Official topics · annotated
Pleven Medical University Syllabus: Biology & Chemistry List, Annotated
All 106 topics of Medical University of Pleven's official topic list, in its own words, each with what to know, the IvyTest lessons that teach it and the questions of our free sample test that test it. Tick a topic off when you have it; your ticks stay in this browser.
Based on "Entry exams", the page on Medical University of Pleven's admissions site, as it read on 19 October 2026 (the page carries no date of its own). The official wording is quoted as printed; the notes and links are IvyTest's.
Before you start
How to use this list
MU-Pleven's Entry exams page links two syllabus PDFs (both dated 12 June 2019 in their own metadata): Biology, 67 topics, and Chemistry, 19 General and 20 Organic topics. Every topic below is quoted from them as printed. Each paper has 40 multiple-choice questions and a short written Part B, and MU-Pleven's four Biology sample tests put roughly half to two thirds of their questions on topics 35 to 67 (the cell, molecular biology and genetics), so give those weight. Work through a group at a time: read the note, learn it from the lesson, then check yourself on the practice paper's questions before you tick it.
The lessons are part of the Medical University of Pleven Complete Admissions System and open for students who have it; a lesson marked "members" links to the Medical University of Pleven guide, which says what it includes.
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67 topics
Biology
Body Organization and Tissues
What to know: What biology studies and how: observation, experiment and the scientific method, the microscope; the properties that separate living from non-living things (cells, metabolism, growth, reproduction, response, homeostasis).
Lesson (members): Levels of biological organization & homeostasis
Body Organization and Tissues
What to know: The levels of organisation from cell to tissue, organ, system and organism, the body cavities and how the systems work together to keep the internal environment constant.
Lesson (members): Levels of biological organization & homeostasis
Body Organization and Tissues
What to know: Simple and stratified epithelia and where each is found (alveoli, gut, skin, bladder), glandular epithelium; connective tissues as cells in a matrix: loose and dense, adipose, cartilage, bone and blood.
Lesson (members): Tissues & histologySample question 1Sample question 2
Body Organization and Tissues
What to know: Skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle compared (striation, nuclei, voluntary or not); the neuron (dendrites, cell body, axon, myelin) and the glial cells that support it.
Skeletal and Muscular Systems
What to know: Compact and spongy bone, the osteon, bone cells, red and yellow marrow; fibrous, cartilaginous and synovial joints; the bones of the cranium and face.
Skeletal and Muscular Systems
What to know: The regions of the vertebral column and their vertebrae, the ribs (true, false, floating) and sternum, the pectoral and pelvic girdles and the bones of the limbs.
Lesson (members): Skeletal system, bones & jointsSample question 3
Skeletal and Muscular Systems
What to know: The main skeletal muscles and antagonistic pairs; the sarcomere, actin and myosin, the sliding-filament mechanism, the role of calcium and ATP, tetanus and fatigue.
Blood and Immunity
What to know: Intracellular and extracellular fluid, the composition of plasma (water, proteins such as albumin, fibrinogen and globulins, ions, glucose), osmotic pressure and pH of blood.
Blood and Immunity
What to know: Erythrocytes (no nucleus, haemoglobin, lifespan), the five kinds of leucocytes and their jobs, platelets and the steps of clotting; where blood cells are made.
Lesson (members): Cardiovascular system & bloodSample question 5
Blood and Immunity
What to know: Innate defences and phagocytes, B and T lymphocytes, antibodies, primary and secondary responses, vaccination; the ABO and Rh blood groups and transfusion.
Lesson (members): Innate & adaptive immunityLesson (members): Cardiovascular system & bloodSample question 6
Heart, Circulation and Lymph
What to know: The four chambers, the valves and the walls of the heart; arteries, veins and capillaries compared, and which vessels carry oxygenated blood.
Lesson (members): Cardiovascular system & bloodSample question 7
Heart, Circulation and Lymph
What to know: The cardiac cycle, the conducting system (SA node, AV node), heart sounds, blood pressure; the systemic and pulmonary circulations; lymph formation, lymph nodes and the thoracic duct.
