UPCAT Science Review: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science

UPCAT Science Review: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science

The UPCAT Science sub-test catches a lot of applicants off-guard because it doesn't behave like a typical SHS science exam. UP rarely asks "compute X given Y." It asks "which of these statements is consistent with X." Conceptual reading, not heavy calculation.

That shift in style matters most for HUMSS and GAS strand applicants, who often skip Science review thinking they can't compete. They can — UPCAT Science rewards careful reading more than it rewards advanced course coverage.

This post is the topic-level scope and study plan that the UPCAT 2026 pillar guide hands off to.

What the Science sub-test actually contains

Roughly 60 items in 75 minutes, spread across four domains. The split is not announced but has been stable across recent cycles:

Within each domain, UP has clear preferences. Knowing them lets you cover the sub-test in 12 weeks of work instead of trying to re-do all of senior high.

Physics — what UP asks

Physics on the UPCAT is mostly Grade 11 mechanics, with a light dusting of waves, electricity, and modern physics. Calculations are usually one-step.

Drill list:

• Kinematics in one dimension: displacement, velocity, acceleration, free fall
• Newton's three laws applied to single-body and simple two-body systems
• Work, energy, power; conservation of mechanical energy
• Momentum and basic collision logic (elastic vs. inelastic, qualitative)
• Circular motion at a conceptual level (centripetal direction, what changes vs. what doesn't)
• Simple machines and mechanical advantage
• Wave properties: frequency, wavelength, speed, reflection, refraction at a basic level
• Sound and light at a conceptual level (Doppler effect intuition, electromagnetic spectrum order)
• Electricity: Ohm's law, simple series/parallel circuits, basic concept of voltage/current/resistance
• Modern physics teasers: what photons are, what radioactive decay does, what the atom looks like

UP rarely asks projectile motion at full 2D. When it does, the items are conceptual ("which trajectory is shown by an object launched at 45°?") rather than numeric. Don't drill projectile-motion algebra for hours.

Chemistry — periodic table is your best friend

UP's chemistry items reward applicants who can read the periodic table fluently. Most of the conceptual items can be solved by knowing what column an element sits in.

Drill list:

• Atomic structure: protons, neutrons, electrons, isotopes, ions
• Periodic trends: atomic radius, ionisation energy, electronegativity, metallic character
• Chemical bonding: ionic vs. covalent, polar vs. non-polar, simple Lewis structures
• Stoichiometry: mole concept, molar mass, balancing equations, simple limiting reagent
• States of matter, basic gas laws (Boyle's, Charles's, ideal gas equation at the conceptual level)
• Solutions: solubility, concentration units (molarity, mass percent), simple dilution
• Acids and bases: pH scale, neutralisation, common indicators
• Oxidation and reduction at the simplest level (which side gains/loses electrons)
• Organic chemistry teasers: hydrocarbons, alcohols, basic functional groups

If you can read the periodic table backwards and forwards — atomic number, mass, group, period, valence behaviour — you cover 60% of the chemistry block before you touch a single computation.

Biology — heaviest content load

Biology has the broadest scope, and UP's biology items skew toward cell biology and genetics. Ecology and human systems show up consistently but lighter.

Drill list:

• Cell structure: organelles and their functions, prokaryote vs. eukaryote
• Cell processes: diffusion, osmosis, active transport, cell division (mitosis, meiosis at a conceptual level)
• Photosynthesis and cellular respiration as input-output diagrams (don't memorise every Calvin-cycle step; UP doesn't ask)
• Mendelian genetics: monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, dominant/recessive, sex-linked traits
• DNA structure, transcription, translation at a high level
• Mutations and basic biotechnology vocabulary
• Human body systems: circulatory, respiratory, digestive, nervous, endocrine — function-level only
• Reproduction and development at a high level
• Ecology: food webs, energy flow, biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, water)
• Evolution and natural selection: the four conditions, examples, common misconceptions
• Taxonomy basics: domains and kingdoms

Genetics carries 6–10 items per cycle. Punnett squares at the dihybrid level are non-negotiable.

Earth science — narrower than you think

UP's earth-science items lean toward plate tectonics, weather, and astronomy. Geology beyond plate tectonics rarely shows up.

Drill list:

• Plate tectonics: types of boundaries and what each produces (volcanoes, mountains, trenches, earthquakes)
• Rock cycle: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic, the transitions between them
• Layers of the Earth (crust, mantle, outer/inner core)
• Atmospheric layers and weather basics: high vs. low pressure, fronts, basic cloud types
• Climate vs. weather; greenhouse effect and climate change at the conceptual level
• Water cycle, ocean currents, tides
• Solar system structure: planet order, basic differences between inner/outer planets
• Phases of the moon, eclipses, seasons (axis tilt is the right answer surprisingly often)
• Stars and basic stellar lifecycle at a high level

UPCAT earth-science items often combine domains — a question framed as "weather" may really be testing the difference between adiabatic cooling and convection. Read carefully.

A 12-week science drilling plan

Same shape as the math plan: 5 days a week, 45 minutes per day, 12 weeks. The plan is biased toward the heaviest blocks.

If you're a STEM-strand applicant, you can compress weeks 1–9 into 6 weeks and use the saved time on more mocks. If you're HUMSS or GAS, hold the full 12 — and start at biology, where the conceptual reading style rewards you the most.

The "I'm not in STEM" play

Most HUMSS / GAS / ABM applicants leave 8–12 percentile points on the table by under-investing in Science. The investment you actually need is small:

1. Biology and Earth science first — these reward reading more than they reward strand background.
2. Chemistry conceptual blocks before computation — the periodic-table reasoning items are open to anyone who memorises the table.
3. Physics mechanics only — skip the waves and electricity blocks if you're truly out of time. You'll still bank the mechanics points.

Twelve weeks of 45-minute drilling moves a non-STEM applicant from the 30th percentile (typical baseline) into the 60th–70th. That's enough to keep most regional UP campuses on the table.

Where Super Tutor fits

Super Tutor's UPCAT Science track covers the topic list above, sequenced in the same 12-week order. Free tier opens biology and earth science in full; the Focused plan (₱49/week, ₱249/month, ₱1,999/year) opens chemistry and physics plus the full-length mock cycle.

What to read next

The UPCAT Math review guide covers the topic-level math plan; the UPCAT Language and Reading review covers the verbal sub-tests. The UPCAT 2026 pillar guide ties all four sub-tests together with the month-by-month schedule and the UPG cutoff context.