The Natural Sciences examination covers a wide range of topics frequently taught in introductory courses surveying both biological and physical sciences at the freshman or sophomore level. Such courses generally satisfy distribution or general education requirements in science that usually are not required of nor taken by science majors. The Natural Sciences exam is not intended for those specializing in science; it is intended to test the understanding of scientific concepts that an adult with a liberal arts education should have. It does not stress the retention of factual details; rather, it emphasizes the knowledge and application of the basic principles and concepts of science, the comprehension of scientific information, and the understanding of issues of science in contemporary society.The examination contains approximately 120 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest questions that will not be scored. Any time candidates spend on tutorials and providing personal information is in addition to the actual testing time.
The Natural Sciences examination requires candidates to demonstrate the following abilities: knowledge of fundamental facts, concepts, and principles; interpretation and comprehension of information presented in the form of graphs, diagrams, tables, equations, or verbal passages; and qualitative and quantitative application of scientific principles, including applications based on material presented in the form of graphs, diagrams, tables, equations, or verbal passages; more emphasis is given to qualitative than quantitative applications. The skills measured include biological science (50 percent): origin and evolution of life and classification of organisms (10 percent); cell organization, cell division, chemical nature of the gene, bioenergetics, and biosynthesis (10 percent); structure, function, and development of organisms; and patterns of hereditary (20 percent); and concepts of population biology with emphasis on ecology (10 percent) and physical science (50 percent): atomic and nuclear structure and properties, elementary particles, and nuclear reactions (7 percent); chemical elements, compounds and reactions, and molecular structure and bonding (10 percent); heat, thermodynamics, and states of matter, classical mechanics, and relativity (12 percent); electricity and magnetism, waves, light, and sound (4 percent); the universe: galaxies, stars, and the solar system (7 percent); and the Earth: atmosphere, hydrosphere, structure features, geologic processes, and history (10 percent). The examination includes some questions that are interdisciplinary and cannot be classified in one of the listed categories. Some of the questions cover topics that overlap with those listed previously, drawing on areas such as history and philosophy of science, scientific methods, science applications and technology, and the relationship of science to contemporary problems of society, such as environmental pollution and depletion of natural resources. Some questions are laboratory oriented.