Lesson (members): Cardiovascular system & bloodSample question 8
Respiratory System
What to know: The airways and alveoli, the mechanics of breathing (diaphragm, intercostals), gas exchange by diffusion, transport of oxygen by haemoglobin and of CO₂ mostly as hydrogen carbonate, the control of breathing.
Lesson (members): Respiratory system & gas exchangeSample question 9Sample question 10
Digestion and Nutrition
What to know: The organs of the tract and the accessory glands; teeth, saliva and salivary amylase; swallowing.
Digestion and Nutrition
What to know: Gastric juice (HCl, pepsin), the pancreatic enzymes, bile and its role in fats, absorption in the small intestine (villi), the large intestine.
Lesson (members): Digestive system & nutritionSample question 11
Digestion and Nutrition
What to know: The nutrient groups and what each provides, a balanced diet, the fat- and water-soluble vitamins and their deficiency diseases, how carbohydrates, proteins and fats are broken down to their monomers.
Lesson (members): Digestive system & nutritionSample question 12
Excretion, Skin and Thermoregulation
What to know: The kidney and the nephron: filtration, reabsorption and secretion, the composition of urine, the role of ADH; the ureters, bladder and urethra; the other excretory organs.
Lesson (members): Urinary system, kidney & osmoregulationSample question 13
Excretion, Skin and Thermoregulation
What to know: The layers of the skin and their structures; how the body gains and loses heat; vasodilation, sweating, vasoconstriction and shivering; the hypothalamus as the thermostat.
Lesson (members): Integumentary systemLesson (members): Integrated physiology & homeostatic controlSample question 14
Reproduction and Development
What to know: Sexual reproduction in humans, the role of gametes and fertilisation, and an overview of development from zygote to adult.
Reproduction and Development
What to know: Testes, seminiferous tubules, Sertoli and Leydig cells, the epididymis and the ducts, the accessory glands; spermatogenesis and testosterone.
Lesson (members): Reproductive system & human developmentSample question 16
Reproduction and Development
What to know: Ovaries, uterine tubes, uterus and vagina; the ovarian and menstrual cycles and the hormones that drive them (FSH, LH, oestrogen, progesterone).
Reproduction and Development
What to know: Where and how fertilisation happens, cleavage, the blastocyst and implantation, the germ layers and what each forms, the placenta.
Lesson (members): Reproductive system & human developmentSample question 15
Reproduction and Development
What to know: The periods of life after birth (infancy, childhood, puberty, adulthood, ageing) and the main changes in each.
Nervous System
What to know: Central and peripheral nervous system, the resting and action potential, the synapse and neurotransmitters, the reflex arc.
Lesson (members): Nervous system & sensory physiologySample question 17
Nervous System
What to know: Grey and white matter, dorsal and ventral roots, spinal reflexes, ascending and descending tracts.
Nervous System
What to know: The parts of the brain (cerebrum and its lobes, diencephalon with thalamus and hypothalamus, brainstem, cerebellum) and the main function of each.
Nervous System
What to know: Sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions, their neurotransmitters, and their opposite effects on the heart, pupils, airways and gut.
Lesson (members): Nervous system & sensory physiologySample question 18
Endocrine System
What to know: How hormones act and feedback control; the hypothalamus and the anterior and posterior pituitary and their hormones (GH, TSH, ADH, oxytocin); thyroxine and iodine; calcitonin and parathyroid hormone.
Lesson (members): Endocrine system & hormonesSample question 19Sample question 20
Endocrine System
What to know: Insulin and glucagon from the islets, adrenaline from the adrenal medulla, cortisol and aldosterone from the cortex, testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone.
Sense Organs
What to know: The receptors of the skin and body for touch, pressure, temperature and pain, and the pathways that carry them to the cortex.
Sense Organs
What to know: The structure of the eye, accommodation, rods and cones, the visual pathway; myopia and hypermetropia and their correction.
