PracticeVideosBlogFlashcardsEspañol
All Practice Exams

Free Practice Questions for EGEL Plus Biología

Exam-style questions and explanations by OpenExamPrep.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card
90+ Questions
100% Free

Loading practice questions...

Same family resources

Explore More Ceneval EGEL Plus Licenciatura Exit Examinations (Mexico)

Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.

CENEVAL EGEL Plus Administración (EGEL Plus ADMON)

Practice Questions

CENEVAL EGEL Plus Comercio/Negocios Internacionales (EGEL Plus CNI)

Practice Questions

CENEVAL EGEL Plus Arquitectura (EGEL Plus ARQUI)

Practice Questions

CENEVAL EGEL Plus Mercadotecnia (EGEL Plus MERCA)

Practice Questions

CENEVAL EGEL Plus Turismo (EGEL Plus TUR)

Practice Questions

CENEVAL EGEL Plus Contaduría (EGEL Plus CONTA)

Practice Questions
Exam Review

Key Facts: EGEL Plus Biología Exam

200

Total multiple-choice questions on the EGEL Plus BIO (140 disciplinary + 60 transversal)

Ceneval Guía EGEL Plus BIO

9 hours

Total response time split across two 4.5-hour sessions

Ceneval Guía EGEL Plus BIO

700–1300

Índice Ceneval standardized score scale (1000+ required for Satisfactorio)

Ceneval Guía EGEL Plus BIO

Scientific Calculator

Non-programmable scientific calculator permitted per Ceneval rules

Ceneval Guía EGEL Plus BIO

3 Areas

Disciplinary areas: Biodiversidad, Recursos Bióticos, and Sistemas Vivos

Ceneval Guía EGEL Plus BIO

Ceneval's EGEL Plus Biología is a 200-item, nine-hour Spanish exit exam covering Biodiversidad, Recursos Bióticos, Sistemas Vivos, and transversal communication.

