Hi all! I got a bad grade on 2 Chemistry tests. It is so hard. What should I do? Please give me advice.
If you’re struggling to understand the material, you should talk to your teacher outside of class to see if you can go over the tests and work out what you’re not getting. If that doesn’t help, then I’d personally recommend getting a tutor.
I took Honors Chemistry sophomore year AND AP Chemistry Junior year. In my opinion, in my classes throughout those two years, there are full of "not smart’ science students, and yet they are able to understand SOME topics. Here’s my advice:
It’s not the test (and the subject) that you don’t get, it’s how you process them is what you’re struggling with. Like mcwalk18 said^ talk to your teacher. Or talk to your nerdy friends. Go online and review them. Do whatever it takes to learn from your mistake (if you are a serious academic student).
Plus, failing 2 tests??? I’ve failed more than that. It’s the process of learning from your mistakes that matters the most. Chemistry SHOULDN’T be hard if you’re in regular or at least honors, but AP is when things really start to get complex.
Good luck to ya.
If it makes you feel better, I am in AP Chemistry (previously took regular Biology, Honors Chemistry, and AP Biology) and the class averages for the tests are often in the 30s and 40s. Basically everyone failed the first multiple choice test on stoichiometry (I somehow got a D- on the MC, but my whole exam averaged out to an F thanks to the FRQs).
I have found that like other STEM classes, doing practice problems is key to mastery, and plus, it helps in committing methods and steps of solving problems to muscle memory. I’ve found that sometimes when I don’t practice enough, I freak out because I have no idea how to start specific problems; this is what happened to me on the first test, and it caused me to miss a large portion of the FRQs that should have been easy for me.
You should probably get a tutor if you’re struggling to understand concepts. It doesn’t mean you aren’t smart - it just means the way your teacher teaches isn’t the way you learn. Crash Course Chem is also really good!