Scio NSZ Biology study guide
Scio NSZ Biology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
NSZ Biology (Národní srovnávací zkoušky – Biologie) is a standardized multiple-choice subject test developed by Scio, a Czech education company that has been building tests for roughly three decades. Universities and faculties in Czechia and Slovakia may use NSZ results as one component of their admissions process; whether and how a given faculty weights the Biology test is decided by that faculty, not by Scio, so always check the specific admissions rules of the programme you are applying to. The Scio NSZ Biology study guide has 8 sections and about 2,413 words.
01General Biology: The Principles That Underpin Everything
General biology is the vocabulary layer of the exam: the characteristics of living things (organisation, metabolism, response to stimuli, homeostasis, growth, reproduction, adaptation, evolution), the hierarchy of biological organisation from molecule to biosphere, and the central dogma in outline (DNA → RNA → protein). You should be able to distinguish prokaryotes from eukaryotes, autotrophs from heterotrophs, and to recognise the major macromolecule classes: carbohydrates (energy, structure), lipids (membranes, storage, signalling), proteins (enzymes, structure, transport) and nucleic acids (information).
342 words, about 2 min02Cell Biology: Structure, Membranes and Division
Know the organelles and their jobs: nucleus (DNA storage, transcription), mitochondrion (aerobic respiration, ATP), chloroplast (photosynthesis, only in plants/algae), ribosome (protein synthesis), rough and smooth ER (protein processing; lipid synthesis), Golgi (modification and sorting), lysosome (hydrolytic digestion), vacuole (storage, turgor), cytoskeleton (shape, movement). Compare plant and animal cells: plant cells have a cellulose wall, chloroplasts, and a large central vacuole; animal cells have centrioles and lysosomes but no wall or chloroplasts.
306 words, about 2 min03Genetics: Information, Inheritance and Variation
Genetics runs from molecules to populations. At the molecular level: DNA is a double helix with complementary base pairing (A–T, G–C), replication is semi-conservative, and the genetic code is triplet-based and degenerate.
299 words, about 1 min04Human Biology and Anatomy: Systems and Homeostasis
Work system by system, but always connect each to homeostasis. Circulation: the heart has four chambers; the left ventricle drives systemic flow; arteries carry blood away from the heart (not necessarily oxygenated - the pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood).
278 words, about 1 min05Plant Biology: Photosynthesis, Transport and Growth
Photosynthesis has light-dependent reactions in the thylakoid membranes (water split, oxygen released, ATP and NADPH made) and the Calvin cycle in the stroma (CO₂ fixed into sugar). Know the overall equation and that chlorophyll absorbs mainly red and blue light, reflecting green.
287 words, about 1 min06Animal Biology: Diversity, Form and Function
Animal biology tests classification together with function. Know the major invertebrate groups (porifera, cnidaria, platyhelminthes, annelida, mollusca, arthropoda, echinodermata) and vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) by key features: symmetry (radial vs bilateral), body cavity, segmentation, exoskeleton vs endoskeleton, and thermoregulation (ectotherm vs endotherm).
288 words, about 1 min07Ecology and Environment: Interactions, Energy and Cycles
Ecology spans organism, population, community, ecosystem and biosphere. Population growth: exponential when resources are unlimited; logistic with a carrying capacity (K) when they are not.
305 words, about 2 min08Evolutionary Biology: Mechanisms and Evidence
Evolution is change in allele frequencies in a population over generations. The mechanisms: mutation (source of new variation), recombination and gene flow (redistribute it), genetic drift (random change, strongest in small populations, including bottleneck and founder effects), and natural selection (non-random differential reproductive success).
308 words, about 2 min