Sample EGEL Plus Biología Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the EGEL Plus Biología exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 90+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In phylogenetic systematics, which type of taxonomic group includes an ancestral species and all of its descendants?
A.Monophyletic group (clade)
B.Paraphyletic group
C.Polyphyletic group
D.Polytypic grade
Explanation: A monophyletic group, or clade, is defined strictly as an ancestor and all of its descendants, supported by shared derived characters (synapomorphies). Cladistic classification accepts only monophyletic groups as valid formal taxa.
2Which set of shared derived characteristics (synapomorphies) distinguishes Embryophyta (land plants) from their charophyte green algal ancestors?
A.Chlorophylls a and b, starch storage in plastids, and flagellated sperm
B.Alternation of generations, multicellular dependent embryos, and walled spores with sporopollenin
C.Vascular tissue with xylem tracheids, secondary xylem, and lignin deposition
D.Double fertilization, ovules enclosed within a carpel, and companion cells
Explanation: Embryophytes share critical evolutionary adaptations to terrestrial life: an alternation of generations, multicellular dependent embryos protected within maternal tissue, cuticles, and spores encased in sporopollenin. These traits define land plants as a monophyletic lineage.
3A researcher tests whether fertilizer runoff increases algal biomass by adding fertilizer to one pond and leaving a second pond untreated, then collects 30 water samples from each pond. What is the main weakness of this design?
A.Using an untreated pond as a control introduces bias, so both ponds should have received fertilizer
B.The 60 samples are pseudoreplicates: with only one pond per treatment, pond-to-pond differences cannot be separated from the fertilizer effect
C.Thirty samples per pond are too many; one sample per pond would give a cleaner comparison
D.There is no weakness, because a large number of samples guarantees statistical independence
Explanation: The experimental unit that received the treatment is the pond, not the water sample. With one pond per treatment (n = 1), the 30 samples from each pond are subsamples of the same unit. Any difference could reflect pre-existing differences between the two ponds rather than the fertilizer. This error, called pseudoreplication, is avoided by replicating the treatment across several independent ponds assigned at random.
4In the conventional textbook comparison of embryonic development, what distinction is commonly drawn between Protostomia and Deuterostomia?
A.In protostomes the blastopore becomes the mouth, whereas in deuterostomes it becomes the anus
B.In protostomes the blastopore closes completely, whereas in deuterostomes it develops directly into the coelom
C.In protostomes the blastopore becomes the anus, whereas in deuterostomes it forms the primary mouth
D.In protostomes radial cleavage directs blastopore invagination, whereas in deuterostomes spiral cleavage directs it
Explanation: The conventional comparison is that the blastopore generally contributes to the mouth in protostomes and to the anus in deuterostomes, with the other opening forming secondarily. Actual developmental patterns vary among lineages, so this is a broad diagnostic generalization rather than an exceptionless rule.
5In a cladistic analysis based on the principle of maximum parsimony, how is homoplasy defined and handled?
A.A trait shared exclusively by two sister taxa that defines an uncontested synapomorphy
B.A shared character state that arose independently through convergence or evolutionary reversal, requiring extra evolutionary steps on a tree
C.An ancestral character state retained unchanged across all in-group taxa
D.A character state uniquely derived in a single terminal taxon that provides no phylogenetic grouping information
Explanation: Homoplasy refers to character similarity that is not inherited directly from a common ancestor, arising instead via convergent evolution, parallelism, or evolutionary reversal. Maximum parsimony seeks tree topologies that minimize the total number of homoplastic events.
6A field project asks whether shade-grown coffee plots host more bird species than sun-grown coffee plots. Which statement is the appropriate null hypothesis for this comparison?
A.Shade-grown plots host more bird species than sun-grown plots
B.Mean bird species richness does not differ between shade-grown and sun-grown plots
C.Bird species richness depends on the altitude of the plots
D.Sun-grown plots host no bird species at all
Explanation: The null hypothesis (H0) states that there is no effect or no difference between the groups being compared: here, that mean bird species richness is the same in shade-grown and sun-grown plots. The research (alternative) hypothesis is the claim of a difference, which the data may lead the researcher to accept if H0 is rejected.
7Which biochemical characteristic of the plasma membrane distinguishes Archaea from both Bacteria and Eukarya?
A.Unbranched fatty acid chains linked to D-glycerol by ester bonds
B.Branched isoprenoid hydrocarbons linked to L-glycerol by ether bonds
C.Phospholipids containing hopanoid steroids embedded in a rigid peptidoglycan layer
D.Sphingolipids and cholesterol molecules organizing into fluid lipid rafts
Explanation: Archaea possess membrane lipids featuring branched phytanyl (isoprenoid) chains connected to L-glycerol via ether linkages, forming bilayers or monolayer tetraethers. In contrast, Bacteria and Eukarya use unbranched fatty acids attached to D-glycerol via ester linkages.
8Plots for a restoration trial lie along a steep soil-moisture gradient running from a riverbank up a hillside. How should four seed-mix treatments be assigned so that the moisture gradient does not bias the comparison among mixes?
A.Assign each seed mix to its own moisture zone so that every mix experiences uniform conditions
B.Place all plots of the most promising mix on the wettest ground to maximize seedling survival
C.Divide the site into blocks of similar moisture and assign all four mixes at random within each block
D.Sow all four mixes together in the same plot to save space and labour
Explanation: A randomized complete block design groups experimental units into blocks that are internally homogeneous for a known source of variation (here, soil moisture) and assigns every treatment at random within each block. Differences among blocks can then be removed from the error term, so the comparison among seed mixes is not confounded with position on the gradient.
9Which combination of four morphological features defines the phylum Chordata at some point during their ontogeny?
A.Ventral solid nerve cord, dorsal heart, hemocoel, and spiracles
B.Notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, and post-anal tail
C.Vertebral column, cranium, paired limbs, and closed double circulation
D.Water vascular system, pentaradial symmetry, tube feet, and endoskeleton
Explanation: All chordates share four diagnostic morphological synapomorphies present at least in the embryonic stage: a flexible dorsal notochord, a single dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal clefts or slits, and a muscular post-anal tail.
10In an experiment on bean germination, seeds from a single seed lot are kept at 15, 20, 25 and 30 °C with the same light and watering, and the percentage that germinate after seven days is recorded. Which is the independent variable?
A.Germination percentage after seven days
B.Incubation temperature
C.The seed lot used
D.The light and watering regime
Explanation: The independent variable is the factor the researcher deliberately sets at different levels, here the incubation temperature. The germination percentage is the dependent (response) variable, and the seed lot, light and watering are controlled variables held constant so they do not confound the result.

