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March 29, 2024, 09:31:01 am

Author Topic: How to study/revise for chem?  (Read 2175 times)  Share 

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rend

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How to study/revise for chem?
« on: March 30, 2022, 02:56:40 pm »
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Hi,
I'm not feeling totally confident with chemistry (first sac I got 58% for redox and galvanic cells), and I was wondering if any of you have struggled with chem and how you overcame it. Did you get a tutor? I had a tutor last year but didn't find it very helpful, should I try a different one? I don't have a lot of time outside of school to study as well, so I need a really efficient but effective method to study. Any good youtube videos on study for chem would be appreciated too.
Thanks so much!
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2022: bio, chem, english, further, legal

RaspberryTau

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Re: How to study/revise for chem?
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2022, 10:36:13 pm »
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One word...... Anki  https://apps.ankiweb.net/

Ok, maybe a few more words.... Would recommend:
 - Edrolo (if ur school has it)
 - Checkpoints/Neap exam questions
 - Khan academy (overcomplicates some stuff and doesn't have everything, but can help)
 - Quizlet (like anki but less technical)

VCE is pretty much based on two things. How much work you put in & How lucky you are on the day.

A tutor can help, but so can spending time doing more questions.... (You could always start with a tutor and stop if it's not worth it too)

Hope this helps! :)
VCE 2021: Methods (42 raw), Biology (46 raw); 2022: Chemistry, English, Spec, Physics

RaspberryTau

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Re: How to study/revise for chem?
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2022, 10:06:59 am »
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VCE 2021: Methods (42 raw), Biology (46 raw); 2022: Chemistry, English, Spec, Physics

little_creative_journals

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Re: How to study/revise for chem?
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2022, 11:26:38 am »
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I would definitely recommend focusing your study on two things; understanding and practicing.

Understanding will involve constantly exposing yourself to the content. The way you do this will depend on what type of learner you are, but I recommend note taking and reviewing the material regularly. I find using the "curve of forgetting" helpful for working out when to review content, but it's up to you and it depends on how confident you are with the content. I find physical flashcards helpful for active recall, but quizlet can work really well. However, for more complex and detailed concepts, flowcharts and summary sheets/notes may be helpful. I like to stick diagrams and note sheets on my walls, but it's up to you. You just need to try and make a habit of reviewing the content to try and make it stick. Since you don't have much time though, I would probably recommend digital methods of notes and flashcards since physical writing can be time consuming. Make sure to also constantly ask your teacher questions, and if they aren't very helpful and there is another year 12 chemistry teacher, try getting some help from them. Don't worry if your questions seem "silly" or "too basic"! Just ask because you don't want to regret not asking for help when something confusing comes up in a SAC or the exam. Other understanding based activities could be drawing mind maps or practicing teaching the content to someone (or to your room/pets/objects...I do that hahaha). Also maybe watch videos on YouTube that explain concepts, and if your school uses Edrolo, the videos would likely be helpful in explaining the concepts through examples.

Practicing ultimately involves practice questions and should be what comprises a majority of your revision prior to a SAC. This is because practice questions mimic what you will be doing in the SAC and exam. However, it is important to remember that understanding is pretty important before practicing, or else there is not much point in doing questions if you haven't exposed yourself to the content (although, practice questions can be helpful to identify what you understand and don't understand). I would recommend checkpoints because they are meant to be exam style based (I've found them really helpful so far), but Neap and LisaChem can be good too. Edrolo questions are pretty good and I would utilize them if your school has access to the program (mind you, they often forget to round to proper significant figures, so watch out). If your school also has access to StudyClix, I would definitely make use of it since it collates a lot of practice exam style questions which will be helpful for both the SACs and the exam. I would also ask your teacher for any questions that they would feel would be beneficial to complete.

Overall, the most efficient use of your time will be dependent on how your learn as an individual, but practice questions will by far be the most important and beneficial in the long term.

Tip: Focus more on active learning techniques then passive techniques, since passive methods will be more time consuming and not as beneficial in the long term. This includes practice questions, active recall, flashcards, mind maps from memory, blurting, etc.
- Blurting -> Placing a subtopic at the top of a page and "blurting" down everything you can remember about it. I find this good for consolidating what I know and don't know, as I then go through the textbook or class PPT to fill in anything that's missing. This doesn't have to take long and you can give yourself a time limit as well (e.g. 15min).

Hope this helps! :D
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jinx_58

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Re: How to study/revise for chem?
« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2022, 11:46:10 am »
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Tyler Dewitt is a great YouTuber if you don't understand Chemistry content.

The dude legit saved my life.

Other than that, just flashcards and making sure you're checking off the syllabus dot points. And especially understand what's going on.

Hope this helps!
 - jinx_58
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zandermcd

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Re: How to study/revise for chem?
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2022, 05:12:45 pm »
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I highly recommend sitting down with the Heinemann textbook and doing your very best to get your head around the concepts.

Once you have a basic understanding, then move onto doing practice papers and checkpoints   :D