Lesson (members): Nervous system & sensory physiologySample question 21
Sense Organs
What to know: The outer, middle and inner ear, the ossicles, the cochlea and the organ of Corti, how sound becomes a nerve impulse.
Sense Organs
What to know: Taste buds and the basic tastes, the olfactory epithelium, chemoreceptors and their pathways.
Sense Organs
What to know: The vestibular apparatus (semicircular canals for rotation, utricle and saccule for linear movement and position) and proprioceptors in muscles and joints.
Lesson (members): Nervous system & sensory physiologySample question 22
Cell Chemistry and Biomolecules
What to know: The cell theory, the size and shapes of cells, and why the cell is the smallest unit that shows all the properties of life.
Cell Chemistry and Biomolecules
What to know: The main elements (C, H, O, N, P, S) and trace elements, and the classes of compounds in the cell: water, ions, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids.
Lesson (members): Water, weak interactions & the chemistry of life
Cell Chemistry and Biomolecules
What to know: The properties of water that matter to life (polarity, hydrogen bonds, solvent, heat capacity) and the roles of the main mineral ions (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Fe²⁺, phosphate).
Lesson (members): Water, weak interactions & the chemistry of life
Cell Chemistry and Biomolecules
What to know: Glucose, fructose, ribose and deoxyribose; the glycosidic bond, disaccharides; starch, glycogen and cellulose and their roles in storage and structure.
Cell Chemistry and Biomolecules
What to know: Triglycerides as energy stores, phospholipids and the membrane bilayer, steroids such as cholesterol and steroid hormones.
Lesson (members): Lipids & biological membranesSample question 25
Cell Chemistry and Biomolecules
What to know: Amino acids and the peptide bond, the polypeptide chain and its direction, how sequence decides the protein.
Cell Chemistry and Biomolecules
What to know: The primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure and the bonds that hold each, denaturation, and the functions of proteins.
Cell Chemistry and Biomolecules
What to know: The active site, enzyme-substrate complex and activation energy, specificity, and the effects of temperature, pH, concentration and inhibitors.
Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis
What to know: The nucleotide, the double helix, complementary base pairing (A-T, G-C), antiparallel strands, and DNA as the carrier of genetic information.
Lesson (members): Nucleic acids & nucleotidesLesson (members): DNA structure & replication
Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis
What to know: Ribose and uracil, single strand; mRNA, tRNA and rRNA and what each does in protein synthesis.
Lesson (members): Nucleic acids & nucleotidesLesson (members): Transcription, RNA & translationSample question 26
Viruses and Prokaryotic Cells
What to know: Why viruses are not cells: capsid, genome (DNA or RNA), envelope; no metabolism of their own; the lytic and lysogenic cycles.
Lesson (members): Bacteria, viruses & microorganismsSample question 29
Viruses and Prokaryotic Cells
What to know: How viruses cause disease, examples (influenza, HIV, hepatitis), retroviruses and reverse transcriptase, and why antibiotics do not act on them.
Viruses and Prokaryotic Cells
What to know: The bacterial cell: wall, membrane, nucleoid with circular DNA, plasmids, 70S ribosomes, capsule, flagella; binary fission.
Lesson (members): Bacteria, viruses & microorganismsSample question 30
Eukaryotic Cell Structure and Activity
What to know: The nucleus and each organelle with its job: ER, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, mitochondria, chloroplasts, ribosomes, centrioles, the cytoskeleton.
Lesson (members): Cell structure & organellesSample question 31
Eukaryotic Cell Structure and Activity
What to know: Diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis and active transport; the sodium-potassium pump; cells in hypotonic, isotonic and hypertonic solutions.
Lesson (members): Cell structure & organellesSample question 32
Eukaryotic Cell Structure and Activity
What to know: The route of a secreted protein: synthesis on the rough ER, modification in the Golgi apparatus, packaging in vesicles.
Eukaryotic Cell Structure and Activity
What to know: Endocytosis (phagocytosis, pinocytosis, receptor-mediated) and exocytosis, and how vesicles move material in and out of the cell.
