GRE Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Test Practice Book

G R A D U A T E R E C O R D E X A M I N A T I O N S ®
Biochemistry, Cell
and Molecular
Biology Test
Practice Book
This practice book contains
one actual, full-length GRE® Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Test
test-taking
strategies
Become familiar with
test structure and content
test instructions and answering procedures
Compare your practice test results with the performance of those who
took the test at a GRE administration.
This book is provided FREE with test registration by the Graduate Record Examinations Board.
www.ets.org/gre

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Note to Test Takers: Keep this practice book until you receive your score report.
This book contains important information about scoring.
Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved.
ETS, the ETS logos, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING., GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATIONS,
®
and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS) in the United States of America
and other countries throughout the world.

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the appropriate use of GRE scores, see the GRE Guide
Table of Contents
to the Use of Scores at ets.org/gre/stupubs.
Purpose of the GRE Subject Tests ........................ 3
Development of the
Development of the Subject Tests ........................ 3
Subject Tests
Content of the Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
Biology
Test
..................................................... 4
Each new edition of a Subject Test is developed by
a committee of examiners composed of professors in
Preparing for a Subject Test .................................. 6
the subject who are on undergraduate and graduate
Test-Taking Strategies .......................................... 6
faculties in different types of institutions and in
What Your Scores Mean ....................................... 7
different regions of the United States and Canada.
In selecting members for each committee, the GRE
Practice Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
Program seeks the advice of appropriate professional
Biology
Test
................................................... 11
associations in the subject.
Scoring Your Subject Test .................................. 55
The content and scope of each test are specifi ed
and reviewed periodically by the committee of
Evaluating Your Performance ............................. 58
exam iners. Test questions are written by committee
Answer Sheet...................................................... 59
members and by other university faculty members
who are subject-matter specialists. All questions
Purpose of the
proposed for the test are reviewed and revised by the
GRE Subject Tests
committee and subject-matter specialists at ETS. The
tests are assembled in accordance with the content
The GRE Subject Tests are designed to help graduate
specifi cations developed by the committee to ensure
school admission committees and fellowship sponsors
adequate coverage of the various aspects of the fi eld
assess the qualifi cations of applicants in specifi c fi elds
and, at the same time, to prevent overemphasis on
of study. The tests also provide you with an assessment
any single topic. The entire test is then reviewed and
of your own qualifi cations.
approved by the committee.
Scores on the tests are intended to indicate
Subject-matter and measurement specialists on the
knowledge of the subject matter emphasized in many
ETS staff assist the committee, providing information
undergraduate programs as preparation for graduate
and advice about methods of test construction and
study. Because past achievement is usually a good
helping to prepare the questions and assemble the test.
indicator of future performance, the scores are helpful
In addition, each test question is reviewed to eliminate
in predicting success in graduate study. Because
language, symbols, or content considered potentially
the tests are standardized, the test scores permit
offensive, inappropriate for major subgroups of the test-
comparison of students from different institutions with
taking population, or likely to perpetuate any negative
different undergraduate programs. For some Subject
attitude that may be conveyed to these subgroups.
Tests, subscores are provided in addition to the total
Because of the diversity of undergraduate curricula,
score; these subscores indicate the strengths and
it is not possible for a single test to cover all the
weaknesses of your preparation, and they may help you
material you may have studied. The examiners,
plan future studies.
therefore, select questions that test the basic
The GRE Board recommends that scores on the
knowledge and skills most important for successful
Subject Tests be considered in conjunction with other
graduate study in the particular fi eld. The committee
relevant information about applicants. Because numer-
keeps the test up-to-date by regularly developing new
ous factors infl uence success in graduate school,
editions and revising existing editions. In this way, the
reliance on a single measure to predict success is not
test content remains current. In addition, curriculum
advisable. Other indicators of competence typically
surveys are conducted periodically to ensure that the
include undergraduate transcripts showing courses
content of a test refl ects what is currently being taught
taken and grades earned, letters of recommendation,
in the undergraduate curriculum.
