<p>Hi, I am considering AP Chemistry next year. Yes, I've heard the stories but is it really that bad? I really LOVE Chemistry and had a HIGH A in my honors Chem class last year as a sophomore. I don't know what to make of it and I really want to take the class. I understand it is very hard but I really love Chemistry. I'm not sure what to do. Will I have an A the whole year? I am an academically motivated student. a straight A student and I don't want to drop down to a B!!! I NEED an A this year in AP Chem but I also have lots of ECs like events and clubs + volunteering etc. What is so hard about it? Did any of you get a 5? If so HOW? What was so difficult about the class? WHY was it difficult? Was there too much math? What are the projects like? I understand every school is different but generally is it really THAT hard? Or are the people that post those horror stories trying to scare students like me or just not academically motivated enough? Also, perhaps its the rest of their course load and how it overlaps? I'm not taking AP Calc or AP Physics or anything like that... so please lemme know? And I really appreciate it! </p>
<p>Hey, I took AP Chemistry last year and it’s not that bad as long you are willing to put in an effort to really understand the content. There is quite a bit of math, but the math itself isn’t very difficult (and many of the formulas are provided for you on the AP exam). Where it gets tricky is really understanding all of the concepts and how they interconnect and applying them to solve the problem. There were several labs, and in some schools they’re done after school, which might be a problem if you can’t stay. For me, the homework load wasn’t too bad. I had an A in the class the whole year and got a 5 on the AP exam, so it is definitely doable. The AP exam was changed last year and has more conceptual knowledge/analyzing than math/memorization. I recommend getting a review book to use throughout the year because it’s useful to clarify topics and you’ll want one anyway to study for the AP exam. I used Princeton Review and I liked it, but it’s more of a general content review with practice tests and if you’re looking for something more in-depth you might want to try a different book or get two. The amount of extra preparation you need will probably vary depending on if your class is more/less intensive. My AP class prepared me pretty well and I just went over my review book a few times and started working through practice tests about 1-2 weeks before the exam. Since the exam changed, you should get the most recent review book so that it reflects those changes. I’d say if you managed to get a high A in your honors class, then with a little extra work you can get an A in AP and do well on the exam. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>If you got a high A in honors chem, you probably won’t have too much trouble in AP chem, depending on your teacher. The individual concepts aren’t terribly hard to learn if you’re willing to put in the time to understand them. The hardest part is connecting everything and being able to determine which part of chem applies to any given problem. If you keep up throughout the year, the most last minute AP prep you’ll have to deal with is a weekend of cramming and reviewing. Many people find chem to be really hard, but assuming there wasn’t insane grade inflation in honors chem, you’ll probably one of the few people who finds it to be almost easy. Good luck.</p>
<p>@imaginethis Yeah, I think I should be fine. At least I hope so LOL. Yeah, I think my teacher is great and considering the fact that my Honors Chem grade was so high will definitely help me. I never threw away ANY of my notes either. Yeah I heard Princeton review is supposed to be great for AP exam. I’m definitely gonna pick it up as well as a “crashcourse” Chem book. Thanks so much for your help and congrats on your A the whole year + 5 on the exam. I hope to duplicate those achievements.
@Matt846 I sure hope I find it easy LOL. I think I should be fine considering my notes + high A in Honors Chem. + For some odd reason; I’ve always had a passion for Chemistry. I LOVE Chemistry and I sure hope I do well. I am willing to put in all the extra work and effort required to ace teh exam. Thanks for yur help 
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<p>I’m taking ap chem this year. It’s not that bad this year. You just have to take time in understanding the concepts. Also, practice a lot. Chemistry is something that requires understanding of the previous chapter to understand the next. An example is learning about writing balanced chemical equations. In order to do stoichiometry, you must know how to write balanced chemical equations. </p>
<p>I took it last year. It’s a fun class. At first, you will probably struggle a lot and hate the teacher and wonder to yourself why you even took the class. Later on , you will truly start to “get it” as all the chemistry knowledge you have put together throughout the course “kicks in”. I also got a A in honors chem and I ended up getting a B+ the first semester of AP Chem and an A- the second semester (105 on the final, woot woot). Probably the worst thing about the class is the fact that the AP test covers such a wide variety of questions and you literally need to prepare yourself for each and every one of the question types. Last year was the first year they dramatically changed the test and made it focus more on practical applications of chemistry, while the stuff I had been reading in prep books and learning in class was much more theoretical. I also procrastinated on preparing for the AP test, so I ended up failing the AP test with a 2, which kinda sucks because I would have qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor award if I had done better;instead I got a lousy stinkin’ AP Scholar Award. </p>
<p>But it was still a fun class overall, and other than maybe AP Physics, it was the one class which really opened up my mind and taught me about how the world works more-so than any other class. AP Chem teachers also tend to be really cool once you get to know them although they are kinda pyro-ish.</p>
<p>My suggestion is, buy TWO prep books…Barrron and 5STA5…reading both of them will give you two unique perspectives on each of the courses. . Oh, and start prepping for the AP test the MOMENT you walk into class the first day.My friend who got a B- in the class but a 5 on the AP test did exactly this</p>
<p>Good luck :)</p>