?

   Prokaryotes lack a membrane-bound nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, have 70S ribosomes and circular DNA; eukaryotes have a nucleus, organelles, and 80S ribosomes.

6. Compare passive diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and active transport.

   Passive diffusion: down gradient, no protein, no ATP. Facilitated diffusion: down gradient via carrier/channel, no ATP. Active transport: against gradient via pump, requires ATP.

7. How does the Na+/K+ ATPase pump function, and what is its stoichiometry?

   It uses ATP to pump 3 Na+ out and 2 K+ in per cycle, against their gradients, maintaining the resting membrane potential and cell volume.

8. Define hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic solutions in terms of water movement for a cell.

   Hypertonic: higher solute outside, water leaves, cell shrinks. Hypotonic: lower solute outside, water enters, cell swells/lyses. Isotonic: equal, no net water movement.

9. Differentiate endocytosis from exocytosis, and name the three types of endocytosis.

   Endocytosis brings material in via vesicles; exocytosis releases material out. Endocytosis types: phagocytosis (solids), pinocytosis (fluids), receptor-mediated endocytosis.

10. What is the net ATP yield from glycolysis, and where does it occur?

    Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm and yields a net of 2 ATP, 2 NADH, and 2 pyruvate per glucose.

11. What are the products of one turn of the citric acid (Krebs) cycle per acetyl-CoA?

    3 NADH, 1 FADH2, 1 GTP (ATP), and 2 CO2. The cycle occurs in the mitochondrial matrix.

12. Where does the electron transport chain occur and what is the final electron acceptor?

    On the inner mitochondrial membrane; oxygen is the final electron acceptor, forming water. It drives oxidative phosphorylation via a proton gradient.

13. What is the approximate total ATP yield from complete aerobic respiration of one glucose molecule?

    About 30-32 ATP (classically cited as 36-38), via glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation.

14. Compare aerobic respiration with fermentation in terms of products and oxygen.

    Aerobic respiration uses O2 to fully oxidize glucose to CO2 and water (high ATP); fermentation occurs without O2, producing lactate or ethanol+CO2 with only 2 ATP, regenerating NAD+.

15. How do enzymes increase reaction rate?

    They lower the activation energy by stabilizing the transition state; they do not change the equilibrium or the free energy (deltaG) of the reaction.

16. Contrast competitive and noncompetitive enzyme inhibition in terms of Vmax and Km.

    Competitive: Km increases, Vmax unchanged (overcome by more substrate). Noncompetitive: Vmax decreases, Km unchanged (binds allosteric site).

17. What do the Michaelis-Menten constants Km and Vmax represent?

    Vmax is the maximum reaction rate at saturating substrate; Km is the substrate concentration at half Vmax and inversely reflects enzyme affinity (low Km = high affinity).

18. Define feedback inhibition and allosteric regulation of enzymes.

    Feedback inhibition: an end product inhibits an earlier pathway enzyme. Allosteric regulation: a molecule binds a site other than the active site, changing enzyme activity.

19. State the base-pairing rules and the antiparallel structure of DNA.

    Adenine pairs with thymine (2 H-bonds); guanine pairs with cytosine (3 H-bonds). The two strands run antiparallel (5' to 3' opposite 3' to 5').

20. Compare DNA replication's leading and lagging strands.

    The leading strand is synthesized continuously toward the replication fork; the lagging strand is synthesized discontinuously as Okazaki fragments joined by DNA ligase.

21. What are the three stages of transcription and the enzyme involved?

    Initiation, elongation, and termination, carried out by RNA polymerase, which synthesizes mRNA 5' to 3' from a DNA template.

22. Describe the roles of mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA in translation.

    mRNA carries the codon sequence; tRNA brings amino acids matching codons via its anticodon; rRNA forms the ribosome and catalyzes peptide bond formation.

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