<p>(i've realized that capitalizing the first word or first two words of your thread title invites attention =P)</p>
<p>anyway, i have a question to all those who took ap chem. i'm taking the class next year, and i'm looking to get some sort of head start this summer for it (the idea is still being juggled in my head though)</p>
<p>in reality though, i already took out the ap chem textbook, the "Central Science" one before this past school year ended, but i never really used it. i also bought the ARCO book, but never really used that either (i know, it looks like i shouldn't have bothered to get both books)</p>
<p>however, reading in on a lot of the AP Chem threads, i've realized that i should pick up some background knowledge on chemistry to help cement my understanding when i actually enter the course next year. but this requires some insight and advice on how i should approach chemistry this summer-</p>
<p>should i learn the basics of chemistry? since i live in NY and we have a state exam for chemistry, should i learn the 'regular' chemistry curriculum this summer (which is what they teach to students who take the NY state exam?)</p>
<p>or should i crack open ARCO and get an overview from there? should i buy PR as well?</p>
<p>i'm a little hesitant to actually go straight to the textbook, as that would be A LOT of material to cover. i've heard some pretty good reviews about ARCO and its chemistry book, so i wouldn't mind learning from there.</p>
<p>I'D ALSO really appreciate anyone's experiences, insights, and studying habits regarding ap chem</p>
<p>I usually think prepbooks are bad for studying. They throw too many facts at you and many things, esp. in sciences, they don't tell you the why's or how's about. I suggest you use the textbook.</p>
<p>I didn't read much of the textbook this past year. The textbook had way too much info and was really hard to read. So I mostly read Arco review and I got a 4 on the exam. I only read it for like, 2 days, but i"m sure if you get a good head start you'll do great on the test.</p>
<p>I think to start, you should read the ARCO review book, and then read the textbook during the year. Both will compliment each other and reinforce the info.</p>
<p>lots of practice problems + ARCO + textbook. i do plan on following the textbook during the year and using ARCO as a way to clarify things or learn about topics in a SUPPLEMENTAL and condensed way.</p>
<p>Hurt, in a sense i agree with you, because a comprehensive review is good for many classes. however, im just looking for a light background on the subject, so would you consider review books to satisfy that?</p>
<p>i think you should learn the hs curriculum if you hadnt taken chem yet. I took honors chem last year (soph year)and im taking AP chem this year and i live in NY too and the regents isnt as easy as other regents. Not everyone has to pass chem so they make it much harder and at my school which is actually a pretty good school, almost 1/3 of the kids fail the regents. I heard its highly recommended to take regular chem before AP chem because in AP chem they assume that you learned a lot of the stuff from regular chem. Also regular chem teahes you all of the basics of chemistry.</p>
<p>The most important thing is actually UNDERSTANDING the fundamental concepts and knowing how to manipulate formulas properly (ie, basic algebra and understanding the "factor label" method of unit conversions.)</p>
<p>If you can study well enough (over the summer) to pass you state chem exam , you will be in good shape. Just be sure you know not only HOW to do problems, but WHY what you're doing actually makes sense.</p>
<p>what i did during the summer was memorize the elements on the periodic table. it may seem stupid at first but once you know all the elements, you pretty much have the basic building blocks down to build from. if not memorize then at least familiarize yourself with them. also, u might want to familiarize yourself with some basic polyatomic ions and compounds like sulfate (SO4 -2), Phosphate (PO4 -3), Oxalate (C2O4 -2), and Acetate (C2H3O2 -1). This is what our teacher made us do the first week and I got a 5!</p>
<p>^ that would make sense because i heard from former AP chem students that the first test/quiz in the class is to know a lot of the important elements on the periodic table</p>
<p>^ haha, you're telling this to a person on CC, who joins in with the majority of people on here to study over the summer for courses next year, take online courses, self study, etc</p>
<p>well i got a 5 but i studied in a different way. i think over the summer you should memorize the periodic table or atleast the most common ones that will appear was well as polyatomic ions and other basic things that involve little comprehension. during the school year use the text book and try to understand all the concepts. over spring break read a prep book like princeton review and the everything will be cemented. then do real ap practice mc and frq and you should be able to do ~70-80% of the problems accurately. keep practicing so you don't make stupid errors. you will dominate the real ap test come may.</p>