Is Chemistry Hard In High School

Easy Isn’t Always Better

HOW TO DO WELL IN CHEMISTRY | high school & college/university chemistry tips & tricks

Even though it is challenging, chemistry is worthwhile, useful, and possible to master. What other science explains so much of the everyday world around you?;

You may need to learn new study skills and change the way you organize your time, but anyone with the will to learn chemistry can do so. As you succeed, you’ll gain a deep sense of accomplishment.

Is Ap Chemistry Worth It

AP® Chemistry is going to be a major investment of time and energy, so it is fair to ask what benefit you will get out of the experience. Chemistry is often referred to as the central science because at least introductory knowledge of chemistry is necessary for any form of science or engineering that involves working with matter . If you plan on exploring any scientific, technological, or medical field, you will be required to take college level courses in chemistry. These courses are often prerequisites to intermediate or advanced classes, so getting credit for AP® Chemistry can greatly accelerate your schedule and options in terms of your class schedule, in addition to saving money. Even if you do not place out of first-year chemistry, having already seen the material will make college chemistry classes far easier.

In addition to making chemistry easier in college, AP® Chemistry will also engage your math and critical thinking skills in ways that other classes do not. While it is true that courses like physics, calculus, and statistics are more computationally intense, the math in chemistry has a greater focus on applying multiple rates and ratios simultaneously and using following variables through successive changes. This type of thinking is indispensable for managing how a given resource can be converted to whatever you need.

Factor : Passing Rate

The number of test takers who score 3 or higher on an AP test is a good indication of how difficult the AP class is. If a very high percentage of students earn passing scores, it might mean that the class is less challenging.

It might also mean, however, that the particular class attracts higher-achieving students who are extremely well preparedand tend to do better on tests across the board. That’s why, in addition to score averages, we also need to consider the perceptions of students and the actual difficulty of the content.

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Pay Attention To Your Schedule

Only you know how much effort you’re willing to put into your classes. However, I can pretty much guarantee that it’ll be hard for anyone to take AP Chemistry at the same time as other time-consuming classes, such as AP Biology or AP English Lit.

I don’t recommend taking more than two intense AP classes simultaneously , particularly if you have lots of extracurriculars.

You should also try to fit an introductory chemistry class into your schedule the year before you take AP Chemistry so that you’re well prepared!

If you get to the point where you’re eating whole coffee beans to stay awake, it’s time to reevaluate your choices.

What Do You Learn In Chemistry

Chemistry is most frequently divided into two branches. You will probably study inorganic chemistry first and organic chemistry, which deals with carbon-containing materials, the following semester.

While I found inorganic chemistry to be the most fun and organic chemistry to be quite challenging, many of my classmates felt the opposite.

Here are just a few of the main topics that you will learn in each area of chemistry.

Inorganic Chemistry

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Collegevines Top 10 Hardest Majors

To help you start thinking about which major is best for you, we put together a ranked list of the ten hardest majors. We used a combination of lowest average GPA, highest number of hours spent studying, and lowest return on investment to determine which majors are the hardest to pursue. In these listings, youll notice the statistic, 20-year ROI. A 20-year ROI is the difference between the 20-year median pay for a graduate with a bachelors degree in the listed major and the 24-year median pay for an individual with only a high school diploma, minus the total 4-year cost of obtaining a bachelors degree. It effectively tells how much better off graduates are financially due to obtaining a bachelors degree in a specific area.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and your list of hardest majors likely would be different than ours. As you read, think about what makes some of these majors easier or harder for you.

Average Weekly Study Hours: 16.5

Predicted 20-Year ROI: -$163,600

Potential Careers Paths and Median Salaries for Fine Arts Graduates:

Professional Artist: $49k

Average Weekly Study Hours: 16

Predicted 20-Year ROI: $202,000

Potential Career Paths and Median Salaries for Philosophy Graduates:

Non-Profit Professional: $70k
Lawyer : $127k
Philosophy Professor : $88k
Public Policy Professional : $125k

Should I Take Ap Chemistry Without Taking Chemistry

AP chem is not unreasonable without taking honors or regular chemistry. There is much echoing between the two. However, the pace is much faster and, at many junctures, your teacher may gloss over basic subjects, such as stoichiometry and dimensional analysis, assuming the class is already familiar with it.

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Chemistry At The State Level

Although no national organization representing chemistry teachers exists, many states have an active group for high school chemistry teachers. For example, the Associated Chemistry Teachers of Texas , was created 27 years ago and is an affiliate organization of the Science Teachers Association of Texas. Its not anywhere near the numbers we would like, said Roxie Allen, a former ACT2 president and a teacher at St. Johns School in Houston, but its a very viable chemistry teacher group.

