HOW TO ACE IN CHEMISTRY

INTRODUCTION

Learning chemistry can be nerve-racking and be inundating. I bet you have encountered various tips on how to excel in chemistry. Have they worked for you? I am sure that some have worked while some have not. There is no fairy-tale method of how to study chemistry. However, one can master an effective approach of passing in chemistry. Most students fail to excel in their chemistry exams because they entirely depend on the chemistry notes provided by the chemistry tutor. 

To successfully ace in your chemistry courses, you must know some basic mathematics. For instance, if a question requires you to find equilibrium constant of a particular reaction, you must know basic algebraic knowledge. On the other hand, if you are required to find the pH of an aqueous solution, you must know the logarithmic concept. Therefore, to aptly succeed in chemistry courses, you should fathom the fundamental mathematics principles. Before you learn tips to help you pass in chemistry courses, check your mathematics skills. If it is wobbly, then this is the right time to make your mathematics skills better. Since snubbing mathematics requirements of chemistry is like swimming without the right gears.

As William Osler once said, “To study the phenomenon of a disease without books is to sail an uncharted sea, while to study books without patients is not to go the sea at all.” The quote is in agreement with the studying chemistry. So, reading a chunk of chemistry books with the hope that it will help you succeed in chemistry is like pushing a wall. It will hardly assist you. To excel in chemistry, you require all necessary strategies in place. In this guide, I will show how you will overwhelm ‘Goliath’ (challenges that prevent you from succeeding in your chemistry). I will provide you with approaches to help you ace in your chemistry (‘your David’), which will help fight your Goliath. Before you read these tips, get A COPY OF THIS BOOK HERE . It will supplement your understanding of these tips. 

TECHNIQUE 1: NEXT CLASS TOPIC

Read the next chemistry class topic discussion before your next class. In most circumstances, students wait until the tutor discusses the topic in class, then they try to understand what the teacher gave them. This method rarely works. It will force you to cram the subject concept. Though, some students like it. It is not advisable. Studying the next topic alone before the tutor introduce it helped me during my school days. When you read before the tutor discusses the topic in class, you will grasp the topic concept faster than those who did not study before. You will be revising the topic, and this will enable you deeply understand the topic. When you are practicing this technique, try to answer all the questions related to this topic. Doing that will allow you to pay attention to these questions (the ones you correctly solved and incorrectly solved) during the class session. During the class session, ask the tutor to help you solve the questions you did not correctly solve. Additionally, strive to participate in class by either answering the questions asked or asking questions. If the tutor gives you a chance to show something on the blackboard, do not shy off, this will enhance your confidence level and your understanding of the topic. 

I know every serious student has a study-timetable to follow during his or her free times. If it is possible, try to go through the topic you discussed in class immediately (in your succeeding free-time studying periods). You should not be afraid to disrupt the sequence of your study-timetable. This technique worked for me. Therefore, I believe it will work for you it. Have a look at the results in Picture 1, which I achieved after following this method.

                                         Picture 1: Results achieved after following technique 1

TECHNIQUE 2: SOLVE HOMEWORK’S PROBLEMS

Do not snub your homework. Many students will do that. But I assure you, if you avoid solving your homework, then learning chemistry will be like climbing a steep mountain. Instead, read your homework problems and comprehend what they are all about. Ask yourself the following: 

Am I in the position to identify the formula for a particular problem?

Do I understand what is needed for this problem? 

These will assist you in solving the topic concept, which will eventually help you solve challenging chemistry problems. Check the Example 1: 

Example 1:

A gas occupies 600 cm³ at a pressure of 3.5 atm in a closed container. What will be it pressure when it is transferred into another closed container, which holds up to 100cm³ of gas?  

How do you solve this? The questions that will be lingering in your mind are gas laws. What do you know about gas laws? Which gas law is appropriate for this question? After answering these questions you would solve the problem.  The application of Boyle’s gas law is suitable for Example 1. The law states that provided that the temperature is constant, then the volume and pressure of a gas of a particular mass are inversely related. Therefore: 

P (pressure) V (volume) =constant (k)

Thus,

P₁V₁=P₂V₂ ………………………………………………     Equation 1

For you to solve for P₂ (the pressure in the second container), you need to rearrange Equation 1 and solve for P2 as follows: 

P₂= P₁ X V₁/V₂……………………………………………   Equation 2

After rearranging the equation 1, you can plug the numbers into Equation 2 to get your correct answer. In Example 1, P1=3.5 atm, V₁=600cm³ and V₂=1000cm³. Substituting these values in Equation 1 gives: 

P₂= 3.5 atm X 600 cm³/1000 cm³

P₂= 2.1 atm

If you understood the topic (Boyle’s gas law) in class and your continuous studying on the same, you will realize that P₂ is smaller than P₁. For instance, as volume increases pressure decreases. In this case, the pressure at 600cm³ is 3.5 atm while at 1000cm³ it is 2.1cm³. For that reason, our calculations concur with the Boyle’s gas law statement. Understanding a concept will help you to quickly identify the mistakes you are making during your study or in the exam room. 