Lesson (members): Cell structure & organellesSample question 33
Eukaryotic Cell Structure and Activity
What to know: The nucleus as the store of genetic information: nuclear envelope and pores, chromatin, nucleolus, and how the program is read out.
Eukaryotic Cell Structure and Activity
What to know: The structure of a chromosome (chromatids, centromere, telomeres), DNA packed on histones, the karyotype, homologous chromosomes, autosomes and sex chromosomes.
Eukaryotic Cell Structure and Activity
What to know: The plasma membrane (fluid mosaic model) and the glycocalyx, cell recognition, receptors and the junctions between cells.
Eukaryotic Cell Structure and Activity
What to know: How the cell's compartments work together and are regulated, so that synthesis, breakdown and transport go on at the right place and time.
Metabolism and Bioenergetics
What to know: Glycolysis in the cytoplasm, the link reaction and Krebs cycle in the mitochondrion, aerobic against anaerobic respiration and their ATP yields.
Lesson (members): Glycolysis & cellular respirationSample question 34
Metabolism and Bioenergetics
What to know: Anabolism and catabolism, energy input and expenditure, basal metabolic rate.
Metabolism and Bioenergetics
What to know: Oxidation as loss of electrons or hydrogen, the carriers NAD⁺ and FAD, and the electron transport chain with oxygen as the final acceptor.
Lesson (members): ATP, redox & energy couplingLesson (members): Glycolysis & cellular respiration
Metabolism and Bioenergetics
What to know: ATP as the energy currency and how its hydrolysis drives work; the proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane and ATP synthase.
Lesson (members): ATP, redox & energy couplingSample question 35
Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis
What to know: Semiconservative replication, helicase, DNA polymerase working 5'→3', leading and lagging strands, Okazaki fragments and ligase.
Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis
What to know: RNA polymerase reading the template strand, the promoter, and processing of mRNA in eukaryotes (cap, poly-A tail, splicing).
Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis
What to know: Codons and anticodons, the genetic code (triplet, degenerate, universal), the ribosome, start and stop codons.
Lesson (members): Transcription, RNA & translationSample question 27Sample question 28
Cell Cycle, Mitosis and Meiosis
What to know: Interphase (G1, S, G2) and the M phase, DNA replication in S phase, checkpoints, and why cells divide.
Cell Cycle, Mitosis and Meiosis
What to know: Prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase, cytokinesis, and why the daughter cells are genetically identical.
Cell Cycle, Mitosis and Meiosis
What to know: Meiosis I and II, synapsis and crossing over in prophase I, the halving of the chromosome number, and the comparison with mitosis.
Mendelian and Sex-Linked Genetics
What to know: Dominant and recessive alleles, genotype and phenotype, Punnett squares, 3:1 and 9:3:3:1 ratios, the test cross, segregation and independent assortment; incomplete dominance and codominance.
Lesson (members): Mendelian geneticsSample question 38Sample question 40
Mendelian and Sex-Linked Genetics
What to know: XX and XY sex determination, X-linked recessive traits (colour blindness, haemophilia), carrier mothers and affected sons.
Lesson (members): Non-Mendelian & human geneticsSample question 39
19 topics
I. General Chemistry
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
What to know: Protons, neutrons and electrons, atomic and mass number, isotopes; the four quantum numbers and the shapes of s, p and d orbitals.
Lesson (members): Atomic structure & electronic configurationSample question 42Sample question 43
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
What to know: The Aufbau order, the Pauli principle and Hund's rule, writing configurations of atoms and ions, and the trends in radius, ionisation energy, electron affinity and electronegativity.
Lesson (members): Atomic structure & electronic configurationLesson (members): Periodic table & periodic trendsSample question 41
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
What to know: The periodic law, groups, periods and blocks, metals and non-metals, and how properties change down a group and across a period.
Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure
What to know: Shared electron pairs, the dative (coordinate) bond, σ and π bonds, sp, sp² and sp³ hybridisation and the shapes and angles they give.
