<p>The vast majority of schools require you to take Honors Chem before AP, and it even says it's strongly recommended in the syllabus. Why is this? They don't recommend an Honors Physics course before AP Physics, or any other double dipping of courses. What's so special about AP Chem?</p>
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<p>Most do require the intro course. If yours does not, it is the exception. The school wants you to have introductory kbowledge before having a college-level course.</p>
<p>I’m one month away from finishing AP Chem (it’s my favorite class and Chemistry is my intended major)
Honors chemistry introduces you to all of the basic skills you need before taking college chemistry. It covers all the material before you learn all the reasons behind why everything is the way it is. Everything you think you knew coming out of Honors chemistry is shattered to pieces in AP Chem… lol</p>
<p>@d0texe Shattered to pieces? Cool. How?</p>
<p>You are taught just the surface in Honors Chemistry; however, in AP, you learn all about the “exceptions” to the laws of chemistry and all the deeper explanations to everything you learned in Honors. It is quite fascinating.
Are you in Honors right now?</p>
<p>@d0texe </p>
<p>Yeah. So far we’ve learned the history of chemistry, structure of atoms and energy levels, periodic trends, nomenclature for compounds, balancing equations, quarks, and stoichiometry. We just finished the first semester of the class. </p>
<p>That all sounds familiar… just wait! AP is far more interesting. You learn about why atoms are structured the way they are and why the periodic table has the trends it does! Good luck to you!</p>
<p>My perspective of AP chem is that it just used all the knowledge in honors and then used that to go into more complex topics. It’s like a person learning how to use a tool and then they are able to learn how to build a fence. I spent the entire first semester learning the elements and ions and stoichiometry (it might be different for you guys because the chemistry program at my school was in disarray where I had 3 different teachers in that first semester. Then you learn the basics of thermo, acids, and redox. AP tended to focus on the more complicated examples and showed us more of the laboratory principles. For example, you can know the gas laws but AP will show you how to do investigations in a lab setting utilizing the gas law to find the identity of an unknown gas. Basically the answer to the OP is that it just takes so much time to learn all the elements, polyatomic ions, and basic stoichiometry that you need to have that before starting a true AP course. Physics is different because it doesn’t have 200 names that need to be memorized (and by memorizing elements, I mean number, mass, row, group, and more off the top of your head)</p>
<p>How much memorization is in AP Chem? The only things we memorized cold were 5 polyatomic ions and element abbreviations. (you could say we “memorized” periodic trends and some other stuff, although we can derive that stuff through logic. Or at least the good students)</p>
<p>@bassguitar You should have around 30 or 40 polyatomic ions memorized. There should be a chart in your textbook so if you memorize those then you’re fine. You also have to know everything about every element. You have to know Fe is iron and Sb is antimony, you have to know that mercury and bromine are the two elements that are liquids at room temperature, you have to memorize(or derive quickly how many valence/unpaired electrons are in an atom. You have to memorize all of the atomic models and experiments associated with them. That is the stuff you should have done before AP chem.</p>
<p>Honors Chem really sets the foundation that you need for Chem. Chemistry is a whole new subject, and there is a lot of content that is completely unfamiliar. I took Honors Chem in 10th grade and I’m taking AP Chemistry now, and it’s worth it. Honors allows for a lot of practice for concepts that would be hard to understand (stoichiometry killed me because I could not wrap my head around the concept of moles haha).</p>
<p>@jimmyboy23 Whaaaaat? 40 polyatomic ions? I don’t even know how to find valence electrons. Is it just how many elements to the right it is? (Since, if I’m correct, each period adds a shell)</p>
<p>@bassguitar Yes you need to have somewhere between 20-40 polyatomic ions memorized. 6 common ones are H3PO4, CN, H2SO4, OH, ClO3, and NO3. These are just a few but they are very important in AP chem because of their chemical properties. You’re sort of right with the valence electrons but it is actually the number of electrons in the highest S and P orbitals (if you just count using the columns then the D and F orbitals get you screwed up). There is anywhere from 1 to twelve valence electrons but most atoms want eight</p>
<p>Chem is not memorization heavy. It’s a bunch of conceptual thinking (much of it building on what you’re learning now). Don’t worry about a little polyatomic nomenclature. AP Chem had become more centered on idea application rather than memorization. </p>
<p>The course would be very hard to finish in time without some sort of intro class. Perhaps a full year is overboard for some, but something is necessary. There’s a kid in my class who did first year chem in 3 weeks self-taught last summer and is doing fine now. . </p>
<p>And as far as knowing everything about every element…no. If you don’t have all the names,etc. down perfectly then don’t fret; you’ll naturally absorb more and more knowledge as you go through the course. </p>
<p>About 40% of students in my ap class are sophomores. Our high school allows ap bio, ap chem, ap physics, and apes from 9th-12th grade respectively. We have no prerequisites for the classes. </p>
<p>@hypnotoad107 Those sophomores took regular/honors chem 9th grade? Do your teachers publish the AP score breakdowns? It’d be interesting to see how 9th/10th graders fare taking AP chem with no prior experience.</p>
<p>Sophomores’ scores are the most erratic. It’s a mix of the most talented kids in the school and students that aren’t prepared for a class of that calibre. The sophomores that struggle most are the ones that jump from bio honors freshmen year straight to ap chem sophomore year. If they take ap chem sophomore year then they have no previous chemistry. About 50% of all students that make 5s in the class are sophomores. </p>
<p>My son took AP Chem (before the new one) as a sophomore. He did not have a strong chemistry background - no honors chem. He spent 3-4 hours/day on AP Chem in order to keep up! He did do well in the course and scored a 5, but it was without a doubt the hardest class he ever took!</p>
<p>I’ve not seen this many other places, but Centre College won’t give credit for AP tests taken prior to the start of Junior year. <a href=“http://www.centre.edu/admission-aid/apply-to-centre/admission-requirements/”>http://www.centre.edu/admission-aid/apply-to-centre/admission-requirements/</a></p>
<p>InigoMontoya, you have me concerned. I didn’t realize that! My son would have a fit if his AP Chem won’t count! I looked at that link you posted, but I don’t see where it states that the credits won’t count prior to the start of Junior year. Is this something that is posted on that link and I’m just not seeing it, or is this something that they told you when you went there? Does anyone know if this is the case at most schools?</p>