I took this test last year (the first time they gave the revised new version), and I will say this: be prepared to put in the work. You are not going to do well if you slack off. BUT it is also one of the most rewarding (and surprisingly fun) classes I’ve taken, and I really felt that it was worth it at the end.
We used the Crash Course book for review, and I thought it was excellent. Whether it was luck or the quality of the review, nearly everything on the test was covered by the review book. It was concise and thorough, but definitely NOT a replacement for a textbook or in class instruction.
Another important thing to remember is that analysis is key for this class. Make sure to go over the released FRQs and go through the thought process of how to arrive to the answer. In my experience, the answer is oftentimes simpler than you think. If you learn and understand the concepts properly, the worst thing you can do during the exam is panic and completely overthink the question.
@Awang15@Paulthekid99 I got a solid 5 on it. I didn’t have to study , since I had a great teacher(and prepped for chem olympiad the year before). I just used the practice tests on Princeton Review because it was for a grade. Those tests are a very good indicator of what you will see on the multiple choice. The frq’s are spot on with the exception of electrochem(Just study hard for this topic; Collegeboard varies this one a lot; This year, it wasn’t a galvanic or electrolytical cell, but it was a modern day cell). Know acids base chemistry, titraations and their curves(Usually, just use M1V1=M2V2), equilibrium, and L^Chatelier’s principle back and forth. These are the topics that were the most repeated on my ap exam. Whenever you do a lab, pay attention to possible experimental errors. Know these observations. Make sure to estimate values on the multiple choice. You have no calculator there. I would also make sure to understand the formation of various graphical displays(Kinetics, equilibrium, beer’s law, and thermodynamics). I will warn you though. The percentages of 5’s of chem has dropped to 8 percent. The curve is now probably similar to bio’s. Expect to get around a 75% overall for a 5 next year. If you need any help, feel free to ask me. Sorry for the long response. Alsom I agree with Mochis. Zumdahl’s has great problems. If you want a similar book that is cheaper, get Silberberg’s fourth edition or Zumdahl’s sixth edition.
I have this thread bookmarked because I’m still debating on taking this class. I want to SOOO bad, but I’m taking 3 other APs and 3 other science classes. Maybe I’ll self-study. I’m in such a hard place I don’t know what to do!
@southernbelle16 Are you going to be a senior in the coming school year?
It’s truly a great class, but it’s difficult. I got a 5 on the test but I don’t think I could have done that without our teacher pushing us and giving an intensive workload throughout the year and even more so during the review period. (I distinctly remember crying once at home over chem hahahaha… good times). Self-studying will be very hard, and if you didn’t take a chem class before AP chem, it’s going to be pretty rough. I also happen to think the labs were half the fun, and you’ll have difficulty finding a way to do them without being in the actual class.
If you’re not going to major in chemistry or something related, self studying this class probably won’t be worth the stress and work. However, if you have 3 APs at the moment, taking AP chem as the fourth one isn’t too bad. Do you have to take the 3 other science classes?
Yeah I am going to be a senior! I’m interested in majoring in biochemistry in college (possibly nursing but I’m pretty set on the biochem) with a pre-med track. I have taken honors chem. My other 3 APs aren’t bad, maybe Calc but the rest are pretty good. I’m only taking 1 other science class all year long (honors physics). The other two are semester based classes at my local CC. It wouldn’t be too bad its my second half of college bio and anatomy.
I took it last year, got a 5, but in the beginning, I planned to self-study, and oh lord, big mistake. It was like learning a different language. I switched to the class in 2nd semester and just basically skimmed over Zumdahl’s 7th edition, Kaplan’s and PR, and got help from my teacher when I needed, and it was really helpful. The material became easier to understand and the rest was a piece of cake. I got a 5 and finished 10 minutes early. Bam.
@silmaril Ah that’s cool! Yeah I think taking the class would benefit me a lot in college. I was gonna do the equivalent to 2 semesters of college level chemistry at my CC, but it just won’t work with my other commitments since I would have to drive there and do labs and such. I’m definitely going to give it some serious thought about taking AP Chem though!
I took AP Chem as a sophomore, and we had a first-year teacher teach it. Rather than teaching from a textbook or giving lectures, the teacher basically gave us like 70 or so problems to complete in 2 or so months. Basically, he gave us the freedom to go at our own pace. The problems were based off of individual topics each time (like thermo, electro, stoich,etc) and we would have an occasional test. The class was very very very laid back. A week before AP’s, he gave us practice exams and we would self grade and review our mistakes by ourselves. The weekend before AP’s i bought Barron’s and just did all the practice tests. I scored a comfortable 5 and even an 800 on the subject SAT. I recommend this method to anyone self studying.
Alright, I took AP Chem as a junior and just got my score. I write this for those who are taking this course 2016. First of all, you must have heard that you are likely to get a good score if you have a good teacher. I think this is true. The average score in my AP Chem class was 1~2 last year. Seriously. We did everything online and it was pretty useless. For advice, study BEYOND your class if you think you need to. Oh by the way, I got a 3. Along with other 4 AP’s, (I took 5 AP’s this year and got 4’s and 5’s ) I was really pissed off with this score for I was thinking chemical engineering major. I will barely able to get a college credit and maybe have to take another introductory class at collage not to mess up my grade.
