👤 By the CinnaEntry Content Team🕐 Updated 2026-09-06🏷️ HESI Biology🔖 Free to read, print, and share
Also known as: photosynthesis · cellular respiration · ATP · chloroplast · mitochondria · glucose
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Use this one-page guide to lock in Energy Cheat Sheet for the ATI TEAS 7 and HESI A2. Keep it handy during review and on exam day.
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📒 The 1-minute cheat sheet
📌 Photosynthesis
CO₂ + water + light → glucose + oxygen
In CHLOROPLASTS · plants only
📌 Cellular Respiration
Glucose + oxygen → CO₂ + water + ATP
In MITOCHONDRIA · all cells, including plants
📌 The Link
The products of one are the reactants of the other
ATP is the cell's spendable energy currency
📚 Energy Cheat Sheet — full study notes
The cheat sheet above is your quick recall card. These notes go deeper — what it is, what to do first, what must be reported, and what to teach.
These two processes are mirror images: one stores energy from sunlight in glucose, the other releases that energy as ATP. Written side by side, the equations run in reverse — which makes the pair far easier to learn together than apart.
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Key points
Understand these first
PHOTOSYNTHESIS: carbon dioxide + water + light → glucose + oxygen. It happens in the CHLOROPLASTS of plant cells.
CELLULAR RESPIRATION: glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + ATP. It happens in the MITOCHONDRIA of all cells.
ATP is the cell's usable energy currency — the reason respiration happens at all.
Plants do BOTH; animals do only respiration.
The oxygen you breathe was released by photosynthesis, and the carbon dioxide you exhale feeds it.
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Study first
Where to start
Read the two equations one under the other: the products of each are the reactants of the other. That is the cycle.
A plant in the dark still respires — it just cannot photosynthesize, so it consumes stored glucose.
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Red flags — report now
Escalate immediately
Saying plants only photosynthesize. They respire continuously, day and night.
Placing photosynthesis in the mitochondria. Chloroplasts capture light; mitochondria release energy.
Thinking respiration means breathing. Cellular respiration happens inside cells and does not require lungs.
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Commonly tested
What comes up most
Write both equations on one line, one above the other, and draw arrows connecting the matching terms. The mirror structure is the memory aid.
Tie each process to its organelle with a single phrase: 'chloroplast captures, mitochondrion spends.'
❓ Energy Cheat Sheet: TEAS & HESI FAQs
What should I focus on first when studying Energy Cheat Sheet?
Read the two equations one under the other: the products of each are the reactants of the other. That is the cycle. A plant in the dark still respires — it just cannot photosynthesize, so it consumes stored glucose.
What are the warning signs of Energy Cheat Sheet a nurse must report?
Saying plants only photosynthesize. They respire continuously, day and night. Placing photosynthesis in the mitochondria. Chloroplasts capture light; mitochondria release energy. Thinking respiration means breathing. Cellular respiration happens inside cells and does not require lungs.
What do I need to know about Energy Cheat Sheet for the TEAS or HESI?
PHOTOSYNTHESIS: carbon dioxide + water + light → glucose + oxygen. It happens in the CHLOROPLASTS of plant cells. CELLULAR RESPIRATION: glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + ATP. It happens in the MITOCHONDRIA of all cells. ATP is the cell's usable energy currency — the reason respiration happens at all. Plants do BOTH; animals do only respiration.
What are the most commonly tested points on Energy Cheat Sheet?
Write both equations on one line, one above the other, and draw arrows connecting the matching terms. The mirror structure is the memory aid. Tie each process to its organelle with a single phrase: 'chloroplast captures, mitochondrion spends.'.
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Quick Tip
PHOTOSYNTHESIS: carbon dioxide + water + light → glucose + oxygen. It happens in the CHLOROPLASTS of plant cells.