The Science Teachers Association of Texas holds an annual Conference for the Advancement of Science Teachers. The two- to three-day program features many hands-on workshops, which is critical, Allen said. If you dont try something, then youre probably not going to do it when you get back to your classroom.

The ACT2 has a membership of about 800, with anywhere from 50 to 150 teachers coming to conferences held every other year. The group also has a very active e-mail network, part of which is devoted to employment assistance. In addition, it has local groupsthe local group in the Houston area is the Metropolitan Houston Chemistry Teachers Association, which meets three to four times a year. This organizational structure enables extensive networking, Allen said. I dont know that a lot of states have the kinds of opportunities that we have to communicate with each other.

What Do Statistics Say About The Ap Chemistry Exam

Should I take Physics in high school?

It’s now time for us to determine the difficulty of AP Chemistry specifically.

First off, what’s the passing rate for AP Chemistry? In 2019, the passing rate was 55.6%. This rate is lower than that for the AP Biology test and slightly higher than that for US History . Human Geography, World History, US History, US Government and Politics, Physics 1, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, and Environmental Science are the only tests that have lower passing rates than Chemistry does.

This data indicates that Chemistry is a difficult testbut, as you can see, there’s an eclectic mix of different subjects with low passing rates. Passing rates don’t always reflect how hard AP tests are; rather, these results represent a combination of which types of students tend to take the class and the objective complexity of the material covered. AP Environmental Science, for example, doesn’t cover super challenging concepts, but students who choose to take this AP class tend to be less intensethey might take it as a one-off AP when they’re in mostly mid-level classes otherwise.

Even keeping these factors in mind, I think AP Chemistry’s low passing rate is reflective of a high level of difficulty. Usually, only the most driven students take AP Chemistry, and they’re still not passing the test at an especially high rate.

You know, the AP spectrum. It’s like the color spectrum except with no colorsonly darkness and pain.

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Does Your Intended Major Impact Your College Chances

Because universities know that an intended major isnt concrete, a students intended major generally will not affect whether or not they are accepted to a university.;

However, there are certain instances where an intended major may affect college chances. Some prestigious programs that directly admit students have lower acceptance rates than that of the general university. Additionally, some large public universities have specific numbers of students that they will accept for each major program. At these schools, if you are on the bubble for admissions, your intended major may become a factor.

Simply put, if your intended major has an impact on admissions, the impact will be very small. In general, your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and essays will determine your chances of admission at different colleges. To predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 schools across the country , utilize our free chancing engine. This engine will let you know how your application compares to those of other applicants and will also help you to improve your profile.

Set Your Student Up For Success With Your Own Attitude

If during our previous point of self-reflection, you came to terms with the fact that you had a bad chemistry experience – choose not to share it. Dont tell your child that chemistry is hard. Dont tell your child that you failed. And dont tell your child you were bad at chemistry.

Your negative opinion of chemistry as a subject is adopted by your child and inherently becomes fact to them. Gift them the opportunity to form their own opinions based on the experiences that they have.

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Is The Content Of The Ap Chemistry Class Difficult

There’s a lot of material covered in AP Chemistry. The course involves memorization of complex principles, mastery of specific mathematical skills, and the ability to visualize interactions between tiny things that can only be represented abstractly. It’s similar to AP Biology in some ways, but it’s even harder to intuitively understand if you don’t know much about chemistry in the first place.

Take this official AP Chemistry multiple-choice question, for example:

If you haven’t taken any chemistry classes, this question will be virtually incomprehensible to you . There’s a whole separate language around chemistry, with symbols and words that are almost never used in daily lifeunless you’re a chemist or chemical engineer. Questions on a test like AP Biology might ask about advanced concepts, but there aren’t as many unfamiliar terms or new ways of thinking involved as there are on the AP Chemistry test.

In general, you need a wide range of skills to succeed in chemistry, and these skills build on each other from the ground up. The foundations of the Chemistry course deal with memorizing the properties of different substances and developing an understanding of why they behave in certain ways under certain conditions. You’ll use this knowledge to conduct data analysis and do calculations.

To show you what I mean, here’s an example of a question you might see on the Chemistry test:

Factor : 5 Score Rate

5 Signs You Should Be a Chemical Engineering Major

Another piece of data that’s slightly different from the passing rate is the percentage of students earning 5s on the AP test.

A large percentage of students may pass an AP test, but if only a small group earns 5s, it usually means that true mastery of the subject is hard to come by. The cutoff for a 5 on most AP tests only requires answering 60-70% of questions correctly, so even a 5 doesn’t necessarily represent complete comprehension of the material being tested.