Regarding the TEST, I really don’t know what to say because it is pretty complicated. I mean, people say the test became easier as it was redesigned and the multiple choice became really conceptual. I DON’T THINK SO. Oh maybe yes for some of questions at the beginning but the test mostly consists of graph, diagram and each of them also consists of several (probably 3~4) questions. The problem here is that if you don’t understand the graph, diagram or whatever shown, you will end up guessing the questions that follow. For free-response question, I think you have to have some kind of “chemical sense” through which you can think. You will notice what I mean when you see some of FRQ questions 2015.
Good luck and ask me anything about the test or whatever.
And, I also took SAT subject Chem without studying for this. I just took it only with knowledge from AP class. My score was 720. Is it a good score if I apply to colleges as chemical engineering?
I’m planning to take this next year as a self-study.
Back to the materials debate:
My current materials are a tad skimpy. I’ve got a 7th edition Zumdahl book that I found in my basement. I don’t think it’s too critical to have the 9th edition, so I’ll probably just stick with this one. Any of you know of anything I’d be missing by doing this? I’ve also got a 2011 Princeton review, which is going in the trash because I’ve heard that the test’s new design renders the old preps essentially useless. Based on comments from this thread and others, most people agree that Crash Course is a great cram book, so I’ll definitely be getting that. General consensus also dictates that I get a more in-depth review guide. However, about half the people recommend Barrons, and half recommend Princeton. I might just end up getting both at this point. It feels like overkill, but I have the time to study, and since I will be having no teacher support what-so-ever on this, it can’t hurt. I’d appreciate more opinions concerning the last two books I mentioned.
I only used Barron’s because I took the course in class. A lot of people say that Barron’s goes too much in depth, but if you have the time, I think it’s great. I was only able to do a few chapters before the test because I started kind of late, but I love that it really covered all the material we learned in class through lectures and videos. It’s good if you want to know “why” or understand the depth of a concept more. It contains parts of organic chemistry though, so you can skip that.
Hey guys I just wanted to point out that self study and effort are definitely enough to destroy this test. Its gonna be hard, but it’s doable. I just took the test this year without AP or IB and got a 5. Some questions are ridiculous but if you have a solid understanding of chemistry, you’ll do well. Ridiculous goes both ways. Some are so darn easy a preschooler can get them right (I suspect many, almost myself, got them wrong due to stress and lack of focus). What I’m saying is that you gotta know things really well to do your best. I took the test like sonic and was able to go over my answers. But anyway, first put in that year of effort.
To overprep, consider reading Atkins chemical principles after regular chem from zumdahl or central science or whatever. You have to really like chem to devour that book tho (bit of calc wouldn’t hurt since derivations are in the book). Unfortunately the new test is so ridiculous even college chem will still result in some wrong. Good luck. Its definitely a roller coaster ride.
Oh btw, a 5 usually means an 800, but not necessarily the other way around since subject test curve is so generous. And yeah. I got an 800 ^_^. So double duty
@stressedout8 I considered taking this class last year before I took honors chem and the AP Chemistry teacher has some great suggestions for me. Pick up a textbook is the first thing. (If you want recommendations feel free to PM me!) Its good to look around and read about the basic chemistry topics. Make sure you have strong math skills. He stressed that to me a lot. You learn a good deal of math-related topics in reg/honors chem. I would also recommend watching videos on places like Khan Academy or Bozeman science videos that can be found on YouTube.
Thank you, this helps a lot! My AP Chem teacher for next year gave me a textbook, and I’ve been studying the topics from the first chapters of it by reading the lessons and watching videos. The math should be fine, and I found an honors chem curriculum from one of the Honors Chem teachers, so that should help too.
@andyis It’s great to hear that prepping for the AP takes care of most of the studying necessary for the SAT II. I plan on taking the subject test this year along with the AP, and I’m willing to bet a lot of other people are too.
@stressedout8 I second the ideas of getting a textbook and watching videos online. Another great place to go for videos is Crash Course.
Also, if you’d like to cover most or all of the honors chem syllabus in the summer before you take the AP class, find an online pacing guide that specifies which topics were covered in how much detail, and use that to guide your reading. This one looks pretty good: http://www2.fultonschools.org/teacher/davisb1/Honors%20Chemistry%20Page.htm
Keep in mind that those pacing guides may not reflect exactly what the honors class in your school was taught. However, if you look at a couple, it’ll give you a decent idea of how much detail the class went in.
You may want to ask your teacher to get you a listing of the syllabus or a pacing guide from the honors chem class.
@92465829 That link looks great, thanks! I’ve been using Crash Course, Bozeman, and other channels for a few years, so I think I have the videos covered, and I have a decent textbook. My teacher did tell me what topics I should know, and there’s a summer assignment that I can reference. I did find a chart similar to the one you linked, but it’s from a teacher at my school, and it should be good enough to allow me to cover as much as I can.
I’m going to be a senior in the fall, and I’d like to have a good first semester grade wise for college apps. Do you think it’s going to be difficult to keep my grades up in this class because I also have five other APs, Calc BC, Stats, Gov, English Lit, and French? I liked honors Chem a lot. How different is AP Chem from a typical honors class? Also which is harder, AP Chem or AP Physics B? I got SUNY Albany credit for my physics class this year and we used the AP Physics B curriculum and I barely got a 93 so I’m worried about AP Chem.
