So nervous for AP chemistry!

<p>I'm going to be a senior, and I'm taking AP Chem. It is one of the hardest AP's my school offers, and I really want to get an A in there.</p>

<p>I took honors chem in 10th grade and got all A's. I took honors organic chem as a junior and got all A's as well. </p>

<p>However, I was doing the summer hw and I DONT REMEMBER ANYTHING. I finished it by looking up how to start the problems online. Once I start the problem I know what I have to do, but I'm scared I won't do well. The first test is next week (school starts Monday), and it covers basically everything from honors chem.</p>

<p>I have a good teacher since I've had him before, but I need him to go over a lot of things, and I'm afraid I won't do well. </p>

<p>I also have 4 other AP's, that I'm not totally worried about.</p>

<p>how can I succeed in this class? </p>

<p>Hey, I’m a junior but I took AP Chem as a sophomore and got an A, a 5 on the AP, and an 800 on SAT II, so here are some tips:</p>

<p>-Practice. At the beginning of AP Chem we took our first test and our teacher ended up curving it so a B- was an A because no one did great. However, the more times you do the problems you will get better with experience and eventually it will become second nature. Just because you feel like you don’t know anything now doesn’t mean you won’t be a chem whiz at the end of the year.</p>

<p>-Understand the process logically in your head. For me, it helped to just sit down and think about WHY something is happening or if it’s a problem I have to solve, WHY I’m doing what it is I’m doing.
Usually when I understood the reasons behind a subject, I internalized the information better.</p>

<p>-Master units. This was something I
learned in freshman chemistry that I used until the end of AP Chem. Units cancel out just like factors, and knowing what units your answer needs to be in (ex. mol/L but answer is in mol) and what units you have can always be a good starting point. </p>

<p>-Use a variety of resources if you can’t understand something. My AP Chem teacher was fantastic, but I still couldn’t understand writing equations. When I used an online resource that explained it differently, I eventually got it. Always try asking your teacher first, though.</p>

<p>These are just my tips. Everyone learns differently, so what may have worked for me might not work for you. Nevertheless, thanks for reading all that (if you did) and good luck!</p>

<p>The tips above are really helpful. Don’t worry. I forgot everything during the summer between honors and AP Chem. I ended up with a borderline A-, a 750+ on the SAT II, and a 5 on the exam. You’ll be fine. </p>

<p>Dr. Dorias is right… Pretty much everyone forgets everything over the summer, so don’t stress out about it. Your teacher knows that as well, so he will probably go over some basic things. Try to do most of the studying and reviewing on your own (since this is an AP class, you probably shouldn’t spend class time relearning stoichiometry) but be sure to ask your teacher plenty of questions when you get back! Good luck! :)</p>