ChemSmarties (1 Viewer)

[Survivor39]

I am struggling in Chemistry and I don't know WHAT TO DO!!!
I have been studying hard at everything PLUS i understand everything. But when it comes to exams and test i just STUFF up!
For example: the calculation of the sulphate ions.....ok i went home and got them all clear up, but when i had a question that is slightly twisted in the test I just went BLANK

What can i do? All you chemistry smarties out there please help.... It's not like I'm not trying hard enough.......I really tried.

 

[s2ophie]

i was hoping there was chocolate smarties involved in this thread!

I don't really know how to help you! I am pretty bad at chem (proably cos i hate it) but it is most important that you have summaries and you learn them. I have a tutor who helps me create summaries so that might help you.

Also if you have trouble learning thing like sulphate ions, make sure you really know the things where they can't twist questions eg biopolymers, atmosphere etc.

 

[mei_ling03]

i had the same problem.. i knew the content just had no exam technique.. which is why i aslmost failed the half yearlies :S.
just make sure you know what exactly they are asking.. unlike english, babbling on about stuff doesn't get you marks. get straight to the point, write points and tables rather than sentences if you want- that way they can't miss what you're trying to say. and as for calculations make sure you understand the calculations. like say for moles, look at all the steps involved and the different things they can ask you, e.g. mol per L, moles, grams of each substance, concentration..etc

any other study/exam techniques would help

 

[mei_ling03]

btw, what's this about calculation of sulfate ions? is that chem monitoring and management?

 

[+:: $i[Q]u3 ::+]

hehe.. you need to calculate sulfate ions for monitoring (remember the fertiliser experiment?)

sigh.. no chocolate smarties...

ah well ^^
you need to have a fixed method for doing each type of question (there aren't that many, don't worry ^^)
If you don't have one, look up textbooks for the easiest method, copy it, then learn the steps eg. 1. weigh 2. calculate moles barium sulfate 3. find moles sulfate (= moles barium sulfate) 4. find mass sulfate (= moles sulfate x formula weight) 5. divide through to find percentage.

if you're really stuck for any calculation, just do a moles calculation. chances are, you might get a mark for just doing that =)

 

[kini mini]

Try to practice different sorts of questions in an exam environment, i.e. one where you have some kind of tme pressure. You could try doing a module test from your textbook, writing full answers, in say 2 hours. This will force you to discipline your thinking when confronted with an unusual question. "Twisted" questions are usually designed to confound prepared answers - but if you have a good fundamental understanding of the chemistry you will still be fine .

 

[mei_ling03]

ahhh chem monitoring and management... ok no worries our school isn't up to that yet

 

[Dangar]

ahhh chem monitoring and management... ok no worries our school isn't up to that yet


shouldn't everyone have finished monitoring and management by now?? we just finished it and started our option (shipwrecks) and i thought we were behind. Where is evryone else up to?:

 

[Survivor39]

Thanks guys, and NO! there's no chocolate.... How else do you think I could attract you guys to post if i didn't have an attractive name for my thread

To kini mini:
Your advice is so insightful and for that I thank you.

ONE more thing, I learned all the converting units between ppm and ppb and mg/L, microgram/L...........ect.......
But one question in the test ask me to convert mole/L to ppm. well I just went BLANK because it was twisted. i had NO IDEA how to answer it........And the WORST thing is, you know how questions are linked? For example, 1a) ask to convert, 1.b) ask you is this too much for drinking etc then 1. c).......AND SO ON.
So i kind of stuff up the WHOLE question....

 

[mei_ling03]

Originally posted by Dangar
shouldn't everyone have finished monitoring and management by now?? we just finished it and started our option (shipwrecks) and i thought we were behind. Where is evryone else up to?:

nah we've almost finished shipwrecks so chem monitoring is our last topic

 

[s2ophie]

i think this is right

if you get mol/L you would need to covert the moles to grams and then you could just keep going until you got mg/L which is the same as ppm

does that make sense? Is it right?

 

[captnbuttons]

I used to be so horrible at chem.... you ahve no idea! i never wanted to do a science in senior years but originally iw nated to do speech pathology so i had too! so id ragged my ass through year 11 and learned the ahrd way and now i'm coming first! :O

I don't ahve trouble with teh assesment tasks so much, as you have time to work them out but the best things i can say for help in the exams, is to go through as many papers as you can find. There are soooo many chem papaers out there it's not funny! tyhere are catholic, independant, some one starting with N thats liek advanced and then theres teh BOS papers... you'll find that teh questions start to repeat themselves! also what i found helpful was when answering a question look at how many marks it's worth! if it's only worth 1 mark you only have to name what they are asking for. If it's worth 3 marks... name it, describe it and include example/evidence (liek equations etc)! and lastley like a few other have said summeries!!! i found chem incredibly hard but then my tecahre told me that its basiclaly recall!! espoecially multiple choice! so if you cna't get teh calculation ones cause some of them are ohhh sooo hard an di hate them lol focus on the stuff taht's straight recall and you ares till able to get a really good mark!

 

[iambored]

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE doesnt matter if u understand, just do past questions and past papers, do the qs with a twist, then u'll get used 2 them

 

[Giant Lobster]

Originally posted by s2ophie
i think this is right

if you get mol/L you would need to covert the moles to grams and then you could just keep going until you got mg/L which is the same as ppm

does that make sense? Is it right?

I'm in yr 11 so I may be full wrong but.. if memory serves, ppm is (w/w) for liquids and (v/v) for gases so the only way this question works out is if the substances in question are gases, and since moles/L can be made to mg/L which is (w/v) this can be converted to ppm using those stp and rtp constants. (22.41 and 24.47)
Or if the density of the soln is given then u can directly convert mg/L into mg/kg which is the same as ppm in liquids (w/w)

 

[Survivor39]

Thanks for helping, I finally get it.... Too late though

 

[Survivor39]

Any more ideas to help me?
I Hate the excel chemistry book, it's so uninteresting and hard to understand