Looking for help studying for your AP exam?

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Ap Biology Vs Ap Chemistry

Im a rising senior and am at a loss as to which class to choose. I feel that chemistry would be more useful in the long run and be more suitable for me because it is more mathematically oriented. However, many kids have said that it is a very hard class at my school. AP Biology, on the other hand, is simply a read til you drop class. Most competent students at my school have told me that it is relatively easy. I just dont find reading and memorizing useless facts that will slip from my memory quickly very appealing. Suggestions?

What do you want to do in life? AP Chem is generally harder but AP bio is more busy work. AP bio is definitely easier IMO.

i faced this same dilemma about 2-3 weeks ago. i chose to go with ap chem because im more of a concepts/math person as opposed to memorization, plus i like the ap chem teacher better have you taken either normal/honors chem/bio? if so, which one did you do better in?

I took Honors Biology in 9th grade and Honors Chemistry in 10th grade. I ended up with about the same grade in each.

bio = easier than chem in all respects

chem is memorization + math

bio is memorization

Bio => easier but A LOT more workChem => virtually NO WORK but harder. so ull need to study a bit.

People are making comments that arent universal; they are unique to their own opinions or their own experiences at their high school.

Ask Teachers And Previous Students About The Class

Every school is different, so the AP Chemistry class offered at your school could be more or less demanding than those offered at other high schools.

This is why it’s best to consult with people who have the inside scoop. Talk to your current science teacher to see what he or she has to say about AP Chemistry. Will you be able to handle it based on how you did in science this past year? Have students who are similar to you had trouble with AP Chemistry in the past? You can also discuss this with your guidance counselor, who should have access to additional data on how previous students fared in the class.

Previous students are great resources as well. If they’ve been through the class, they can give you a better idea of how overwhelming the workload actually is.

Is High School Chemistry Honors Hard

i’m going to be a junior and next year im taking honors chemistry. i’m kinda worried because i hope college prep bio and i passed with an 92, i’m a high honors student but getting C’s arent me.. i would rather take an easy class and get an A rather then taking a harder one and get a C… i did algebra 2 this year and taking precalc next i heard that should help but i’m not really sure… what do you think i should do?

Join A Reputable Chemistry Club

How I’m Teaching High School Chemistry

Join a reputable chemistry club, like ACS ChemClub. According to ACS Chemistry for Life, the ACS ChemClub is a high school chemistry club that provides students with unique opportunities to experience chemistry beyond the classroom, with over 200 clubs across the United States where students participate in after-school activities, get involved in community building, learn about chemistry careers, enjoy social events and better understand how chemistry plays a role in our everyday lives.

tips

If your school does not have an ACS ChemClub, the ACS Chemistry for Life recommends starting your own by talking to students and administrators at your school about starting the program, learning what’s involved by previewing the ACS High School Chemistry Clubs Handbook and by applying online.
If you’re still struggling at passing high school chemistry, try getting a tutor.
Attending class regularly is a must to pass high school chemistry.

references

2 ACS Chemistry for Life: About the ACS ChemClub

About the Author

Brittany Tucker began a freelance writing career in 2008. She specializes in home and garden topics, and her work has appeared on a variety of websites. Tucker studied English literature at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Is Ap Biology Hard An Expert Discussion

AP Biology is a popular AP class, and many students are curious about the challenges it presents. Is AP Biology hard? Will you spend hours upon hours studying for the class? Are you likely to fail the exam? Or are AP tests much easier than they seem?

In this article, well look at statistics, course material, and student perceptions to present you with a clear picture of the difficulty level of the AP Bio class and exam. Well also give you some tips for figuring out how challenging AP Biology will likely be for you based on your academic strengths and weaknesses.

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Are A Levels The Hardest Exams

The A-levels are significantly harder than GCSEs since they have more difficult exams and complex concepts. A-levels are equivalent in difficulty to many university courses. The primary reason for A level exams being so difficult is that students need to spend two years preparing for 3 to 4 A level subjects.

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Is The Ap Biology Content Difficult

Theres no question that the breadth of content covered in AP Biology is extensive. It requires memorization of complex processes, along with a deep understanding of how biological concepts and themes connect with one another. There are also many lab assignments that teachers have to schedule around lectures, so it ends up being a pretty heavy workload overall.

The AP Biology exam could also be considered more challenging than other AP tests because of its format. The free-response section consists of six questions , which is on the higher end for AP exams. The Bio test requires extensive knowledge of many different topics as well as a lot of stamina.