written by someone who knows how to study chem in theory but not in practice
Hello!
If you are reading this you are probably Thomas. If not, damn. What can I say. You outsmarted me there.
Anyways, before I give some actual tips, I'm gonna take this opportunity to discuss something I feel that is crucial if you want to do well in any subject, let alone chemistry.
And that thing is called passion.
Background research
For those who are currently chemistry students (yr 11-12, but if you're in yr 12 and you're doubting your passions in chemistry i think you have some pressing issues), you will be slammed with a bunch of content. Acid bases, organic, bonding, IMF, redox, etc. When you are taught these things, you can respond in one of two ways:
- Damn! This is so cool! And interesting! I find this really facinating!
- What the hell. This is so boring. I can't wait for the next topic.
Before I make any definitive claims, I also want you to consider the type of student that you classify yourself as. Are you an "academic student"? Do you aspire to have a high ATAR, be a doctor, etc.? Or are you fine with a subpar ATAR? What I'm trying to say is, is chemistry vital to your ATAR goals (e.g. you wanna be a doctor so you take chem cause its requirement)?
Hence, the way I see it there are 4 types of students based from these broad derivations:
- Love chem, academic: Then this guide is perfect for you! Not only will I (attempt to) teach you how to excel in chem, but also how to do so in a way that keeps your passion. And I have experience in this. In yr 10 (accel), I hated chem. I felt that my passion for chemistry should reflect in my marks, but it didn't. And that was a downer. I was sadge. But having experienced it I understand why now.
- Hate chem, academic: Hmm. You may find this guide useful. There's nothing wrong with hating chem. It's just unfortunate that you have to do it. The way I see it, studying a subject you have no passion for makes it much more harder.
- Love chem, not academic: I think its cool beans and amazing that you love chem as much, maybe even more than I do. This guide will be somewhat helpful. I can give suggestions as to where you can go looking to feed your curiosity. But it's up to you to like actually do study, rather than purely explore the topics. (it becomes even funner if you become academic/competitive in chem, trust)
- Don't love chem, not academic: If you scroll up to the top of this page, you'll find a 3 bar button. Press it, and you'll get the sidebar, which showcases my most recent writings. Pick any that suit you.
Material list
- haha i've had the brilliant idea to structure this like a science report how goofy and wacky and quirky
Textbooks
- (see Chemistry Resources review for a more in-depth look into textbooks for chem.)
- Here are some books I fully endorse:
- Lucarelli (Essential Chem): Beautiful. Especially the sets. They are long and tedious. But they are great for refining your understanding. (if you think 3 pages of questions is painful, wait till you get to yr 12💀)
- Wace Study Guide: Revision is a little scuffed, but if you've managed your time you shouldn't need it. Maybe briefly read over it before a test, might be helpful to cross-check your knowledge.
- Here are the book(s) that I'm a little sus about:
- STAWA: These people are crooks. Not a single STAWA book that I've owned has had a stable, working binder. The book just falls apart. Rubbish. Made in China. However, the calculation questions are good. And the sets are alright. They can get pretty long at times, even longer than some Lucarelli sets. Your in-class chem experiments come from this book.
- Here are the book(s) that I despise:
- Pearson: Absolute filth that has desecrated the paper its written on. Rubbish. Absolute rubbish! The chapters are long, tedious, and dismally boring enough to make someone comatose. And the questions are completely stupid. Like, "Why does Australia store more water per person than any other country?" What a god damn goofy and stupid question. All part of a wider conspiracy to suck chem students' wallets dry.
General resources
- Computer - pretty self explanatory, you need something to take notes in class with. I don't suggest using a notebook, although its probably better and people will call you a sigma male/female.
- An (almost) endless supply of textbooks to write in - Chem sets take space. As of so far, I have gone through 3.5 books of chem textbooks, which are filled with STAWA or Lucarelli sets, Wace Study Guide, etc.
- Use Forest - Out of all the studying resources, I recommend this one. It's for the people who care about treeeeeeeeeeees, but also want to study. You can essentially do your pomodoro timer here, but my general advice for how long you should study chemistry, for people who care about chemistry is this: Find the motivation to study chemistry. Then study for as long as you can, and/or until you get bored. Then take a break, rinse and repeat.
- This is probably my most crucial point. I feel that chemistry, while is bad to cram under time pressure, can be learnt really quickly if you put in the time (i haven't put in the time). So, study for as long as you find the motivation to.
- The obvious things - pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, etc.
Methodology
So, let's say that you've just started chemistry. You've just begun the course. What to do now?
Don't worry. It's not like it was essential to study on the holidays (though highly recommended but not by Ms Holland for some curious reason). But it's time to put in the work.
- You must do some amount of work every week. If not, you will fall behind. Chem is one of those subjects where there is a lot of practice available for you, and where it's expected that you do all those practice, just as a standard. I'm not even talking about doing practice papers/tests, etc. Here is my suggestion: do at least one Lucarelli and one STAWA set each week. When you finish a topic, do the chapter review of Wace Study guide.
- Listen in class, and take notes! At the end of the day, its the teachers that mark your tests, not the internet or your friends. The things they say reflect their own interpretation of chemistry (sometimes chem is subjective like that), so you should pay attention and write down critical points.
- Do not be afraid of asking questions! Questions are essential to having a complete understanding of chemistry. No one expects you to understand everything just by learning it from a textbook or your teachers(unless your name is pranav borude). If you're paying attention in class, and exercising something I like to call critical thinking, you'll probably have a few questions. Ask your teacher. Not only do you get a more accurate understanding of chemistry, but also you get further insight into your teacher's interpretation.
Let's say you've done all of that. You've got a test coming up soon. Now what?
- Past papers. Here's a controversial opinion. Past papers are the best way to get better grades in chemistry. Putting in the time and actually doing your papers properly (time pressure, mark them after, being strict on yourself) will give you an inexplicable advantage.
- Wace study guide trial tests. They are good. Do them. Don't forget to do them.
And that's it! That's essentially how to become good at chem. I may be missing something. Please message me and I will add it here. :)
Good luck! And most importantly, enjoy chem!
With love,
Ed
