Virginia Tech BIOL 1105: Principles of Biology

BIOL 1105 is the first half of Virginia Tech's majors biology sequence — cell biology, energetics, genetics, and molecular biology — taken by biology majors and pre-health students, usually alongside the separate 1115 lab, with BIOL 1106 completing the year.

Fennie is independent and not affiliated with Virginia Tech. This is an unofficial study guide.

Build my BIOL 1105 study plan

What makes it hard

The volume is the workload: dense molecular detail at a pace that buries crammers, with exams mixing recall and application questions that high-school biology habits can't answer. The genetics and molecular units demand working through problems, not rereading — a study-style shift many freshmen make one exam too late.

What you'll cover

• Cell structure and function
• Energy and metabolism
• Cell division
• Genetics and inheritance
• DNA and gene expression
• Intro molecular biology

The BIOL 1105 study guide

How to study for Virginia Tech BIOL 1105, step by step.

1
Learn processes as causal chains
BIOL 1105 exams ask what happens if a step fails, not just what the step is called. For metabolism, division, and expression, study the why and the what-if alongside the vocabulary.
2
Do genetics as problems, not notes
Crosses, pedigrees, and probability questions are worked skills. Practice predicting outcomes from scratch — rereading worked examples builds recognition, and exams test production.
3
Grow the flashcard deck continuously
The vocabulary volume stays manageable only if captured weekly. Short daily review of a continuously growing deck beats every cramming strategy at this material density.
4
Keep the 1115 lab on its own track
Lab deadlines run parallel all semester. Handle pre-labs and reports near the session so they never compete with exam weeks for the same nights.
5
Pace the volume with Fennie
Upload your BIOL 1105 materials and Fennie's Daily Plan spaces review across units, tracks lab alongside lecture, and generates flashcards plus application-style quizzes from the actual content. Free to start.
Start my BIOL 1105 plan free

How Fennie helps with BIOL 1105

Fennie's Daily Plans pace BIOL 1105's volume with spaced review across units and lab deadlines tracked alongside lecture, so nothing compounds into a finals-week wall. Auto-generate flashcards per unit and drill the predict-the-outcome application questions where exam grades actually separate.

FAQ

Is BIOL 1105 at Virginia Tech hard?

It's demanding through volume and pace: dense molecular material with exams mixing recall and application. Students who do genetics as worked problems and review on a spaced schedule handle it; crammers visibly don't.

What's the difference between BIOL 1105 and 1106?

1105 covers the cellular and molecular half — cells, energetics, genetics, gene expression. 1106 continues into evolution, biodiversity, physiology, and ecology. Together with the labs they form the majors' first-year sequence.

How do I study for BIOL 1105 exams?

Study processes as causal chains and practice what-if questions, work genetics problems from scratch rather than rereading, and review with a continuously growing flashcard deck in short daily sessions.

Pass BIOL 1105 with a plan, not a cram

Upload your BIOL 1105 materials and Fennie generates a Daily Plan paced to your deadline — plus chat, flashcards, and quizzes built from the actual course content.

Get started free

More Virginia Tech courses

MATH 1225 — Calculus of a Single Variable I

MATH 1225 is Virginia Tech's Calculus I — limits, derivatives, applications of differentiation, and the start of integration — the gateway for engineering, science, and CS students. Grading runs through four common-time midterms outside class hours, a common final, online homework, and computer-based gateway exams at the Math Emporium.

MATH 1226 — Calculus of a Single Variable II

MATH 1226 continues Virginia Tech's calculus sequence — integration techniques, applications of integrals, sequences and series, and parametric and polar topics — under the same common-exam structure as 1225, with Emporium gateway exams on integration skills.

MATH 2114 — Introduction to Linear Algebra

MATH 2114 is Virginia Tech's first linear algebra course — systems of equations, matrix algebra, vector spaces, linear transformations, eigenvalues — required across engineering, CS, and the mathematical sciences, with sections that lean on common assessments and online homework.

MATH 2204 — Introduction to Multivariable Calculus

MATH 2204 extends Virginia Tech's calculus sequence to several variables — partial derivatives, gradients, optimization, multiple integrals, and an introduction to vector calculus — required for most engineering and physical science majors after MATH 1226.