<p>At my school, sophomore year is bio (Gate is the highest) and junior year is chem (honors is the highest). However, my friends and I were able to skip gate bio and just take ap bio this year (were sophomores) and are doing very well. I hear that at my school, honors chem is a very tough class....would it make sense for us to take ap chem instead, assuming we get a tutor over the summer to review some basic concepts, as well as read parts/all of the textbook?</p>
<p>You should advance as much as possible-AP courses have zero deadtime and are worth it later.</p>
<p>i know how u feel....im a sophomore right now in AP chem...and at my school ur supposed to take H-bio in 10th, H-chem in 11th, and then whatever u want (u can also double up and stuff) but i skipped straight to AP chem...
AP chem is a difficult class because of the amt of material on the AP test..it can be overwhelming but i took an intro chem class at the community college over summer b4 so that reallly reallly helped...i also went and asked the AP chem teacher for a bunch of textbooks from the school to read over during summer
conceptually im doing fine in that class, i have the highest grade because a lot of it is math-based and if u can do derivations (not derivatives, derivations) on formulas, you'll be fine...</p>
<p>the only part that i feel back on was labs...because i never had the chance to do labs b4 in H-chem, I was behind everyone in lab techniques so it just took me a lot longer to finish labs cuz i had to learn how to light a bunsen burner (still cant do it lol) and like titrate and decant, etc... but if u can do that, I'd go for AP Chem</p>
<p>^ haha, I have the opposite problem because my 10th grade honor chem teacher didn't do anything BUT give us labs and didn't teach us ANYthing concept-wise, so when I ended up in AP chem, my grade died because it was 90% tests/quizzes 10% labs. I have a 100% lab average and like a 75% test average, lol... </p>
<p>but yes, ap chemistry is a lot of math combined with some concept to back the math. when you get to stuff like rates of reactions and buffers, you have to really understand when you get a big long problem involving multiple steps and conversions you have to know how to do in fractions of a second and a series of calculations and understanding to BACK the calculations or you won't know what to do the first place. (like me) </p>
<p>so it really depends... first find out the quality of your honor chem and ap chem teacher(s). if your ap chem teacher says you should go for it, then try it ;) it's a fun class but a looooot of independent self-studying and work!</p>
<p>geez chem in junior year? I took bio freshman year then chem this year and then AP chem next year</p>
<p>Neither. Chem is EVIL... In my school, honors chem is harder than AP chem (I have NO clue how that works). I was in it, and failed out. B->F->Drop out to regular. I HATE CHEM!!!!!! I only got by because of my everything else avg...I had like a C- test avg, got a C on the final, but had a 100 everything else avg....</p>