GRE Subject Test Notes For Biochemistry (Cell and Molecular Biology)

1. 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.
2. The content of the test is organized into three major areas: biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology and genetics. 
3. Throughout the test, there is an emphasis on questions requiring problem-solving skills as well as content knowledge.
4. While only two content areas in the following outline specifically mention methodology, questions on methodology and data interpretation are included in all sections.
5. 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.
6. The three sub score areas are interrelated. Because of these interrelationships, individual questions or sets of questions may test more than one content area.
7. 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. Biomolecules: 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
• Compartmentation
• Hormones

G. Methodology

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

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