MCAS Biology study guide
MCAS Biology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The MCAS Biology test is the high school science component of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, the statewide standardized testing program run by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Science MCAS testing occurs in grades 5 and 8 and in one high school grade, usually grade 9 or 10, so most students meet the biology test in their first or second year of high school. The test measures performance against Massachusetts learning standards and reports results in four categories: Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Partially Meeting Expectations, and Not Meeting Expectations. Scores are not curved; educators from each grade level helped set the scoring ranges, and results show how well a student meets grade-level expectations. Tests are computer-based and mix multiple choice, short answers, and essays. Students are not timed and have as much time as they need within a regular school day. Topics on this exam: Biology (high school science MCAS). The MCAS Biology study guide has 1 section and about 436 words.
01Biology (high school science MCAS)
The Massachusetts MCAS high school Biology test measures the 2016 STE standards grouped into four topic areas: HS-LS1 molecules to organisms (cell structure, macromolecules, transport, photosynthesis and respiration, mitosis, homeostasis); HS-LS2 ecosystems (energy flow, cycling of matter, carrying capacity, biodiversity); HS-LS3 heredity (DNA, protein synthesis, meiosis, inheritance); and HS-LS4 evolution (natural selection, common ancestry, evidence). Items are multiple-choice questions and open-response items, some multi-part, that require a claim supported by data or biological reasoning. Energy flows one way through ecosystems (sun → producers → consumers) and is lost as heat at each trophic level; matter cycles (carbon, nitrogen, water). Enzymes are proteins that lower activation energy; they are not consumed and are shape-specific.
436 words, about 2 minMore study resources for MCAS Biology
- Practice questionsWhich statement best describes the role of the cell membrane in maintaining homeostasis?
- FlashcardsMonomer of proteins. They join by peptide bonds into polypeptide chains that fold into proteins; the sequence of amino acids determines the protein's shape and function.
- Cheat sheetMacromolecules: carbohydrates (C, H, O in ~1:2:1 ratio, monomers are monosaccharides, function is quick energy and structure), lipids (mostly C and H, glycerol plus fatty acids, long-term energy storage and membrane construction), proteins (C, H, O, N, sometimes S; monomers are amino acids joined by peptide bonds; function is enzymes, structure, transport), nucleic acids (C, H, O, N, P; monomers are nucleotides; store and transmit genetic information).
- Key termsCell membrane. The thin outer boundary of a cell that controls what enters and leaves.
- Study planDefine the four macromolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids) and state the monomers, polymers, and one biological function of each.
- Common mistakesEveryday language treats need as a cause ('they became resistant to survive'), and students conflate the response of an individual with change in a population.
- Exam-day guideBring the identification your school or test administrator requires and any admission notice you were given.