Praxis II Biology Content Knowledge, Part 1 Exam
The Biology: Content Knowledge, Part 1 exam measures the adeptness of future high school biology teachers to teach the subject. The exam is administered in a one hour period and consists of 75 multiple choice questions that address topics that are taught in beginning biology courses in college. There are six areas of content that the questions cover, and they are divided as follows:
- 19 questions covering Diversity of Life, Plants, and Animals
- 13 questions covering Basic Principles of Science
- 12 questions covering Molecular and Cellular Biology
- 11 questions covering Classical Genetics and Evolution
- 10 questions covering Ecology
- 10 questions covering Science, Technology, and Society
In the category of diversity of life, questions will cover the subjects of classifications and kingdoms. Questions pertaining to plants will cover the evolution of plants, anatomy and physiology of plants, and the features of reproduction for plants. For animals, questions will be asked about evolution, organ systems and functions, reproduction, and behavior, both inherent and learned.
The area of questioning regarding the basic principles of science will include the history, concepts, and methods of science. Also included in this category is the use of math, the analysis of data, and ways of presenting data in a scientific facet, and as well as proper methods of experimentation in laboratories.
The topics that are questioned in molecular and cellular biology include structures and characteristics of cells and chemicals associated with life forms, and the subject of molecular genetics.
Classical genetics and evolution is composed of topics such as Mendelian inheritance, genetic disorders, and population genetics.
The areas of questioning under the category of ecology include energy flow, ecosystems, communities of species, niches, and factors associated with various aspects of populations.
Finally, questions concerning science, technology, and society will concentrate on topics related to advances and ethics in science and technology, such as prenatal testing and cloning, and the use of energy and of products as the population of the human race grows.