Lesson (members): Chemical bonding & molecular structureSample question 45
Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure
What to know: Electronegativity difference and bond polarity, why symmetrical molecules are non-polar, ionic bonds and lattices, and the conditions for hydrogen bonding.
Lesson (members): Chemical bonding & molecular structureLesson (members): Intermolecular forcesSample question 44
Valence, Oxidation States and Redox
What to know: Valence against oxidation number, the rules for assigning oxidation numbers, identifying oxidising and reducing agents, balancing by electron transfer, and the activity series of metals.
Lesson (members): Redox & electrochemistrySample question 46Sample question 47Sample question 48
Reaction Rate and Catalysis
What to know: How rate is measured, the effect of concentration, surface area, temperature and catalysts, collision theory, and the rate law.
Reaction Rate and Catalysis
What to know: Why rate rises with temperature, activation energy and energy profiles, how catalysts lower it without changing ΔH or the equilibrium, enzymes as catalysts.
Chemical Equilibrium
What to know: Reversible reactions and dynamic equilibrium, writing Kc (products over reactants, coefficients as powers) and what its size means.
Chemical Equilibrium
What to know: How each change shifts an equilibrium, why pressure matters only when the moles of gas differ, why temperature changes K, and why a catalyst does not shift it.
Solutions, Diffusion and Osmosis
What to know: True solutions, colloids and suspensions; the dissolving process; mass percent and molar concentration and calculations with them; solubility and what affects it.
Lesson (members): Solutions, solubility & concentrationSample question 54
Solutions, Diffusion and Osmosis
What to know: Diffusion down a gradient, osmosis through a semipermeable membrane, osmotic pressure, and isotonic, hypotonic and hypertonic solutions.
Lesson (members): Solutions, solubility & concentrationSample question 53
Electrolytes and Dissociation
What to know: What electrolytes are, writing dissociation equations for salts, acids and bases, and why ionic and polar compounds dissociate in water.
Lesson (members): Solutions, solubility & concentrationSample question 56
Electrolytes and Dissociation
What to know: Strong against weak electrolytes, the ionisation constant and degree of dissociation, and how dilution increases the degree of dissociation of a weak electrolyte.
Lesson (members): Solutions, solubility & concentrationSample question 55
Acids, Bases and pH
What to know: The three definitions, conjugate acid-base pairs, and examples of each kind of acid and base.
Lesson (members): Acids, bases, pH & buffersSample question 58
Acids, Bases and pH
What to know: Kw = 10⁻¹⁴ at 25 °C, calculating pH and pOH of strong acids and bases, and how indicators and pH meters show pH.
Lesson (members): Acids, bases, pH & buffersSample question 57
Hydrolysis, Complexes and Colloids
What to know: Which salts hydrolyse and whether their solution is acidic, basic or neutral, writing hydrolysis equations, and what the degree of hydrolysis depends on.
Lesson (members): Hydrolysis, complexes & colloidsSample question 59
Hydrolysis, Complexes and Colloids
What to know: The central ion, ligands, coordination number, inner and outer sphere, naming simple complexes, and the dative bonds that hold them.
Hydrolysis, Complexes and Colloids
What to know: Particle size of colloids, lyophilic and lyophobic colloids, the micelle structure, the Tyndall effect, coagulation.
Lesson (members): Hydrolysis, complexes & colloidsSample question 60
20 topics
II. Organic Chemistry
Organic Bonding and Isomerism
What to know: Carbon's four bonds, straight, branched and cyclic chains, and the sp³, sp² and sp carbons of single, double and triple bonds with their geometry.
Lesson (members): Organic chemistry foundations & nomenclatureSample question 61
Alkanes
What to know: CₙH₂ₙ₊₂, IUPAC naming, chain isomers, and how alkanes are obtained.
Lesson (members): Organic chemistry foundations & nomenclatureLesson (members): Isomerism & stereochemistrySample question 63
Alkanes
What to know: Boiling-point trends, combustion and radical substitution with halogens, cracking, and the inductive effect of alkyl groups.