and GRE General Test scores. For information about
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After a new edition of a Subject Test is fi rst
While only two content areas in the following outline
administered, examinees’ responses to each test
specifi cally mention methodology, questions on
question are analyzed in a variety of ways to determine
methodology and data interpretation are included in
whether each question functioned as expected. These
all sections.
analyses may reveal that a question is ambiguous,
In developing questions for the test, the test
requires knowledge beyond the scope of the test, or
development committee considers both the content
is inappropriate for the total group or a particular
of typical courses taken by undergraduates and the
subgroup of examinees taking the test. Such questions
knowledge and abilities required for graduate work in
are not used in computing scores.
the fi elds related to the test. Because of the diversity
Following this analysis, the new test edition is
of undergraduate curricula, few examinees will have
equated to an existing test edition. In the equating
encountered all of the topics in the content outline.
process, statistical methods are used to assess the
Consequently, no examinee should expect to be able
diffi culty of the new test. Then scores are adjusted so
to answer all questions on the edition of the test he or
that examinees who took a more diffi cult edition of the
she takes. The three subscore areas are interrelated.
test are not penalized, and examinees who took an easier
Because of these interrelationships, individual
edition of the test do not have an advantage. Variations
questions or sets of questions may test more than
in the number of questions in the different editions of
one content area. Therefore, the relative emphases
the test are also taken into account in this process.
of the three areas in the following outline should
Scores on the Subject Tests are reported as three-
not be considered defi nitive. Likewise, the topics
digit scaled scores with the third digit always zero.
listed are not intended to be all-inclusive but, rather,
The maximum possible range for all Subject Test total
representative of the typical undergraduate experience.
scores is from 200 to 990. The actual range of scores
for a particular Subject Test, however, may be smaller.
I. BIOCHEMISTRY
36%
For Subject Tests that report subscores, the maximum
A. Chemical and Physical Foundations
possible range is 20 to 99; however, the actual range
• Thermodynamics and kinetics
of subscores for any test or test edition may be smaller.
• Redox states
Subject Test score interpretive information is provided
• Water, pH, acid-base reactions, and buffers
in Interpreting Your GRE Scores, which you will receive
• Solutions and equilibria
with your GRE score report. This publication is also
• Solute-solvent interactions
available at ets.org/gre/stupubs.
• Chemical interactions and bonding
• Chemical reaction mechanisms
Content of the Biochemistry,
B. Structural Biology: Structure, Assembly,
Cell and Molecular
Organization, and Dynamics
Biology Test
• Small molecules
• Macromolecules (for example, nucleic acids,
The test consists of approximately 180 multiple-choice
polysaccharides, proteins, and complex
questions, a number of which are grouped in sets
Lipids)
toward the end of the test and based on descriptions of
• Supramolecular complexes (for example,
laboratory situations, diagrams, or experimental results.
membranes, ribosomes, and multienzyme
The content of the test is organized into three major
complexes)
areas: biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology
C. Catalysis and Binding
and genetics. In addition to the total score, a subscore
• Enzyme reaction mechanisms and kinetics
in each of these subfi eld areas is reported. Because
• Ligand-protein interaction (for example,
these three disciplines are basic to the study of all
hormone receptors, substrates and effectors,
organisms, test questions encompass both eukaryotes and
transport proteins, and antigen-antibody
prokaryotes. Throughout the test, there is an emphasis
interactions)
on questions requiring problem-solving skills (including
mathematical calculations that do not require the
use of a calculator) as well as content knowledge.
