By Aadil Rehan So, you decided to take AP Chemistry. Infamous as one of the hardest AP courses offered, AP Chem is a tough monster to wrangle, but nothing that you can’t handle. I’ve broken the whole process down into 4 phases, not that it matters (like the phases of matter, get it? Fine, I’ll see myself out now) for ease of reading. Hope you enjoy! Phase 1: Solid - Do I take the class or not? Some questions to consider when deciding to take AP Chem, from one of our AP Chem teachers’ website: If you are wondering if you are a candidate to take AP Chem: Do you ask classmates for help? Do you go to your teacher’s office hours? Do you use the key to understand the information if you can’t get a problem? Do you watch podcasts? Do you search Google for information if you do not know it? Do you wish to pursue a future in studying science? If you answered yes to these questions, you are on your way! On the other hand... Do you wait until the last minute to do the assignment? Do you not check your answers on the key? Do you copy the key? Are you too busy? Do you feel totally lost on the problems? Are you taking this class only because of a weighted grade? Are you taking 4 academic classes and after school extracurriculars? If you answered yes to these questions, you might want to reconsider taking AP Chem! Phase 2: Liquid - The Class Well, you’ve gone and done it now. You’ve enrolled in AP Chem. You’ve gone from the metaphorical frying pan into the fire. Now that you have, though, what do you do? 1. Acquaint yourself with the AP rubric. The best way to do well on the AP test is to know what the graders will expect from Day 1. Learn the terminology that AP readers like to see. Certain buzzwords really drive it home, like “thermodynamically favorable,” or “Coulombic attractions.” Even if (God forbid) you don’t know the answer to an FRQ on the day of a test, if you ramble on enough and by chance hit upon a term that relates to the topic at hand, you have a chance of earning a point for that section. 2. Learn what - and what not - to memorize, and once you have, memorize ‘em. Below is a general list of things you should and shouldn’t memorize, but not an exhaustive one by any means. They might seem like stuff you should memorize closer to the test itself, but the earlier you learn these, the better. Things on the test that you should memorize:
One thing that really helped me was getting a notebook. In it, I wrote all the little things I wanted to remember for the test, and reviewed it from time to time. For example, one of the things I had was that in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), the oxidation state of oxygen is -1. These are just small things that might be unintuitive, but should be remembered. 3. Do the work (i.e. don’t copy the key). I know how tempting it is when that assignment looks so long and you just want to sleep but I assure you, every homework problem that you do is 500% worth it. I know I’m echoing the teachers here, but if you don’t do the work, you’re not gonna learn. And you don’t want to be that person on the night of May 6th who realizes they don’t know anything for the AP exam the next day. 4. Ask for help! Your teachers will undoubtedly be your best friends while studying for the test. While it might be more convenient to ask the person sitting next to you, your teachers know a little bit more chemistry - it’s better to be safe than sorry. Phase 3: Gas - Prepping for the Exam One tip, and one tip alone: PRACTICE! Practice, practice, practice. Try to find out as early as possible what method of practice works for you. For me, it was doing practice problems, over and over and over again. I did almost every problem in the textbook, as well as every review packet on my teacher’s website. I did every free-response question from 2000 until 2016. Review books didn’t help me. They might help you. Pin down your review strategy, and nail it. Phase 4: Plasma - The Test Itself So, it’s the day before the test (the test is on May 7th, 2018! Mark the date, kiddos!) and you’re freaking out. Here are some tips for the night before the test and the test itself: Night Before:
Day of the Test:
After the Test: Oh, man. The worst part of the test. The waiting. July seems like literal eternities away after your tests are over. My advice to you is to avoid discussion about the test at all costs. It will only serve to augment your stress about your scores even further, especially since there is nothing you can do about them at this point. For example, I re-did the FRQs the day they came out and compared answers with my friends. I found that I had messed up on one of them, and it had me on edge until July. I repeat, do not discuss the tests with your friends. I advise to either 1) stay away from the friends who can’t stop talking about tests, or 2) make a deal with your closest friends to just not talk about it altogether. Last, but not least, my final tip to you, is that throughout the entire process of AP Chem, from the class to the test, HAVE FUN! Chemistry is an awesome subject, and you’re taking this class because you enjoy it. (I hope!) By taking this course, you’ve already demonstrated that you’re a high-achieving, motivated student, and I have the utmost confidence in all of you that you can totally destroy this class and the test! CITATIONS“The Ultimate List of AP Chemistry Tips.” Albert Blog, 30 Apr. 2017, www.albert.io/blog/ap-chemistry-tips/. Shakeri, Kaveh. “AP Chem Homework and Schedule.” Shakeri AP Chemistry, teachers.sduhsd.net/kshakeri/AP_Chemistry_Pages/Homework_page/homework_11/chem_homework_17.htm. SUggested ReadingS & PracticeAP Chemistry Course and Exam Description:
http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-chemistry-course-and-exam-description.pdf O’Malley Chemistry: https://sites.google.com/view/omalleychem Write This, Not That https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B24wmeRFJWX5bGVvbDhLNHNYN00/view Things to Know For AP Chem http://www.teacherweb.com/KY/DupontManualHighSchool/Moss/Things-to-Know-for-AP-Chemistry.pdf
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