youcantstopthebeat Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 You get a data booklet for the exam which has the periodic table, so I don't think you need to know all the elements off by heart. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saya Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 Thank God! Thanks youcanstopthebeat...do you think I need to have a look at the first topics? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandev Posted June 15, 2008 Report Share Posted June 15, 2008 I found the first topic to be one of the hardest so maybe yes, but I would find it difficult without help, but that is probably because I am not the greatest maths student. But maybe try the second or third topics. The second is basically memorization. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saya Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 Okay, I'll have a quick look during summer...without stressing as I want to enjoy it, huh! But I'll have a look. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
booji Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 I found the first topic to be one of the hardest so maybe yes, but I would find it difficult without help, but that is probably because I am not the greatest maths student. But maybe try the second or third topics. The second is basically memorization.Topic 1 is very important, so take your time learning it. Topic 1 covers stoichiometry, and this one of the fundamental bases for chemistry. Almost every advanced topic that you will do, will in some way contain stoichiometry. So learn it properly and learn it well.Secondly, I would never recommend memorization. Studies have shown that memorization is one of the poorest methods by which humans retain information. Its important to understand the concepts - and this in chemistry, is best done by doing practice problems. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertomx Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 If you're good at chem, go for it. I'd recommend checking out the syllabus and then deciding, but if I were you i'd go for it. I do agree with booji, tho. If you're going to memorize don't do it then. Chem should be for applying and really learning, and you have to understand what you're talking about. They don't put easy exercises in the papers, they want you to APPLY theories, concepts, etcetera in different situations. They ask you about how certain property behaves under determined conditions and things like that. So, you can't apply the theory properly if you're just memorizing. It's better to pay attention in class and try to apply theory as much as possible in actual problems, than to just try to memorize everything by heart. Trust me, even if you try, you won't be able to remember it all, not to say that the exam has limited time and there's many things to do. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandev Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Topic 1 is very important, so take your time learning it. Topic 1 covers stoichiometry, and this one of the fundamental bases for chemistry. Almost every advanced topic that you will do, will in some way contain stoichiometry. So learn it properly and learn it well.Secondly, I would never recommend memorization. Studies have shown that memorization is one of the poorest methods by which humans retain information. Its important to understand the concepts - and this in chemistry, is best done by doing practice problems.On topic 1 thing, I know it is important that is why I said maybe wait for teacher to help. Yeah your right about the memorisation, but to be quite frank sometimes memorisation is the only practical way, and anyway is that what objective 1 questions in science are about. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
booji Posted June 24, 2008 Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 On topic 1 thing, I know it is important that is why I said maybe wait for teacher to help.Its funny you said that. We have really poor teachers here, and thats exactly why I was implying that one should teach topic 1 to onself (i.e. assuming by default that the teachers were useless...LOL) But stochiometry is quite straightforward. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_like_chocolate Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 I am going to be one of those people to say that chem hl is the most insanely toughest subject you could take. i wish i would've known earlier. i do pretty well on all my other subjects but chem is just one subject that is too difficult. think about it carefully. apologies, but thats my opinion. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
youcantstopthebeat Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Thank God! Thanks youcanstopthebeat...do you think I need to have a look at the first topics?I never prepared for any topics but I guess it would help a lot... and sometimes when i tried to read ahead a bit, there were some things I could not understand by myself so i would learn that when the teacher taught me! but yeah although I don't think it's absolutely necessary, it wouldn't do you any harm to do some reading!I would never recommend memorization. Studies have shown that memorization is one of the poorest methods by which humans retain information. Its important to understand the concepts - and this in chemistry, is best done by doing practice problems.I definitely agree.With subjects like Biology all you do is basically memorise things!!But for Chemistry you really have to understand the concepts... more often than not memorisation would be extremely difficult... i would actually say that for many things it is far easier to learn and grasp the concept than to memorise every possible thing that could come up in an exam! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogibs4 Posted September 6, 2008 Report Share Posted September 6, 2008 I do both biology and chemistry at higher level and I have to say that chemistry is the easiest by far. If you got a bad teacher you can still do well as long as you've got a good text book such as th eoxford course companion Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
moneyfaery Posted September 6, 2008 Report Share Posted September 6, 2008 I don't think it's crazy hard. Much easier than SL Biology, IMO. Then again, the grade average is around the 6 range so it might just be that we have a good teacher. With subjects like Biology all you do is basically memorise things!!Not entirely true. Even with bio, it's easier if you understand the concepts, since then you'll be able to apply the ideas outside the "circle" and with other concepts. Once you form those links, everything becomes so much clearer. You understand what's going on and need to memorize only a bit. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
y.v Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 If you are considering a career in a Chemistry related feild, you should definitely consider taking HL Chemistry.Also, if you really like the subject (I do), it shouldn't be that bad. I can't say much because this is just my first year of HL Chemistry... it's pretty easy so far. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruttidee Posted November 10, 2008 Report Share Posted November 10, 2008 It's my first year in Chemistry HL and as for now I find it really easy. However, our teacher truly suck and we do basically nothing i'll start to worry about it when the exams will be coming now, it's like 6h a week of doing nothing I also have Biology SL and for me it's WAY worse than Chem cause it's really about memorizing things which is worse to do than just understand things on chemistry Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBdoc Posted November 10, 2008 Report Share Posted November 10, 2008 Yeah, I take Chem HL and I'm in IB1! It's is not THAT hard but it is not really easy. I find that there is a huge difference between SL and HL. In HL we are taught so much more details. And once you get to know what the teacher really wants during the test you'll get better grades. The one thing that brought my first term grade down was the uncertainties. It ruined all my labs! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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