Planning on applying to a master’s or doctoral program in Biology or a related discipline? If so, the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology may be a gauntlet that you need to run, as test scores that reflect your disciplinary knowledge are often a necessary component of grad school applications. The GRE Subject Tests each represent a significant challenge because each aims to test the breadth and depth of subject-specific knowledge of students who intend to pursue further degrees in a given subject. The Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology is no exception. Due to the immensity of the exam and the expansive array of subjects which typically appear on it, students preparing to take this exam are very frequently overwhelmed, and end up channeling energy they could use for studying into unproductive apprehension. By establishing a clear picture of what the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology is and is not, and by introducing you to a great free online resource you can use during your preparation for the exam, you can ensure that you don’t needlessly stress out about the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology.

Let’s take a look at each of the three main categories covered by the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology, starting with Biochemistry. Basic biochemistry topics covered on the exam include enzymes, in particular enzyme kinetics, ligands, and substrates, as well as types of enzymes and enzyme identification. Macromolecules and monomers are, of course, fair game as well, so you should be familiar with the characteristics of saccharides and carbohydrates, nucleic acids, proteins, amino acids, and compound macromolecules built from these component parts. You should also have a detailed understanding of photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and cellular metabolism—and be ready to demonstrate it on test day—as topics such as catabolism, anabolism, and metabolic regulation and hormones, as well as glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, the electron transport chain, the Light cycle, and the Calvin cycle may each show up on the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology.

You should also make sure that you have reviewed chemical reactions and chemical principles before taking the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology. You should be ready to answer questions about oxidation-reduction chemistry, pH, and acid-base chemistry, as well as analyze reaction mechanisms on test day. You should also have reviewed reaction kinetics, solution chemistry, chemical equilibrium, bonding, intermolecular forces, and thermodynamics. While many of these principles are not the main focus of Biochemistry courses and are more likely to evoke memories of General Chemistry, the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology asks detailed questions about them, so don’t give them short shrift when reviewing for the exam.

Along with the previous Biochemistry concepts, the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology also tests your knowledge of Cell Biology at great depth. Questions may ask about various cellular structures and their functions, as well as cellular processes such as cellular division, protein regulation, signals, communications, and junctions, and differentiation. Reviewing each cellular organelle, as well as cellular processes, in detail can help ensure that you feel prepared for this part of the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology.

The third large topic covered on the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology is Molecular Biology, which includes genetics. Questions about DNA may ask about DNA replication and repair, chromosomes, mutation and variation, or deal with prokaryotic genomes. Questions about RNA may very well focus on the processes of transcription and translation. Gene regulation and genomics are also topics likely to appear, as well as viruses and inheritance.

Finally, as if the three main topics weren’t enough to cover on the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology, the exam may also ask questions about laboratory practices. Things to review in preparation for these sorts of questions include imaging techniques, biochemical tagging, separation techniques, identification techniques, quantification techniques, genetic cloning, splicing, and sequencing, knockout and mutation analyses. Even if you perform some of these techniques every day in a lab, it is in your best interest to review not only the practical how-to knowledge of each technique and practice, but also its theoretical significance.

Overwhelmed? Don’t be. Varsity Tutors’ free GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology resources are always available online for you to use to study what you need to study, when you need to study it. The GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology Practice Tests in particular are very helpful for diagnosing weak spots in your biological knowledge, as each Practice Test consists of around one dozen multiple-choice problems drawn from one of the many aforementioned areas covered on the GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology. After completing a Practice Test, you receive a detailed analysis of your performance and get to see full explanations for each question. By taking enough Practice Tests, you can identify patterns in your knowledge and figure out which concepts your time would best be spent studying. Varsity Tutors’ Practice Test problems are also organized by concept, so when you figure out that answering problems only about the Krebs Cycle, for instance, would be extremely useful, you can do this until you’ve mastered the concept.

If you’d like to get a general overview of your current level of knowledge, try starting your review process by taking a free online Full-Length GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology Practice Test. Each of the complete practice tests ask you questions that cover the wide range of topics that may be covered on the actual test. This longer, all-inclusive exam also offers you the opportunity to evaluate your solving pace, so you can make sure you’ll have enough time to finish the whole test on exam day. The results pages for the complete practice tests contain all of the helpful features you enjoy on the results pages for the concept-specific practice tests, like extensive explanations for each correct answer and links to extra review on key concepts. The full-length practice tests can also help you refine your review plan by paring down the list of concepts you need to review. After you have reviewed using the Learning Tools that best fit your style, you can check your proficiency by taking another Full-Length GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology Practice Test.

By making use of GRE Subject Test in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology and remembering that you’ve learned all this material before, you can gain the confidence necessary to keep your cool and study for the exam in a thorough but manageable way.