<p>Did anyone else get this email as well? I'm a little scared since I, unlike most of my friends, decided not to take AP Chemistry at my school and the last class I had on the subject was well over two years ago. Needless to say, I'm probably more than a bit rusty at the material... </p>
<p>Oh and I suppose if you fail it, you can just opt to take Gen Chem sophomore year instead, does anyone know if a lot of people end up doing that?</p>
<p>Most people (even those that did not have any exposure to AP) do well enough to place into gen. chem. I think it tests very basic skills (primarily mathematics). Can anyone confirm?</p>
<p>hahaha, lol, I was in the same situation last year, freaking out about this test, the weekend before freshman year started. Don’t worry, its just basic math and reasoning. Some of the questions are a joke, and the test is not long. I haven’t heard of ANYONE being placed into a chem lower than 141/142(this is intro chem at emory), because of this test. I don’t think it ever happens (maybe 1-2 times) a year, at best. You don’t need to know ANY chem for this test. Trust me if you are pre-med, you want to get Gen Chem out of the way, so you can finally move onto Orgo. </p>
<p>Even if you are the 1-2 kids who somehow fails this test, its not like Emory can MAKE you take a lower level chem class. In other words, you can appeal, and say that there is noway you are going to take a lower level chem class, and Emory will HAVE to let you take the normal intro class. The test just exists so that kids who are not ready for intro chem, can find out that they are not ready for intro chem, before they enroll in the course (rather than finding out after they fail their first intro chem test).</p>
<p>Don’t lots of people fail the first test (or if not that, the second) anyway? My friend with AP credit took 142 and failed the first exam (he got straight 100s+ on the rest so still got an A. Luckily he had Mulford so he had 4 more chances). I thought that the test was designed for recommendation purposes only. No appeal is needed if they recommend that you take chem 140 or w/e it is. You can still enroll in 141 w/o explaining yourself.</p>
<p>Haha all right thanks guys. Guess I’ll wait to fret until I fail the first test in class instead then xD</p>
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<p>yah the averages in my chem section on the first 2 tests were horrible. </p>
<p>I don’t know if you need to appeal or if it is ONLY for recommendation purposes, but I know there is no way they can force you into a class that you don’t want to take.</p>
<p>I was a bit worried too…I also haven’t taken AP chem/chem since 10th grade but I do plan on being premed, or at least majoring in science. Plus, chem is one of my weaknesses. I looked at the chem department webiste: [Department</a> of Chemistry at Emory University](<a href=“http://www.chemistry.emory.edu/undergraduate/placement_exam.html]Department”>http://www.chemistry.emory.edu/undergraduate/placement_exam.html) and it sounds like if you fail the test you have to take summer school to be able to take general chem freshmen year, which I’d like to do to get it out of the way. So is there any way around that? </p>
<p>Also, the topics are supposedly “algebraic manipulations, unit conversions, basic nomenclature, the concept and applications of the mole, stoichiometry, molarity, and analytical reasoning.”</p>
<p>You’ll be alright. The two semesters of math offered to undergrads are stats. and calculus. I don’t see how calc. is gonna help you with chem (it really won’t. Might help you take some shortcuts with rate laws in 142). 141 is not that bad. 142 can be hell for some people though. But if you get past 141, you should be OK.</p>
<p>^^^^ My experiences has been the opposite, I struggled in 141, but did really well in 142. Maybe it was because of the professors I had for each course. For 141 I had weaver, which was hell, because his class was ****en ridiculous (the lectures didn’t help, the practice problems that were assigned weren’t similar AT ALL to the test). For 142, I had kindt, who was an amazing letterer and his tests were very similar to style of teaching.</p>
<p>Mmgarita, don’t worry, I was in the same situation. I took honors chem in 10th grade, didn’t do AP in high school, and I was never good at chemistry, I worked hard, and did fine in the chem classes.</p>
<p>Wow, you seem to be one of the few I’ve heard actually like Kindt. As for Weaver, seems as if he went crazy this year. His second semester was brutal also.</p>
<p>Hahaha, next year, weaver is only teaching 1 section of chem, I wonder why that is? lol</p>
<p>I really liked kindt’s tests as well as teaching style. He likes to test conceptual chemistry, which I am good at, but when it comes to working mathematical chem problems, i get screwed…which is why I didn’t like weaver.</p>
<p>So is there a basic consensus that this online chemistry pretest thing is for recommendation purposes only? As in, even though they call it “the General Chemistry Placement Assessment” it really isn’t for placement?</p>
<p>^^ Yah dude, pretty much, don’t worry abuot it.</p>
<p>So I took the test and was surprised with how much I remembered or at least with how much I could guess my way through. 75 minutes was PLENTY of time for me, and I’m a steady test-taker.
I suggest to anyone who still needs to take it to just take it. It helps to use the periodic table that the site provides (along with the “Data Sheet” that it suggests you print out before taking the test).</p>
<p>1) When do we need to take it by?</p>
<p>and 2) do we have to take it, or can we just not take chem?</p>
<p>You only take it if you plan to enroll in chemistry.</p>
<p>Matt,
Here’s what was in the Emory e-mail:</p>
<p>“If you plan to take General Chemistry (CHEM 141) at Emory–either because you plan to major in the natural sciences, plan to complete the pre-med requirements, or just have an interest in Chemistry–you should complete the General Chemistry Placement Assessment on Blackboard by Thursday, June 10, 2010.”</p>
<p>That’s funny, they seemed to never force people to do it at a certain date before.</p>
<p>I doubt the test is even really required, since the OPUS system where you register for classes does not require a permission number or any prerequisite class to enroll in Chem 141, and the chem professors never actually check to make sure you’ve taken the test. It’s really there just for you to assess yourself, and even if a minimum score were required to allow enrollment in the class and you were only concerned about getting placed in it (which seems to be the case for the OP), it wouldn’t be hard to cheat on test.</p>
<p>Will profs know what students get on the test? It’s summer already and I may have forgotten a lot of chem that I should remember. I’m assuming this doesn’t count towards our grades but will profs get to know the marks?</p>
<p>EDIT: btw, is it multiple choice? Is it marked immediately?</p>