About the EGEL Plus Biología Exam

Independent EGEL Plus Biología practice by OpenExamPrep. The current official Spanish examination has 200 three-option items covering Biodiversidad, Recursos Bióticos, Sistemas Vivos, and transversal language and communication. This English-language four-option MCQ bank is a study adaptation, not an official translation or format simulation. Stems and explanations are in English, but most language and communication items use Spanish sentences and passages, because Spanish usage is the skill being tested; a few reading items keep English passages as part of the adaptation.

Exam sponsor: CENEVAL (Centro Nacional de Evaluación para la Educación Superior, A.C.). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

200 three-option multiple-choice items: 140 disciplinary items (Biodiversidad 49, Recursos Bióticos 47, Sistemas Vivos 44) and 60 transversal items in Comprensión Lectora and Redacción Indirecta.

Time Limit

Two sessions of 4.5 hours each (9 hours total response time)

Passing Score

Reported on the Índice Ceneval (700-1300): 1000-1149 Satisfactorio, 1150-1300 Sobresaliente, below 1000 Aún no satisfactorio

Exam / Certification Fees

MXN 1,885 for the 2026 national Examen desde casa; institutional administrations may charge a different amount

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

49 of 140 disciplinary items

Biodiversidad

Ecology, morphology and physiology, and systematics and evolution

47 of 140 disciplinary items

Recursos Bióticos

Project design and communication, biostatistics, and territorial planning

44 of 140 disciplinary items

Sistemas Vivos

Genomics, biotechnology, and environmental impact

60 of 200 total items

Sección Transversal de Lenguaje y Comunicación

Scientific reading comprehension, textual coherence, syntactic structure, orthography, and academic argument evaluation

Preparing for the EGEL Plus Biología Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Reported on the Índice Ceneval (700-1300): 1000-1149 Satisfactorio, 1150-1300 Sobresaliente, below 1000 Aún no satisfactorio
  • Assessment: 200 three-option multiple-choice items: 140 disciplinary items (Biodiversidad 49, Recursos Bióticos 47, Sistemas Vivos 44) and 60 transversal items in Comprensión Lectora and Redacción Indirecta.
  • Time limit: Two sessions of 4.5 hours each (9 hours total response time)
  • Exam / certification fees: MXN 1,885 for the 2026 national Examen desde casa; institutional administrations may charge a different amount Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 90 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

EGEL Plus Biología: Suggested Study Strategy

1Review taxonomic keys and diagnostic synapomorphies separating major phyla and plant divisions.
2Practice quantitative ecological equations, including the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, exponential and logistic growth equations, and mark-recapture population estimates.
3Familiarize yourself with non-programmable scientific calculator functions to solve bioenergetic, genetic frequency (Hardy-Weinberg), and physiological osmolarity calculations smoothly.
4Review Mexican environmental legislation relevant to biology graduates, specifically NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 and categories of Protected Natural Areas (ANP).
5Dedicate study sessions to scientific reading comprehension and grammatical precision in scientific writing to maximize your score on the transversal section.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Ceneval EGEL Plus Biología examination?

The EGEL Plus BIO is a national standardized exit exam administered by Ceneval across Mexico. It assesses the disciplinary knowledge and competencies of graduating biology majors to determine whether they have achieved professional entry-level standards, and is widely utilized by Mexican universities as a formal graduation and licensing (titulación) pathway.

How many questions are on the EGEL Plus BIO and what is the schedule?

The current official guide specifies 200 three-option items and nine hours of response time in two 4.5-hour sessions: 140 disciplinary items and 60 transversal language and communication items.

How is the exam scored and what is considered a passing score?

Results are reported on the standardized Índice Ceneval scale ranging from 700 to 1300. Scores from 700 to 999 are classified as Aún no satisfactorio (not yet satisfactory), 1000 to 1149 as Satisfactorio (satisfactory), and 1150 to 1300 as Sobresaliente (outstanding). Most degree-granting universities require a Satisfactorio score across areas for titulación.

Can I use a calculator on the EGEL Plus Biología?

Yes. A non-programmable scientific calculator is permitted during the exam per Ceneval's official testing rules. Electronic devices with communication capabilities, programmable graphing calculators, tablets, and mobile phones are strictly prohibited.

Why is this practice bank in English if the official exam is in Spanish?

The official Ceneval examination is administered in Spanish. OpenExamPrep publishes this bank as an independent English-language MCQ study adaptation, not an official translation: disciplinary questions and all explanations are in English, while most language and communication items use Spanish sentences and passages so that you practice the Spanish spelling, punctuation, agreement and reading skills the transversal section actually measures. Official items have three options; this bank uses four.