I’m currently a 9th grader in high school. I’m taking Honors Chemistry and Algebra 2 Honors (math skills covered) and I am considering the option to self study for the AP chemistry exam in May. I want to self study because I plan to take AP biology next year and then AP Physics my junior and senior year but still take the AP Chem exam. I am aware that there is a lot of material to cover and I am still researching to see if this is the best option for me. When’s a good time to start and what should I learn first to last? If anyone can give me their opinions, experiences, resources, and tips on how to self study that would be very much appreciated! Any bits of information help. Thanks
I took honors chem last year and currently taking AP chem this year. The best way to do it would be to finish honors and then self study AP chem over the summer if you really don’t want to take it next year and self study instead. But if you really want to do it the same year as honors chem it is a LOT of work, currently it is my heaviest workload by a lot and I am taking AP physics, lang, and compsci.
Honors chem is relatively very easy looking back, and the entire years worth of material can be learned in about 20 hours of study imo. The reason it is a full year course is probably the continual practice you need to get all of the methods in your head to build upon for AP chem. The tests in honors are easy and jump around the bare bones of the AP chem topics. AP chem basically does the same topics but much more in depth and with word problems.
If you want to start, start now. I will say that the entire first half of honors chem should be feeling like a breeze if it isn’t then you do not want to self study AP chem, you will be incredibly stressed this year by trying to learn everything in time for the AP test, and probably won’t do very well, making all the extra work for the year pointless.
Before starting AP chem, you want to learn everything in honors chem, EVERYTHING, self study the year’s material and have a good grasp of the content within a month from now. AP chem builds upon all the units and combines some of them too.
Main points to know from honors before self studying AP: (not in order)
All needed compound names: SO4 2, C2H3O2, etc. you should not have to think about what the compounds are, it should come to you immediatly
Balancing equations as well as writing them, includes how to balance redox reactions
STOICHIOMETRY: probably the biggest thing you NEED to understand how to do. It is conversions such as g to mols, then harder ones in which two elements react and you have to find the limiting reactant, etc. Understand fully why you are doing the steps you are doing, and how to set it up, and you are good
Molarity: M = mol/liters
Net Ionic equations: should be able to write them in a breeze
Know ALL solubility rules by heart for net ionic equations: (aq) (s) (l) or (g)
Density: M/V
Oxidation numbers known by heart for oxidation, reduction, reducing agent, oxidizing agent etc,
Know the combined gas laws by heart: Boyle, Avaragado etc
6.02 x 10^23
Ionic and Covalent and Metallic bonds
Finally, have a general knowledge of the periodic table. Know which groups are which, like halogens, how many protons, valence, etc, each element has. Know which elements are bigger, more reactive, etc
Hope this helps
101.96 A+ in honors Chem si that’s not a problem. I just hope I have enough time