TECHNIQUE 3: HOMEWORK AS YOUR HELPER

Many learners make a big mistake by not trying to attempt their homework problems. Furthermore, the majority fails to solve the problems, which are always at the end of every topic in most chemistry books. Though, top performers in chemistry often use their homework to support their topic concepts they studied in class. They always arranged their homework in an orderly manner. By organizing homework in a particular way help them to comprehend and imbibe of a challenging concept. The following steps show you how you can organize your homework in a certain manner: 

Step 1: Search for the same problems related to your topic in your textbook.

Step 2: Look for similar problems in distinctive chemistry textbooks or other learning materials such as pamphlets etc. 

Step 3: Read problems from different reading materials and try to distinguish their differences and similarities. 

Step 4: Solve a number of problems each day and always do in the morning when your brain is still fresh. 

TECHNIQUE 4:  REFERENCE SHEET

Learning chemistry and other subjects is not simple. It needs time and deep understating of the concept of every topic. You have read many chemistry books and you have solved some of their problems. However, sometimes you are inundated with information from different chemistry books. So, what is next? How can you only concentrate on the important points? Having a reference sheet answers these questions. Students should have a reference sheet where they can jot down the important points. This will assist you to easily refer to them later. For example, reference sheet is crucial when you are preparing for your exams.

Read these two stories and you will appreciate the importance of reference sheet: 

Story 1: In a certain school, a group of students was preparing for a chemistry exam (organic chemistry: the introduction of organic chemistry). These students were referring to their organic chemistry textbooks and their class notes during their revision periods. These students always complained that took more time before getting the correct answer to a problem.

Story 2: In another school, students prepared reference sheet, which they were referring to during their revision for general chemistry. These students enjoyed revising for their general chemistry exams. They often said that they took them less than five minutes to get answer needed for a question. 

After exams, the results were released. It was observed that students who were studying using reference sheet extremely performed as compared to those who did not use reference sheet. Therefore, this supports the importance of using a reference sheet for a chemistry student who needs to ace in her or his chemistry courses. 

Technique 5: Comprehending the topics

Put more efforts on understanding than memorizing. It is challenging to memorize a chemistry concept. Therefore, when you are studying you should comprehend what you are studying. Most students are fond of memorizing most of their courses, and this is the reason they will start revising for their chemistry courses towards exams. This habit always makes them not to pass in their chemistry exams. Starting reading at the start of the semester or term or before the beginning of learning period is a rule of thumb in acing in your chemistry courses. This will enable you to have ample time to understand the topic idea than cramming and memorizing. 

TECHNIQUE 6: CONTINUOUS PRACTICE

As Anton Chekhov once said, “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.” So, the chemistry knowledge you acquired maybe during the class session or reading periods will be of no value if you cannot practice daily to understand it better. How will practice? After you have understood the topic concept, attempt sample chemistry quizzes from different learning materials. Practicing daily will allow you to approach your exams confidently and also increase your level of understanding. 

TECHNIQUE 7: LECTURES

In most institutions of higher learning, there is a maximum freedom. Nobody will bother to attend your lectures. Why should someone bother you? But you are an adult. You know what is right for you and what is not right for you. “Maximum freedom” students enjoy always making them miss their lectures. However, if you are serious chemistry student who desires to pass in your chemistry courses do not join this bandwagon. Since the bandwagon will place between hot bricks during your entire learning of chemistry. 

TECHNIQUE 8: STUDY GROUP

Avoid sole learning. Though, people are created differently. They are some who like doing their activities individually. But still, achieve remarkable results. If you believe you fall into that group then this tip has no value for you. However, study groups have been proven to increase the understanding of course concept. Students who form study groups always perform better than their counterparts. Therefore, a student should consider embracing this tip. 

TECHNIQUE 9: PRACTICAL LESSONS  

Studying chemistry without practical lessons is planting without using fertilizers. After planting, plants need required fertilizers for a healthy growth and eventually high yields. Practical lessons are very important in all almost chemistry courses. They help the students to better understand what they discussed in class. They expose students to the real-life application of the knowledge they acquired in their chemistry studies. Though, students always avoid attending their practical lessons. It is advisable to attend all your practical lessons if you aspire to excel in your chemistry courses. 

CONCLUSION  

Passing or failing in your chemistry exams entirely depends on you. These tips may work for some students. As I stated earlier, people are created differently. So, if these tips work for me does not mean they can work for you. Though, they have worked for many students. So, I believe your condition is not an exemption. What should you do if you have been trying to follow them and they have not lessened your challenges in your chemistry course? Just change your study tactics and you will pass in your chemistry studies. If the world-renowned inventor, Thomas Edison failed more than 10,000 times and he still left an amazing legacy, then this tells you the power of trying. So, roll-up your sleeves and overpower your ‘Goliath’ using your ‘David’ (these tips or other tips or others). If there is something which has not been discussed you can leave it as a comment. Additionally, recently I read this book (“How To Survive (And Even Excel In) General Chemistry”). It has splendid tips on how to pass chemistry and I do believe it will be a helper in your chemistry studies. Get YOUR COPY HERE.