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🇵🇰 PNC Licensing Examination · subject
PNC Licensing Examination Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences Syllabus
Every chapter and topic of Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences examined in PNC Licensing Examination — 7 chapters, 21 topics, plus 50 flashcards written against it.
Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences syllabus — full chapter and topic list
Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences in PNC Licensing Examination, not a summary of it.
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Cell, Tissue, and Body Organization
3 topics- Cell structure and function
- Tissues and membranes
- Homeostasis
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Musculoskeletal System
3 topics- Skeletal system and joints
- Muscular system
- Movement and posture
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Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems
3 topics- Heart structure and circulation
- Blood and hemodynamics
- Respiratory anatomy and gas exchange
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Nervous and Endocrine Systems
3 topics- Central and peripheral nervous system
- Sensory organs
- Endocrine glands and hormones
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Digestive, Urinary, and Reproductive Systems
3 topics- Gastrointestinal tract and accessory organs
- Renal system and urine formation
- Male and female reproductive systems
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Microbiology and Immunology
3 topics- Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites
- Immune response and immunity
- Infectious disease transmission
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Biochemistry and Pathophysiology Basics
3 topics- Carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids
- Cellular injury and inflammation
- Disease processes overview
Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences flashcards for PNC Licensing Examination
18 of 50 cards from the Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences deck — real questions with worked answers.
What is the structural and functional unit of all living organisms, and what are its three main components?
The cell. Its three main components are the plasma (cell) membrane, the cytoplasm, and the nucleus.
Which organelle is called the powerhouse of the cell, and what does it produce?
The mitochondrion. It produces ATP (adenosine triphosphate) through aerobic respiration.
What are the four primary types of body tissue?
Epithelial tissue, connective tissue, muscle tissue, and nervous tissue.
Name the three types of cell junctions and their functions.
Tight junctions (seal cells, prevent leakage), desmosomes (anchor cells together), and gap junctions (allow direct communication/ion passage between cells).
What are the three serous membranes of the body cavities and what do they line?
Pleura (lungs), pericardium (heart), and peritoneum (abdominal organs). They secrete serous fluid to reduce friction.
Define homeostasis.
The maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment (temperature, pH, fluids, electrolytes) despite changes in external conditions.
Differentiate negative and positive feedback in homeostasis, with an example of each.
Negative feedback reverses a change to restore set point (e.g., body temperature regulation). Positive feedback amplifies a change (e.g., oxytocin in labor, blood clotting).
How many bones are in the adult human skeleton, and what are its two main divisions?
206 bones. Divisions: axial skeleton (skull, vertebral column, thorax) and appendicular skeleton (limbs, girdles).
Name the four classifications of bones by shape.
Long bones, short bones, flat bones, and irregular bones (some texts add sesamoid bones).
What are the three structural types of joints, and which is freely movable?
Fibrous (immovable), cartilaginous (slightly movable), and synovial (freely movable). Synovial joints are freely movable.
List the three types of muscle tissue and state whether each is voluntary or involuntary.
Skeletal muscle (voluntary, striated), cardiac muscle (involuntary, striated), and smooth muscle (involuntary, non-striated).
What is the functional contractile unit of a skeletal muscle fiber?
The sarcomere, the segment between two Z-lines composed of actin (thin) and myosin (thick) filaments.
What ion is essential to trigger muscle contraction, and from where is it released?
Calcium (Ca2+), released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, which binds troponin to expose actin binding sites.
Define the terms flexion and extension.
Flexion decreases the angle of a joint (bending); extension increases the angle of a joint (straightening).
What are antagonistic muscle pairs? Give an example.
Muscles that produce opposite movements at a joint; one contracts while the other relaxes. Example: biceps (flexor) and triceps (extensor) at the elbow.
Name the four chambers of the heart and the valve between each atrium and ventricle.
Right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle. Right AV valve = tricuspid; left AV valve = mitral (bicuspid).
Trace the path of blood through pulmonary circulation.
Right ventricle to pulmonary artery to lungs (oxygenation) to pulmonary veins to left atrium.
What is the normal pacemaker of the heart and the correct order of the conduction system?
SA node (pacemaker) to AV node to Bundle of His to right and left bundle branches to Purkinje fibers.
Planning Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences for PNC Licensing Examination
Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences is about 13% of the PNC Licensing Examination syllabus by topic count — 21 of 160 topics, spread over 7 chapters. At roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, a first pass runs to about 15 hours.
The heaviest chapters are Cell, Tissue, and Body Organization (3 topics), Musculoskeletal System (3 topics), Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems (3 topics) . Front-load those while your energy is high; the short chapters are better revision filler later.
Work top-down: read the chapter, then tick topics off individually rather than marking the whole chapter done. Sub-topics are where silent gaps hide.
Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences (PNC Licensing Examination) FAQ
What is in the PNC Licensing Examination Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences syllabus?
Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences is split into 7 chapters — Cell, Tissue, and Body Organization, Musculoskeletal System, Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems, Nervous and Endocrine Systems, Digestive, Urinary, and Reproductive Systems and Microbiology and Immunology, and 1 more, containing 21 topics and 0 sub-topics in total.
How is Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences structured in the PNC Licensing Examination syllabus?
7 chapters. Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences accounts for about 13% of the topics in the whole PNC Licensing Examination syllabus (21 of 160).
How long should I spend on Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences for PNC Licensing Examination?
Budget around 15 hours for a first pass through Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences — about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic across its 21 topics. Add revision cycles on top.
Are there flashcards for PNC Licensing Examination Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences?
Yes — a 50-card Anatomy, Physiology and Biosciences deck. Sample cards are printed on this page, and the full deck is free in the Examius app with spaced repetition scheduling.