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D. Major Metabolic Pathways
D. Protein, Processing, Targeting, and Turnover
• Carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur assimilation
• Translocation across membranes
• Anabolism
• Posttranslational modifi cation
• Catabolism
• Intracellular traffi cking
• Synthesis and degradation of macromolecules
• Secretion and endocytosis
E. Bioenergetics (including respiration and
• Protein turnover
photosynthesis)
E. Cell Division, Differentiation, and

• Energy transformations at the substrate level
Development
• Electron transport
• Cell cycle, mitosis, and cytokinesis
• Proton and chemical gradients
• Meiosis and gametogenesis
• Energy coupling (phosphorylation and
• Fertilization and early embryonic
transport)
development (including positional
F. Regulation and Integration of Metabolism
information, homeotic genes, tissue-specifi c
• Covalent modifi cation of enzymes
expression, nuclear and cytoplasmic
• Allosteric regulation
interactions, growth factors and induction,
• Compartmentalization
environment, stem cells, and polarity)
• Hormones
III. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
G. Methods
AND
GENETICS
36%
• Spectroscopy
A. Genetic Foundations
• Isotopes
• Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance
• Separation techniques (for example,
• Transformation, transduction, and

centrifugation, chromatography, and
conjugation
electrophoresis)
• Recombination and complementation
• Immunotechniques
• Mutational analysis
II. CELL BIOLOGY
28%
• Genetic mapping and linkage analysis
Methods of importance to cellular biology, such
B. Chromatin and Chromosomes
as fl uorescence probes (for example, FRAP, FRET,
• Karyotypes
and GFP) and imaging, will be covered as appropriate
• Translocations, inversions, deletions, and
within the context of the content below.
duplications
A. Cellular Compartments of Prokaryotes and
• Aneuploidy and polyploidy
Eukaryotes: Organization, Dynamics, and
• Structure
Functions
• Epigenetics
• Cellular membrane systems (structure and
C. Genomics
transport across membrane)
• Genome structure
• Nucleus (envelope and matrix)
• Physical mapping
• Mitochondria and chloroplasts (including
• Repeated DNA and gene families
biogenesis and evolution)
• Gene identifi cation
B. Cell Surface and Communication
• Transposable elements
• Extracellular matrix (including cell walls)
• Bioinformatics
• Cell adhesion and junctions
• Proteomics
• Signal transduction
D. Genome Maintenance
• Receptor function
• DNA replication
• Excitable membrane systems
• DNA damage and repair
C. Cytoskeleton, Motility, and Shape
• DNA modifi cation
• Regulation of assembly and disassembly of
• DNA recombination and gene conversion
fi lament systems
• Motor function, regulation and diversity
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BIOCHEMISTRY, CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TEST
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E. Gene Expression
Test-Taking Strategies
• The genetic code
The questions in the practice test in this book
• Transcription/transcriptional profi ling
illustrate the types of multiple-choice questions in the
• RNA processing
test. When you take the actual test, you will mark your
• Translation
answers on a separate machine-scorable answer sheet.
F. Gene Regulation
Total testing time is two hours and fi fty minutes; there
• Positive and negative control of the operon
are no separately timed sections. Following are some
• Promoter recognition by RNA polymerases
general test-taking strategies you may want to consider.
• Attenuation and antitermination
• Cis-acting regulatory elements
Read the test directions carefully, and work as
• Trans-acting regulatory factors
rapidly as you can without being careless. For
• Gene rearrangements and amplifi cations
each question, choose the best answer from the
available options.
G. Viruses
• Genome replication and regulation
All questions are of equal value; do not waste
• Virus assembly
time pondering individual questions you fi nd
• Virus-host interactions
extremely diffi cult or unfamiliar.
H. Methods
You may want to work through the test quite
• Restriction maps and PCR
rapidly, fi rst answering only the questions about
• Nucleic acid blotting and hybridization
which you feel confi dent, then going back and
• DNA cloning in prokaryotes and eukaryotes
answering questions that require more thought,
• Sequencing and analysis
and concluding with the most diffi cult questions
• Protein-nucleic acid interaction
if there is time.
• Transgenic organisms
If you decide to change an answer, make sure
• Microarrays
you completely erase it and fi ll in the oval
corresponding to your desired answer.
Preparing for a Subject Test
Questions for which you mark no answer or more
than one answer are not counted in scoring.
