Refresh your understanding of General Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology with this free PMMA Science reviewer and practice test. Science questions often require more than remembering definitions. You also need to interpret observations, understand relationships, and apply concepts to unfamiliar situations.
This page provides suggested topics and examples to guide your preparation for the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy Entrance Examination. These are independently prepared review materials, not official PMMA examination questions or a newly issued examination syllabus. Biology is included here to strengthen your general science foundation, rather than presented as a confirmed separate PMMA exam section.
PMMA Science Practice Test
Read each question carefully and identify the concept being tested before choosing an answer. For calculation questions, list the given values, check their units, and determine which formula connects them to the quantity you need.
Try completing the quiz without consulting your notes. Afterward, revisit incorrect answers and explain the reasoning behind the correct choices. If you guessed an answer, review that item as well.
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General Science Topics to Review
Scientific Investigation
Understand the difference between an observation, a hypothesis, and a conclusion. An observation describes something noticed or measured. A hypothesis is a testable proposed explanation, while a conclusion interprets the evidence gathered.
Review experimental variables:
- Independent variable: the factor deliberately changed.
- Dependent variable: the outcome measured.
- Controlled variables: conditions kept consistent.
For example, when investigating how light exposure affects plant growth, the hours of light may be the independent variable and the increase in plant height the dependent variable. Plant species, water supply, and soil conditions should be kept comparable.
Measurement and Data Interpretation
Practice reading tables, graphs, scales, and scientific notation. Check axis labels and units before interpreting a graph. A rising line shows an increase in the plotted quantity, but its meaning depends on what that quantity represents.
Review metric conversions. For example, 2.5 kilometers equals 2,500 meters. Pay particular attention to area and volume units because their conversion factors differ from those for length.
Earth and Environmental Science
Suggested topics include the water cycle, weather and climate, rocks, plate movement, and natural resources. Understand that weather describes short-term atmospheric conditions, while climate concerns patterns over longer periods.
When reviewing environmental issues, connect causes with effects. For example, removing vegetation can increase soil erosion because roots help hold soil in place.
Chemistry Topics to Review
Matter and Its Changes
Review solids, liquids, gases, elements, compounds, and mixtures. An element contains one type of atom. A compound contains different elements chemically combined, while a mixture contains substances that are not chemically bonded into a single substance.
Distinguish physical changes from chemical changes. Melting ice is a physical change because the substance remains water. Rusting is a chemical change because new substances form.
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
Understand the roles of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The number of protons determines an element’s identity and is called its atomic number. A neutral atom has equal numbers of protons and electrons.
Practice distinguishing atomic number from mass number. An atom with six protons and eight neutrons has an atomic number of six and a mass number of fourteen.
Reactions, Solutions, and Acids and Bases
Review simple chemical equations and the conservation of atoms during a reaction. When balancing an equation, change the coefficients rather than the subscripts in chemical formulas.
For solutions, identify the solute and solvent. In a saltwater solution, salt is the solute and water is the solvent.
Learn the basic pH scale: in aqueous solutions at about 25°C, a pH below seven is acidic, seven is neutral, and above seven is basic.
Physics Topics to Review
Motion and Forces
Study distance, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration. Average speed equals total distance divided by total elapsed time.
Example: A vehicle travels 120 kilometers in three hours. Its average speed is 120 ÷ 3, or 40 km/h.
Review Newton’s laws and distinguish balanced from unbalanced forces. Balanced forces produce no acceleration; an object may remain at rest or continue moving at constant velocity.
Work, Energy, and Power
Understand kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and energy transformations. A moving object has kinetic energy, while an elevated object can have gravitational potential energy relative to a chosen reference level.
When force and displacement are in the same direction, work equals force multiplied by distance. Power measures how quickly work is done or energy is transferred.
Heat, Waves, and Electricity
Review conduction, convection, and radiation, along with wave frequency, wavelength, and amplitude. Remember that heat and temperature are related but different concepts.
For basic circuits, study current, voltage, and resistance. Using Ohm’s law, V = IR, a 12-volt potential difference across a 6-ohm resistor produces a current of 2 amperes.
Biology Topics to Review
Cells and Body Systems
Review cell structures and their functions, including the cell membrane, nucleus, and mitochondria. Plant cells also have cell walls, and many contain chloroplasts for photosynthesis.
Study how body systems work together. The respiratory system exchanges gases, while the circulatory system transports oxygen and other substances around the body.
Life Processes, Heredity, and Ecology
Understand photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and basic inheritance. Plants perform cellular respiration as well as photosynthesis, so avoid assuming that respiration occurs only in animals.
Review producers, consumers, decomposers, food chains, and food webs. Energy flows through ecosystems, while matter is recycled.
How to Review Science Effectively
Explain concepts in your own words, solve short problems, and draw simple diagrams. When an answer is incorrect, determine whether you misunderstood the concept, selected the wrong formula, or made a unit conversion error.
Alternate subjects to keep your review balanced. For more practice materials, visit our PMMA entrance exam reviewer and coverage guide.