LUMS School of Science & Engineering

Admissions Test, for incoming Class of 2015

Syllabi

Copyright © 2010-2011 LUMS SSE 1

 Compulsory Section

The test format for the compulsory section, i.e. Basic Mathematics, is as follows:

30 minutes will be allowed for the section, which will consist solely of multiple-choice
questions. Each multiple choice question will carry 1 mark and -1/4 of a mark will be
deducted for each incorrect answer.

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 LUMS School of Science & Engineering
Admissions Test

Basic Mathematics syllabus

Content:

Students who have done the first year of FSc or A-levels will have the background to answer
all questions on the SSE Basic Math test.

The SSE Basic Math test evaluates basic computational ability.

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 Subject Specific Sections

The test format for the remaining four sections that deal with specific subjects, i.e.
Advanced Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, is identical and is as follows:

You will be allowed 45 minutes to work on each section, which will consist of 30 Multiple
Choice questions, each carrying 1 mark. Every incorrect answer will result in -1/4 of a mark.

These sections are aimed at applicants with a solid conceptual understanding of the relevant
subjects at the A’ Level/F.Sc. (or equivalent) level.

These sections will examine your ability to think clearly and logically, comprehend relevant
terminology and notation and apply your existing knowledge in novel and unfamiliar ways.
Questions will be designed to test your understanding and recollection of fundamental
concepts, and your ability to apply these to real-life situations; to gauge your problem
solving skills, analytical capabilities and your scientific reasoning faculties; to test a basic
familiarity with experimental setups, graphical presentation of data and schematic
representations.

Please also note the following points:

 Questions may be independent of particular topics, being designed instead to test

general mathematics aptitude and potential.
 A single question may often require knowledge of various different topics.
 Examiners will aim to cover a wide range of topics, but not every topic will be examined
every year.
 Knowledge of elementary topics will be assumed and some questions might require
students to recall basic concepts not explicitly included in the outlines below.LUMS

School of Science & Engineering

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 LUMS School of Science & Engineering
Admissions Test

Advanced Mathematics syllabus

Content:

The SSE Advanced Math test evaluates logic and reasoning ability with more challenging
questions, but the mathematics background required is the same as for the SSE Basic Math
test.

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 LUMS School of Science & Engineering
Admissions Test

Physics syllabus

Content:

1) Measurement
 Fundamental and derived units
 Dimensions of physical quantities
 Precision, accuracy and errors

2) Scalars and vectors

 Differences between scalar and vector quantities
 Addition and subtraction of vectors
 Resolving a vector into its components
 Scalar and vector products

3) Motion and Forces

 Displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration and equations of motion
 Distance-time, velocity-time graphs
 Newton’s laws of motion
 Linear momentum
 Angular motion with concepts of angular momentum, torque, centripetal and
centrifugal forces
 Projectile motion
 Moment of inertia
 Gravitational attraction
 Weightlessness

4) Work and energy

 Work, energy and power
 Different forms of energy, their inter-conversion and conservation
 Kinetic and potential energies

5) Fluids
 Pressure and Pascal’s principle
 Archimedes’ Principle and flotation
 Basic concepts of fluid continuity and incompressibility of liquids

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6) Waves
 Simple harmonic motion
 Examples of simple pendulum and mass connected to a spring
 Standing and traveling waves
 Wave characteristics such as wavelength, frequency and speed
 Wave properties such as reflection, refraction, interference and diffraction
 Nature of sound

7) Heat
 Molecular description of the temperature of a gas
 Laws of gas behaviour
 Relationship between heat and mechanical energies
 Specific and latent heat capacities

8) Electricity and Magnetism

 Charges and electric fields due to static charges
 Concept of electrostatic potential and potential differences
 Capacitance
 Electric current and its basic physical description
 DC and AC currents
 Electrical resistance
 Magnetic fields and magnetic flux
 Ampere’s law and magnetic field due to a current carrying conductor
 Motion of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields
 Faraday’s law and electromagnetic induction
 Electromagnetic waves

9) Materials
 Elasticity and Hooke’s law
 Difference between crystalline and amorphous solids
 Difference between electrical conductors, insulators, metals and semiconductors
 Magnetic properties of solids

10) Modern Physics

 Blackbody radiation and motivation for quantization of energy levels
 Existence of photons and the photoelectric effect
 Wave and particle nature of matter
 Equivalence of mass and energy
 Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle
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  Existence of energy levels in atoms
 Absorption and emission of radiation from energy level transitions in atoms
 Production and nature of X-rays
 The atomic nucleus and its constituents
 Nuclear energy – fission and fusion
 Radioactivity

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 LUMS School of Science & Engineering
Admissions Test

Biology syllabus

Content:

1) Cell structure
 Features of plant and animal cell
 Principles of microscopy
 Structure and function of organelles

2) Biological molecules
 Polymers and macromolecules
 Carbohydrates
 Lipids
 Proteins

3) Enzymes
 Role of enzymes in lowering activation energy
 Enzyme Kinetics
 Role of Temperature, pH and Co-factors in enzyme Kinetics
 Competitive and no-competitive inhibition of enzymes

4) Cell membranes and transport

 Structure of cell membranes and Phospholipids
 Transport across cell membranes
 Active transport and passive transport