GRE Subject Test questions are designed to measure
skills and knowledge gained over a long period of time.
Your score will be determined by subtracting
Although you might increase your scores to some extent
one-fourth the number of incorrect answers from
through preparation a few weeks or months before you
the number of correct answers. If you have some
take the test, last minute cramming is unlikely to be of
knowledge of a question and are able to rule out
further help. The following information may be helpful.
one or more of the answer choices as incorrect,
your chances of selecting the correct answer are
A general review of your college courses is
improved, and answering such questions will
probably the best preparation for the test.
likely improve your score. It is unlikely that pure
However, the test covers a broad range of subject
guessing will raise your score; it may lower your
matter, and no one is expected to be familiar
score.
with the content of every question.
Record all answers on your answer sheet.
Use this practice book to become familiar with

Answers recorded in your test book will not
the types of questions in the GRE Biochemistry,
be counted.
Cell and Molecular Biology Test, paying special
attention to the directions. If you thoroughly
Do not wait until the last fi ve minutes of a testing
understand the directions before you take the
session to record answers on your answer sheet.
test, you will have more time during the test to
focus on the questions themselves.
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BIOCHEMISTRY, CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TEST
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What Your Scores Mean
Range of Raw Scores* Needed
to Earn Selected Scaled Score on
Your raw score — that is, the number of questions you
Three Biochemistry Test Editions
answered correctly minus one-fourth of the number
That Differ in Diffi culty
you answered incorrectly — is converted to the scaled
score that is reported. This conversion ensures that
a scaled score reported for any edition of a Subject
Raw Scores
Test is comparable to the same scaled score earned
Scaled Score
on any other edition of the same test. Thus, equal
Form A
Form B
Form C
scaled scores on a particular Subject Test indicate
700
132-134
129-131
122-124
essentially equal levels of performance regardless of
600
102-104
97-99
92-94
the test edition taken. Test scores should be compared
only with other scores on the same Subject Test. (For
500
71-73
66-68
62-64
example, a 680 on the Computer Science Test is not
400
41-43
34-37
32-34
equivalent to a 680 on the Mathematics Test.)
Number of Questions Used to Compute Raw Score
Before taking the test, you may fi nd it useful
to know approximately what raw scores would be
178
177
176
required to obtain a certain scaled score. Several
*Raw Score = Number of correct answers minus one-fourth the
factors infl uence the conversion of your raw score
number of incorrect answers, rounded to the nearest integer.
to your scaled score, such as the diffi culty of the test
edition and the number of test questions included in
For a particular test edition, there are many ways to
the computation of your raw score. Based on recent
earn the same raw score. For example, on the edition
editions of the Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
listed above as “Form A,” a raw score of 71 through 73
Biology Test, the following table gives the range of raw
would earn a scaled score of 500. Below are a few of the
scores associated with selected scaled scores for three
possible ways in which a scaled score of 500 could be
different test editions. (Note that when the number
earned on the edition:
of scored questions for a given test is greater than the
range of possible scaled scores, it is likely that two
Examples of Ways to Earn
or more raw scores will convert to the same scaled
a Scaled Score of 500 on the
score.) The three test editions in the table that follows
Edition Labeled as “Form A”
were selected to refl ect varying degrees of diffi culty.
Examinees should note that future test editions may be
somewhat more or less diffi cult than the test editions
Number of
illustrated in the table.
Questions
Questions
Questions
Questions
Used to
Raw
Answered
Answered
Not
Compute
Score
Correctly
Incorrectly
Answered
Raw Score
71
71
0
107
178
71
81
42
55
178
71
92
83
3
178
73
73
0
105
178
73
83
42
53
178
73
94
83
1
178
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P R A C T I C E T E S T
To become familiar with how the administration will be conducted at the test center, fi rst remove the
answer sheet (pages 59 and 60). Then go to the back cover of the test book (page 54) and follow the
instructions for completing the identifi cation areas of the answer sheet. When you are ready to begin the
test, note the time and begin marking your answers on the answer sheet.
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