BIOENERGETICS

Sindh Board
Chapter Guide
 Authored by

Reyan Shaikh

182/200
NTS Sindh MDCAT 2022

AKU Class of 2027

A little about the author

Looking back at my journey in 2022, the MDCAT and the AKU test
preparation was one of the most stressful times in my life. However, I am
glad that I was able to study effectively, utilise the resources I had to my
best ability, and practice as many questions as possible on PreMed.pk. I
am happy to share that I was able to not only pass the AKU test, but also
achieve first merit position in my district Nawabshah, with a score of
182/200. I hope that this guide will be a good help for you to orient yourself
as you do this chapter. Good luck!
 SINDH TOPPER
PERSPECTIVE

Introduction
This is the foremost chapter for MDCAT preparation. Students must thoroughly go
through this chapter, and understand the basic concepts to make their foundation
strong enough to ace the competitive exams. Most of the students prepare these
chapters in the last days as it's a lengthy and tough chapter but I would recommend
trying to cover this chapter as soon as possible because the earlier you begin, the
better. Also, in this Guide, I'll be highlighting important topics, tips and tricks to ace
your exam. Best of luck!

Topic 11.1 can be easily covered by going

How to approach the textbook / through the book, also I would suggest
Subtopic wise? combining a short video on ATP (AS ENERGY
CURRENCY) would be great for a better
This chapter involves full-on conceptual learning
understanding like Professor Dave Explains
and after understanding all those concepts and
and Neem Hakeem.
processes, you must remember these steps and
processes. First of all, go through videos, lectures,
Topic 11.2 must be covered by watching a short
and animated videos for a better understanding.
video on substances involved in photosystems.
Try to adapt to all those new terms you learn in
Also, some diagrams are present in the book
videos, then go through the book thoroughly.
for these topics. Try to understand the
Please don't skip book reading for any chapter of
photosystems, reaction centre, etc
biology (especially this one). After videos + book
diagrammatically for a better understanding.
reading, pen down all the important points in your
own words, it'll help you a lot! Moreover, Practice
Topic 11.3 and 11.4 should be covered from a
practice and practice and Insha'Allah after you've
video lecture first because these topics are
been practising a lot, you'll remember all the
extremely high yield so you must strengthen
principal key points.
your foundation/ basics by maybe going
Following are the list of sub-topics: through an animated video or informative
lecture. So while selecting which lecture to
11.1 Need for energy in living organisms
watch, you must choose wisely (like Professor
11.2 Photosynthesis Dave Explains or Physics in seconds) and then
11.3 Process of photosynthesis strengthen this by thoroughly going through
11.4 Cellular Respiration: As energy the book.

releasing process
Also, make a comparative table between
11.5 Energy flow through the ecosystem respiration and photosynthesis, the difference
between light/dark reaction and aerobic/
anaerobic respiration, make flowcharts for all
the steps and most importantly these topics
involve some of the very important

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values, highlight them all and write them on a Dark reaction
separate sticky note. Make sure to go through all
these, while revising this chapter.

Topic 11.5 can be covered solely from the book

and maybe by making a flowchart for ease.

Important Diagrams/ Flowcharts:

Diagrams:
All diagrams in this chapter are a must to do.

Photosystem
Aerobic Respiration

Glycolysis:

Cyclic and Non-cyclic electron flow during light

reaction:

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Anaerobic respiration:
FlowCharts:

Oxidation of pyruvate:

Kreb's Cycle:

Electron Transport Chain:

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SAMPLE MCQS
In paper chromatography xanthophyll In Krebs-cycle, substrate level
will give ____ color phosphorylation accompanies the
formation of?

Orange Citrate

Gray Alpha Ketoglutarate

Yellow Succinate

Blue green Fumarate

Yellow green Oxaloacetate

Explanation: Xanthophylls are yellow pigments that
are one of the important divisions of the carotenoid
group.
The end prodyuct of glycolysis is
Glucose-6-phosphate
Explanation: During the Krebs cycle, succinyl CoA is
acted upon by the enzyme succinyl CoA synthetase
to form succinate ( a 4-carbon compound). The
reaction releases sufficient energy to form ATP (in
plants) and GTP (in animals) by substrate-level
phosphorylation. GTP can form ATP through
coupled reaction
⇌
Succinyl CoA + GDP/ADP + H3PO4 Succinate +
CoA + GTP/ATP

Fructose-6-phosphate

Pyruvate

3 phophoglycerate

Phosphoglycerate aldehyde

Explanation: The final product of glycolysis is

pyruvate in aerobic settings and lactate in
anaerobic conditions.

Aerobic Respiration results in how much

ATP?

2
Petroleum
36
Coal
18

32

Explanation: Total ATP yield through aerobic

respiration is around 36.

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Some helpful resources:
YouTube videos:
Physics in seconds (Bioenergetics)
Professor Dave Explains (ATP,
photosynthesis, glycolysis, and the Krebs
cycle)
Ali Academy biology lectures (for quick
revision) -cover important points from all
textbooks
Neem Hakeem
Error log/mistake notebook:
If you want to up your question-solving
game by 1000 per cent, I advise maintaining
a record of all the questions you get wrong. It
could be a separate notebook or something
as simple as a Google Doc. At the very least,
save it to your Saved Questions deck on the
PreMed.PK website.

General words of wisdom:

Always go through those questions twice,
Guidebooks and Notes:
thrice which you attempted wrong while
KIPS prep book for biology
practising.
Anees Hussain's biology notes
Always help your fellow if one has a doubt,
Physics in seconds quizzes and MCQs
this way you'll be able to revise that topic
(covered during lecture)
and the chances to retain the concept would
be much greater.

Topical questions on Premed.pk:

Studying the chapter is not enough- you
need to be able to keep that information
stored in your memory for a long time (at
least till the MDCAT). The best way to do
this is by practising as many questions as
possible. The PreMed.PK question bank
was of invaluable help to us during our
preparation. Solve the topical sets, learn
from the explanations provided, and save
the questions you find challenging. You
must familiarize yourself with the types of
questions asked because the goal is to be
able to solve the MCQs on the MDCAT.
Last-minute advice:
Not having enough time for revision is a
common problem (we faced it too!). Here’s
what we recommend:
Short animated videos for a quick revision.
Skim the book for topics 11.2, 11.3 and 11.4
paying attention to the highlighted points.
Topical questions (a must to do).

Important topics
Photosynthesis (Light and Dark reaction)
Respiration ( Glycolysis, Krebs cycle, ETC)

Tips and tricks:

Flashcards:
For a topic like this, where you need to
remember a lot of factual details, you can
consider making flashcards. You can make
them on paper, or use an application like
Anki. Learning techniques such as spaced
repetition and active recall have been proven
to help students retain information for
longer

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