Self Studying AP Chem

<p>I will be taking an Honors Chemistry class this May and I'm self studying for the AP Chemistry exam. It's not my preferred method of preparing for the test, but my friend who does an extremely challenging virtual school will be taking the class and she has agreed to send me all the recorded lectures and homework assignments. </p>

<p>My question - best review book and study method? Also, with around 7-8 months before the exam, how much time should I spend studying a day? I've been watching the Khan Academy videos, which are said to be a rough equivalent to a first year college class. </p>

<p>THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSIGHT. I'll be also taking the classes and exams for AP English Language and AP Psychology, but from what I've heard AP Chem is pretty rough.</p>

<ol>
<li>You don’t self study AP Chem
2.If you do it, then you’ll have to add at least 10 hrs a week to your schedule being that Honors chem is pretty demanding depending on how fast you catch on and then ADDING a college level chem class on top of that. </li>
<li>You’ll have no AP lab experience.</li>
<li>You don’t self study AP chem</li>
</ol>

<p>I’ve never heard of sombody self studying for AP Chem. Usually, you take Honors Chem and then the next year you take AP Chem. The lessons you learn in Honors are really important for AP Chem because they give you a foundation to build on.</p>

<p>If you REALLY want to self study, I would find a way to give see/do the labs. Also, I would study some Honors materials in advance so that you know the basics for the AP material :).</p>

<p>I concur with the statement above by Weeknd. AP Chem is a bit extensive and abstruse at times thus self studying can be challenging. I suggest to try a lighter subject such as Biology but that’s you option. If you really want to endure the AP chem DO IT! Lol. I think Cliffnotes is a great book for AP.</p>

<p>No one should never self-study AP Chemistry. That class is year long for a reason. There are labs that you REALLY NEED to participate in, and high level material that is best taught by a teacher. Honors Chemistry only hits the tip of the iceberg of the AP Chemistry curriculum. The stuff you’ll learn in Honors Chemistry will take 9 - 18 weeks, but in AP Chemistry, the Honors curriculum will only be three to five days. Also, you’ll just confuse yourself, because there’s a lot to take in, and so little time, also you have AP English Lang AND AP Psychology which are pretty labor intensive.</p>

<p>“No one should never self-study AP Chemistry.” You mean no one should ever self study ap chem?
& FV where have you been , & come back to hSDN its so dead</p>

<p>I wouldn’t be so discouraging. An honors chem class can cover a lot, depending on the curriculum. If you have a summer to read and absorb the textbook cover to cover, it can be done.</p>

<p>I’m self-studying AP Chem myself, certainly nothing too difficult. Granted, chem is my favorite subject, I’m interning in a chemistry lab, and I study chem for my school’s Science Bowl team, so there’s a lot of chem in my life. </p>

<p>Read, perhaps the section on electrochemistry or thermodynamics to grasp how dense the material may be. And, weigh if you can absorb that a year’s worth of that material.</p>

<p>@Weeknd Sorry, I was rushing. I got tired of HSL, and I haven’t been on hSDN because of my vet. internship and FFA.</p>

<p>I self studied AP Chem. I only did it because my school doesn’t offer AP and I had already taken two years of Chem, which covered most of the things in AP Chem and as such, I already had two years worth of lab experience. If Chem is your thing (like it was mine), then you’ll have no problem. However, if Chem is not your thing, it is difficult and I wouldn’t recommend doing it. </p>

<p>That said, I used Barron’s AP Chem, which everybody says is a bit harder than the actual AP exam, but it really prepared me for it. I also studied out of a college textbook - Theodore Brown’s Chemistry: The Central Science</p>

<p>1) Don’t self study.
2) It’s a lot of work. I’m good at Chem, or so I’d like to believe, and I had to study ~15 hours a week a month before the exam to scrounge up a 5. And this was WITH the class.
3) It’s not worth it to self-study something like AP Chem, do something more productive with your free time. Honestly.</p>

<p>^Really? Did the exam seem easy to you after all the studying? I only looked over a few things and took a practice test a week before the exam and I got a 5. I’d been away from Chemistry for a year and never took an AP Chem class. I guess it depends on the person.</p>

<p>O wait you got an five on AP practice exam? If so why not try it then. I was not aware that you have taken one yet.</p>

<p>I got a 5 on the actual exam.</p>

<p>I well then I believe your going to do well on the AP exam if you can get a 5. But the best book I believe Princeton Review book of AP Chemistry. I never used this book before but I can conjecture that it’s lucid because Princeton Review style is so great to understand.</p>

<p>Well, personally, I really the conversational style of the Princeton Review really annoying. </p>

<p>I keep thinking to myself whenever I read it, “I don’t want to have a conversation with you, Mr. Book, I just want to read chemistry.”</p>

<p>+1 for Barron’s.</p>

<p>Lol thats I funny way to put it :D. Barron’s is great also OP because it had many practice problems and great tips.</p>

<p>@ptontiger16: Yeah, it was actually haha. The only part of the test that ended up tripping me up was the first half of the free response.</p>

<p>I self-studied for ap chemistry. Registered for it a few months before, browsed through the princeton review book, and got a 4…</p>

<p>Good for you! But I think AP chem is not as easy a class to self study for. There are labs to know, equations to memorize, and many other things that are hard to do without the help of someone else there to help you. For other AP courses it might be better, but I wouldnt advise self studying for it.</p>