Bio/Biochem is the section most pre-meds expect to be easy because it looks like their coursework. In practice it rewards reading experiments and connecting biochemistry to physiology, not reciting facts. This guide covers what's on it and how to prepare.
The AAMC outline groups this section into three foundational concepts: how biomolecules (proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids, lipids, carbohydrates) work; how cells and microorganisms are organized and reproduce; and how organ systems maintain the body. Roughly two-thirds of the content is introductory biology and about a quarter is first-semester biochemistry, with a small amount of general and organic chemistry.
Learn the high-yield biochemistry cold — amino acid properties, Michaelis–Menten and inhibition patterns, the major pathways and where they're regulated. Then spend most of your time on passages. Many questions give you an unfamiliar experiment and ask what a figure shows, so practice describing each graph in one sentence before looking at the answer choices.
Students lose points by over-reading passages for facts they already know, by misreading axes or controls in experiments, and by choosing answers that are true but don't answer the question. Timed passage sets with careful review fix most of this.