It can be helpful to connect biological concepts to real-world situations. Think about how your body works. How do your muscles work together to allow you to move? How does your brain communicate with those muscles to tell your body to take a step? It’s very complex, but all of the cells in your body work together to keep you healthy. Biology teaches you all about these processes and how they work. That’s pretty fascinating if you think about it.
For example, the word “glucose” can be separated into two parts, “gluc” means sweet, and “-ose” means sugar. As “-ose” means sugar, you know maltose, sucrose, and lactose are sugars as well. [1] X Research source The term “endoplasmic reticulum” seems difficult. However, if you know “endo” means “within/inside,” “plasmic” means cytoplasm, and “reti” stands for net, you will know that it is a net-like structure that is found inside the cytoplasm. [2] X Research source
At the beginning of each new unit, identify the vocabulary words that you don’t know and make flashcards of them. Study these cards all throughout the unit and by the time the test comes, you will know them all!
Many biology courses will start by learning about the cell and the various parts and organelles that makeup the cell. Being able to draw this and label all of the pieces is important. The same goes for many of the cell cycles such as ATP synthesis and the Krebs Cycle. Practice drawing these a few times a week to make sure you have them down before the exam.
Refer to your syllabus to know what parts of the book to read before class. Take notes on the material and come to class with questions in hand.
You need to know that proteins are made from the blueprints of DNA before you can understand how the DNA is read and then translated into these proteins. Outlines are a great way to organize your notes from general to specific.
If you’re having a lot of difficulty answering these questions, seek extra help from your classmates or teacher.
If something stands out that confuses you, reread the material on that concept in your textbook. If it still doesn’t make sense, ask your teacher about it in the next class.
Stick to your study schedule and make it a habit. If you skip 1 day, be sure to get back on track the next day and not let yourself slip into not studying multiple days in a row. Even if you’re busy, plan to spend 15 minutes per day reviewing your notes. This can make a big difference!
A phrase like, “Citrate Is Krebs Starting Substrate For Making Oxaloacetate” can make it easier to remember Citrate, Isocitrate, Alpha-Ketoglutarate, Succinyl CoA, Succinate, Fumarate, Malate, Oxaloacetate.
Answering questions from old tests will give you an idea of what you need to keep studying and what topics you have mastered. You could also make up your own quizzes to test yourself on the material. Focus on the concepts you have the most difficulty with. This helps you process the information in a meaningful way, instead of just trying to memorize it.
