15 Commonly Repeated Topics from the JAMB Biology Syllabus

Are you are feeling overwhelmed by the bulky JAMB Biology syllabus? Good news! It’s about to get easier. If you go through each year of your JAMB biology past questions, you’ll see certain topics appear every year. We’ve collated these topics for you, as well as the important parts to focus on. Start your preparations by studying the topics below.  

15 Topics You’ll Find in the JAMB 2025 Exam

1. Living Organisms

   – Cell structure and function: Learn the differences between plant and animal cells, and the organelles and their functions in each type of cell.

   – Levels of organization of life: Understand the hierarchy from the cellular level to the organismal level, including cell, tissue, organ, and system. Be able to identify the level of organization for various organisms, such as Chlamydomonas, sponges, Hydra, and onion bulbs.

2. Classification of Living Things

   – Five kingdoms of life: Know the five kingdoms (Monera, Protista, Plantae, Animalia, Fungi) and their characteristics.

   – Hierarchy of classification: Familiarize yourself with the taxonomic hierarchy from kingdom to species.

   – Gradation of properties: Observe the increase in complexity and the differences in the way organisms carry out life processes as you move up the taxonomic hierarchy.

   – Major phyla and their representative organisms: Understand the major phyla under each kingdom and the general features of the organisms within those phyla, such as Protophyta and Protozoa under the Protista kingdom.

3. Nutrition

   – Modes of nutrition: Learn the differences between autotrophic (photosynthetic and chemosynthetic) and heterotrophic (holozoic, parasitic, saprobic) modes of nutrition.

   – Organism examples: Identify examples of organisms that perform each mode of nutrition.

   – Plant nutrition: Focus on the process of photosynthesis, its light and dark stages, and the required conditions. Understand experiments related to photosynthesis, such as the effects of covering leaves with black paper or boiling and decolorizing leaves.

   – Animal nutrition: Study the classes of food, food tests, and the digestive system in animals, including the path of food from the mouth to the excretory system.

4. Transport System

   – Surface area to volume ratio in microorganisms: Understand the concept and its importance.

   – Transport in plants: Learn about translocation and transpiration.

   – Transport in animals: Study the components of blood (cells and plasma) and the circulatory system (open and closed, pulmonary and systemic).

5. Respiration

   – Internal respiration: Understand the processes of aerobic and anaerobic respiration, including the equations.

   – External respiration: Learn about the respiratory organs and gas exchange mechanisms in different organisms.

6. Excretory System

   – Excretory products and their sources: Distinguish between excretory products and ingested products.

   – Excretory organs and mechanisms: Identify the various excretory organs and the excretory products they produce in different organisms.

7. Properties and Functions of Cells

   – Growth in plants and animals: Understand the patterns of growth and the hormones involved (e.g., auxin, gibberellin).

   – Cell responses to environmental stimuli: Learn about different types of nastic movements and tropisms (e.g., phototropism, geotropism) and the responses of organisms to these stimuli.

8. Supporting System and Movement

   – Skeletal systems: Familiarize yourself with hydroskeleton, endoskeleton, and exoskeleton, and the organisms that possess them.

   – Plant support structures: Understand the mechanisms that provide rigidity and support in plants, such as the cell wall and turgor pressure.

9. Digestive System

   – Modes of nutrient absorption: Learn how different organisms, including parasitic worms, absorb nutrients from their environment.

   – Human digestive system: Study the digestive tract, the enzymes involved, and the overall process of digestion in humans.

10. Reproductive System

    – Asexual reproduction: Understand the different modes of asexual reproduction, such as binary fission, conjugation, and spore formation.

    – Sexual reproduction: Learn about the male and female reproductive organs and their functions.

11. Neural Coordination and Sensory Organs

    – Nervous system: Study the central nervous system (CNS), peripheral nervous system (PNS), and the autonomic nervous system.

    – Sensory organs: Focus on the structure and function of the eye and the ear.

    – Homeostasis: Understand the concept of homeostasis and its connection to the nervous system.

12. Ecology

    – Basic ecological concepts: Define and differentiate between ecosystem, habitat, niche, environment, and biosphere.

    – Biological associations: Learn about the different types of biological associations, such as mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism, and identify examples of organisms involved in these associations.

    – Population studies: Understand the factors that affect population size and growth.

13. Variation

    – Morphological and physiological variations: Identify examples of each type of variation.

    – Blood grouping and compatibility: Understand the concept of blood groups and the compatibility for blood transfusion.

14. Adaptation

    – Competition: Study the different types of competition (intraspecific and interspecific) and their impact on organisms.

    – Adaptations: Explore the structural, physiological, and behavioral adaptations of organisms to their environment, such as adaptive coloration, mimicry, and camouflage.

15. Heredity and Genetics

    – Mendelian laws of inheritance: Understand the principles of inheritance, including dominance, segregation, and independent assortment.

    – Theories of evolution: Familiarize yourself with the theories of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin and Jean Lamarck.

And voila! These are the 15 most commonly repeated topics in the JAMB Biology exam. You can verify by scrolling through JAMB Biology past questions on your Edubaloo JAMB CBT App for Android or Edubaloo JAMB CBT App for iOS.

P.S: Ensure you always come back to this list to verify your preparation level for the exam