5) Genetic control of protein structure and function

 Structure of DNA and RNA
 DNA replication
 RNA synthesis
 mRNA, tRNA and rRNA function
 Protein synthesis
 Control of gene expression

6) Energy and respiration

 Relevance of high energy molecules in living organisms
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  Structure and synthesis of ATP
 Electron Transport Chain
 Glycolysis and Kreb’s Cycle
 Aerobic and anaerobic respiration

7) Nuclear division (mitosis)

 Chromosome structure
 Cell cycle
 Stages of mitosis
 Cancer

8) Meiosis, genetics and gene control

 Gametogenesis
 Stages of meiosis
 Independent assortment of chromosome in meiosis
 Basic concept of genetics
 Common genetic disorders

9) Energy and ecosystems

 Components of ecosystem
 Food chain
 Energy transfer in ecosystem
 Nitrogen cycle

10) Classification of eukaryotes and prokaryotes

 Basis for classification
 Principles of modern classification systems

11) The transport/circulatory system

 Modes of transport in plants and animals
 Transport vessels in plants
 Open and closed circulatory systems
 Vessels of circulatory system
 Composition of blood
 Globin molecules
 Transport of oxygen
 Structure and physiology of mammalian heart

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12) Gaseous exchange
 Principles of gaseous exchange
 Gaseous exchange in plants and animals
 Anatomy and physiology of human lung

13) Nutrition
 Modes of nutrition
 Nutrition in plants
 Nutrition in animals
 Anatomy and physiology of human digestive system
 Diseases of malnutrition

14) Homeostasis
 Osmoregulation
 Thermoregulation
 Excretion in plants and animals
 Anatomy and physiology of human excretory system

15) Coordination and control

 Coordination and control in plants
 Plant hormones
 Coordination and control in animals
 Nervous system in animals
 Basic physiology of human nervous system
 Endocrine system in humans

16) Reproduction
 Modes of reproduction
 Reproduction in plants
 Reproduction in animals
 Anatomy and physiology of human reproductive system

17) Infectious diseases

 Global impact of infectious diseases
 Modes of transmission of infectious diseases
 Case study of Hepatitis B, Aids, Malaria, TB and Cholera

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18) Immunity
 Types and salient features of immune responses
 Role of B and T cells in generating an immune response
 Role of memory cells
 Antibody structure and function
 Vaccination and disease eradication

19) Photosynthesis
 The energy transfer process
 Light dependent reactions of photosynthesis
 Leaf structure and function
 Chloroplast structure and function
 Factors necessary for photosynthesis

20) Selection and evolution

 Role of sexual reproduction in generating variations
 Overproduction
 Natural selection and allele frequencies
 Natural selection as an evolutionary force
 Artificial selection
 Evolution of isolated species

21) Biotechnology
 Restriction endonucleases
 Cloning vectors
 Gene cloning (recombinant DNA)
 PCR
 Electrophoresis
 DNA sequencing
 Transgenic organisms
 Gene therapy
 Genetically modified plants and bacteria

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 LUMS School of Science & Engineering
Admissions Test

Chemistry syllabus

Content:

1) Atoms, molecules and ions

 Atomic theories of matter
 Electron configuration and related laws/principles
 The periodic table – General trends of chemical/physical properties of elements
 Quantum numbers and their significance
 Covalent and ionic compounds and their general properties

2) Chemical bonds
 Theories of chemical bonding
 Hybridization of atomic orbitals to form molecular orbitals and their geometries
 Sigma and pi bonds
 Non-covalent interactions

3) States of matter
 Gases – Kinetic-molecular theories; general characteristics; gas laws; ideal gas
behavior and deviations from ideal gas law
 Liquids – intermolecular interactions; phase changes; heats of vaporization; vapor
pressures; critical temperatures and pressures; surface tensions; viscosity and
colligative properties of solutions etc.
 Solids – melting points and heats of fusion; sublimation; phase changes and phase
diagrams

4) Thermochemistry
 Forms of energy, their inter-conversions and quantitative determination
 Internal energy, work and the first and second laws of thermodynamics
 Heats of reaction and enthalpy changes
 Hess’ law of heat summation and calculating heats of reaction from standard
enthalpies of formation

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5) Chemical reactions
 Stoichiometry and the mole concept
 The concept of molarity, molality and normality
 Reactions in aqueous solutions. Examples of combination, decomposition, single
replacement and double replacement reactions
 Exothermic and endothermic reactions

6) Rates of chemical reactions

 Factors affecting reaction rates
 Collision theory of reaction rates
 Activation energy, Arrhenius equation and reaction rate laws
 Reaction mechanisms and rate of reactions

7) Chemical equilibrium
 The dynamic nature of equilibrium
 Reversible reactions and the equilibrium constant
 Effect of changing concentration, pressure and temperature
 Le Chatelier’s principle
 Calculations involving chemical equilibrium

8) Acids, bases and buffers

 Definitions of acids and bases
 Conjugate acids and bases
 pH, Ka/Kb, pKa/pKb and their significance in acid base reactions
 Acid/base titrations
 Buffer solutions and their significance

9) Electrochemistry
 Ionization and electrical conductivity
 Standard redox potentials and half-cell reactions
 Balancing redox equations
 Non-standard-state cell potentials

10) Introductory Organic Chemistry

 Nomenclature, functional groups, structure and isomerism of simple organic
compounds

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