Welcome to another blog in my “What To Know” series. This post is for all students taking AP Chemistry this school year.
How hard is AP Chemistry?
Here is the score distribution of AP Chemistry from CollegeBoard website.
The 5-rate and the pass rate (3 or above) have been consistent over the past three years. The 5-rate has stayed around 17%, while the pass rate has remained around 76%, which is higher than AP Biology, AP Physics 1, or AP Environmental Science. This means that AP Chemistry is relatively easier to pass. I believe this is due to the significant overlap in content between AP Chemistry and honors chemistry. That being said, while the AP Chemistry exam is on the easier side compared to other AP science subjects in terms of passing, earning a 5 is still not easy.
What is the prerequisite for AP Chemistry?
According to CollegeBoard’s AP Chemistry Course Description, the prerequisites for AP Chemistry are introductory high school chemistry (usually honors chemistry) and Algebra 2. I completely agree on this. Students who have completed honors chemistry should already have some basic knowledge of the topics covered in AP Chemistry.
What will you learn in AP Chemistry?
Here is a list of AP Chemistry topics from CollegeBoard’s AP Chemistry Course Description.
Most schools require honors chemistry as a prerequisite for AP Chemistry. This means you should already be familiar with many of the following topics: the periodic table, atomic structure, types of atomic bonds, the four types of chemical reactions, reaction rates, equilibrium, and the basics of acids and bases. Organic chemistry, however, is not part of the AP Chemistry curriculum.
Given that, you’ll revisit many of the same topics from honors chemistry in AP Chemistry, but at a more analytical level. For example, instead of simply memorizing how many electrons an element has, you’ll learn how to identify an element based on its photoelectron spectroscopy graph.
What is the most challenging part of AP Chemistry?
There are two main challenges in AP Chemistry. The first is time management. Nine units are a lot of content for a one-year class. On average, you’ll have just over three weeks per unit, making this a fast-paced course. And many of the units rely on the units you leanred before. So if you slack off in the first two months, you will find yourself struggling more and more later on.
The second challenge is comprehension and analysis. Chemistry is a science based on observation and experimentation. While there are “trends” or “rules of thumb,” almost every Chemistry “trend” has exceptions that you need to memorize. This can feel confusing or even contradictory at first, and it takes time to understand the reasons behind each exception. You’ll also be asked to analyze phenomena using the knowledge you’ve learned. You need to truly understand why a trend exists and the reasoning behind it.
How can you ace AP Chemsitry?
Building a good foundation is important. The way CollegeBoard designs the course in this order has a reason. And You have to learn Unit 1 (atomic structures) to realy learn Unit 2 (how atoms form bonds), and then you can learn Unit 3 (molecules interact with each other). You’ll also rely on the knowledge you learn Unit 1-3 to learn topics in Unit 5-9. So if you idle in the first semester, then you’ll definitely struggle in the second semester because of lack of foundation.
