Independent college-credit exam preparation
CLEP Natural Sciences Study Hub
Study biological and physical science in plain language, open the exact lesson you need, and use the chapter flashcards to check what you can explain without notes.
34 chapters · 208 lessons · 272 flashcards
Choose your next move
If you are starting from the beginning, work through Biological Science first and then Physical Science. If you have already taken a diagnostic test, let your missed questions choose the chapter.
Every CLEP Natural Sciences lesson
Each link opens the closest published teaching page in a new tab. Existing Biology, Chemistry, Physics, TEAS, ASVAB, and GED lessons are reused wherever they already cover the book topic.
208 lessons
Biological Science
Chapter 1: Nature of Life and Scientific Investigation
Chapter 2: Origin of Life, Evolution, and Natural Selection
Chapter 3: Classification and Diversity of Life
Chapter 4: Chemistry of Life
Chapter 5: Cell Structure and Function
Chapter 6: Cellular Energy: Photosynthesis and Respiration
Chapter 7: Cell Division
Chapter 8: DNA, RNA, and Gene Expression
Chapter 9: Genetics and Heredity
Chapter 10: Plant Structure, Function, and Reproduction
Chapter 11: Animal Biology and Human Body Systems
Chapter 12: Reproduction and Development
Chapter 13: Ecology and Ecosystems
Chapter 14: Population Biology and Environmental Science
- Thinking in Environmental Systems
- Matter Moves Through Cycles
- Air Pollution: Primary and Secondary Pollutants
- Ozone: Same Molecule, Different Environmental Role
- Particulate Matter
- Acid Deposition
- The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Chemistry
- Water Quality and Treatment
- Dissolved Oxygen and Eutrophication
- Chemical Fate: Solubility, Sorption, and Persistence
- Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
- Toxicology: Dose, Route, and Response
- Units and Environmental Data
- Environmental Sampling and Evidence
- Environmental Justice and Unequal Exposure
- Green Chemistry and Safer Design
- A Unified Environmental-Chemistry Decision Process
Physical Science
Chapter 15: Measurement, Mathematics, and Scientific Problem Solving
Chapter 16: Matter and Atomic Structure
Chapter 17: Nuclear Science and Radioactivity
Chapter 18: Chemical Bonding
Chapter 19: Chemical Reactions
- Reactants, Products, and Signs a Reaction Happened
- Conservation of Mass
- Reading an Equation: Coefficients and Subscripts
- Balancing Equations Step by Step
- Recognizing Common Reaction Patterns
- Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions
- What a Reaction Rate Is
- Collision Theory: Why Reactions Happen
- Temperature and Concentration
- Surface Area and Catalysts
Chapter 20: Solutions, Acids, Bases, and Gases
Chapter 21: States of Matter and Thermodynamics
Chapter 22: Motion
Chapter 23: Forces and Newton's Laws
Chapter 24: Work, Energy, Momentum, and Machines
- Energy: A New Way to Predict Change
- Work: Energy Transferred by a Force
- Energy Stored in Motion and Interactions
- The Work-Energy Theorem: Focus on One Object
- System Energy Accounts and Conservation
- Power: How Fast Energy Is Transferred
- Efficiency: Useful Output Compared with Input
- Momentum, Impulse, and Machines
Chapter 25: Electricity and Magnetism
Chapter 26: Waves, Sound, and Light
Chapter 27: Astronomy: The Solar System
Chapter 28: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe
Chapter 29: Earth's Structure and Plate Tectonics
Chapter 30: Rocks, Minerals, and Geologic Time
Chapter 31: Atmosphere, Weather, and Climate
Chapter 32: Oceans and the Water Cycle
Cross-Disciplinary CLEP Skills
Chapter 33: Graphs, Tables, and Scientific Data
Chapter 34: Experimental Design and Evidence
- The Three Kinds of Variables
- Control Groups and Experimental Groups
- What Makes a Fair Test
- Identifying Variables and Judging a Design
- Internal and External Validity
- From Observation to Hypothesis
- The Scientific Method Is a Cycle
- Hypothesis, Theory, and Law
- What Makes an Explanation Scientific
- Variation, Uncertainty, and Null Results
- Drawing a Conclusion the Data Supports
- Making Predictions from a Pattern
- Correlation Is Not Causation
- Does the Evidence Support the Claim?
- The CHECK Checklist
- Spotting Weaknesses and Suggesting Fixes
- Bias and Conflicts of Interest
- Is the Conclusion Supported? Strong and Weak Evidence
Use the hub like a tutor
After reading, name the main relationship in one sentence. Give one example and one tempting nonexample. If you cannot explain why the nonexample fails, return to that one section instead of rereading the whole chapter.
Ready for a focused review?
Open the flashcards, choose a chapter, and mark the terms you cannot explain in your own words. Those terms become today’s short study list.
These independent study materials are not official CLEP examinations or scaled-score reports. CLEP and College Board are registered marks of their respective owners, who do not endorse this site or its materials.