#chem tips

Thank you so much!! 💛✨

The biggest thing is to make sure you understand all the key material - there can be a lot depending on your exam board, and some concepts can be quite tricky! If you’ve not had great teachers, or you feel you can’t go to them for help, I’d really recommend Kahn Academy for lecture-style video lessons, and Chemguide for explanations and practice questions! I’ve also found Compound Chem to be a really good resource for visible aids - the transition metals posters, in particular, are amazing!

For revision, past paper questions are your best friend! My brilliant teacher put together a test bank of questions from the previous syllabus because we only have one set of past papers, so ask around for resources, and check the exam board websites! 🔬

I also can’t stress enough the importance of learning your key definitions and equations - there are usually a few marks up for grabs in the exam for just writing out a definition word for word, and often the key to understanding a concept is knowing the definition anyway!

How to Study Chemistry

I tutor chemistry so I know that so so many students struggle with it! Here are some tips I came up with to help you guys master this class.

1. Chemistry is not impossible to understand!!

I think this is the most important step you need to absorb! It’s not as hard as people tend to think. It’s just different from any other class. 

2. Practice practice practice

You need to practice at least every week if you don’t wanna go blank on the exam. I know we’re all busy and we all have lives but it’s important to practice regularly. I know some textbooks have practice problems at the end of chapters. Solve them! Also, you can search them online. Here is a good resource.

3. Get a tutor.

Most American universities have free peer tutors on campus. Use this free option if you can. 

4. Know all of the terms.

You have to know your chemistry terms in order to understand the material. Make sure you understand them before memorizing. 

5. Participate in class. 

Professors will show solutions for problems in class and ask for answers. Don’t be shy to be wrong. You’re all learning. It’s better to make a mistake during class and understand it then make it on the exam. Ask questions, ask to repeat or explain something again. Never let a professor move on when you didn’t understand anything he/she just said. You can also ask a question. Just never hesitate.