Lesson (members): Hydrocarbons & aromatic compoundsSample question 64
Alkenes and Alkynes
What to know: CₙH₂ₙ, positional and cis-trans isomers, preparation by dehydration, and electrophilic addition (H₂, X₂, HX by Markovnikov's rule, H₂O), polymerisation, the bromine-water test.
Lesson (members): Hydrocarbons & aromatic compoundsLesson (members): Isomerism & stereochemistrySample question 62Sample question 65
Alkenes and Alkynes
What to know: CₙH₂ₙ₋₂, ethyne and its preparation, addition reactions, the Kucherov reaction (hydration to an aldehyde or ketone), acidity of terminal alkynes.
Lesson (members): Hydrocarbons & aromatic compoundsSample question 66
Arenes and Aromatic Substitution
What to know: The delocalised π system of benzene and its stability, naming of benzene derivatives (toluene, ortho, meta, para).
Lesson (members): Hydrocarbons & aromatic compoundsSample question 68
Arenes and Aromatic Substitution
What to know: Electrophilic substitution (halogenation with a catalyst, nitration, alkylation) against addition, and which substituents activate the ring and direct ortho/para or deactivate and direct meta.
Lesson (members): Hydrocarbons & aromatic compoundsSample question 67
Hydroxyl Derivatives and Amines
What to know: Primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols, polyhydric alcohols, phenols, their naming and isomers, and how they are prepared.
Lesson (members): Isomerism & stereochemistrySample question 69
Hydroxyl Derivatives and Amines
What to know: Hydrogen bonding and boiling points, reaction with sodium, oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols, dehydration, esterification, and the acidity of phenol.
Hydroxyl Derivatives and Amines
What to know: Primary, secondary and tertiary amines, why they are bases (the nitrogen lone pair), salts with acids, aniline.
Lesson (members): Amines & nitrogen compoundsSample question 70
Carbonyl Compounds
What to know: Aldehydes and ketones, their naming, and preparation by oxidising primary and secondary alcohols.
Carbonyl Compounds
What to know: Nucleophilic addition, reduction to alcohols, oxidation of aldehydes, and the Tollens' and Fehling's tests that tell aldehydes from ketones.
Lesson (members): Aldehydes & ketonesSample question 71Sample question 72
Carboxylic Acids and Esters
What to know: The carboxyl group, mono- and dicarboxylic acids, their naming, and preparation by oxidation.
Carboxylic Acids and Esters
What to know: Acidity and salts, esterification and ester hydrolysis, fats and saponification.
Lesson (members): Carboxylic acids & derivativesSample question 73Sample question 74
Carbohydrates and Monosaccharides
What to know: Monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides; aldoses and ketoses, trioses to hexoses.
Carbohydrates and Monosaccharides
What to know: C₆H₁₂O₆, open-chain and cyclic forms, α and β anomers, its reducing reactions and fermentation.
Lesson (members): Biomolecules & biochemical chemistrySample question 75
Carbohydrates and Monosaccharides
What to know: Fructose as a ketohexose, ribose (C₅H₁₀O₅) and 2-deoxyribose and their place in RNA and DNA.
Lesson (members): Biomolecules & biochemical chemistrySample question 76
Disaccharides and Polysaccharides
What to know: The glycosidic bond, sucrose (glucose + fructose, non-reducing), maltose and lactose, and their hydrolysis.
Lesson (members): Biomolecules & biochemical chemistrySample question 77
Disaccharides and Polysaccharides
What to know: Amylose and amylopectin from α-glucose, cellulose from β-glucose, their structures and the iodine test for starch.
Lesson (members): Biomolecules & biochemical chemistrySample question 78
Amino Acids and Peptides
What to know: α-amino acids, zwitterions and the isoelectric point, amphoteric behaviour, the peptide bond and counting bonds in a peptide.
Lesson (members): Biomolecules & biochemical chemistrySample question 79Sample question 80
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The free sample test sets 80 questions in the exam's own format, every one explained. The MU-Pleven Entrance Exam guide has the format, dates and scoring in full.