Which is harder? Phy HL or Chem HL?

[powa2]

Well it really depends on how well versed you are at mathematics. Both courses at higher level requires a good knowledge of math but physics HL definitely has more challenging math in it and was more challenging to me. I find that if you at good at fast comprehension and have an imagination in figuring out problems Physics HL and Chemistry SL would be a good combination for you.

[Feist]

It also depends heavily on the teachers who are adminstering IB and the Ministry courses. At my school, the Chemistry teacher doesn't really explain the theories but we have a really good IB-oriented textbook that does. I heard from one of the smartest students in my grade that it is hard to keep up in Physics because they are learning completely new things with little explanation from the teacher. This student had the highest grade in Chemistry SL last year so I assume a combination of Chemistry HL and Physics SL would have been the easier option in that case. When I was taking Chemistry HL, I noticed a lot of material was covered in class and HL was just an extension of this, it was new material but it was based on pre-existing knowledge.

So, in short, I would say Chemistry HL and Physics SL would be the route to go.

[MissP]

Well quite a few of my friends take Physics HL and say it is tough.

I take Chemistry HL which is pretty tough, but as long as you understand all of the concepts, have a personal interest in the subject and keep revising, then you should be pretty okay.

I personally think that Physics is harder than Chemistry, but it depends on what your stronger science is

[FutureIB]

I am taking both Physics HL and Chemistry HL, and based on my experience I say that Chemistry HL is a soo much easier than physics. Because when you study chem, you are done but with physics there are always questions to solve and things to read.

[kevinayP]

I take Physics HL and Chemistry SL. Chemistry SL is the easiest Group 4 subject there is in IB in my opinion. It's a piece of cake.

On the other hand, Physics HL is very hard. If you don't have a good grip in Mathematics I really recommend you to not take Physics HL. I have a friend who's taking both Physics HL and Chemistry HL, and he said Physics HL is way harder than Chemistry HL. If you're still making that decision, I really recommend taking Chemistry HL and Physics SL. Even Physics SL is not easy... =x

In short, take Chemistry HL and Physics SL if you're still making the decision. =]

[DJ CAS]

According to the people and grades that most people get, Physics HL is harder.

[masochist]

I agree with the poster who stated that Chem HL and Physics HL are both extremely difficult. If you are very good at Math them Physics will probably be less difficult. My experience with Chem HL is that it is very hard - it is arguably the most taxing out of all of my subjects. However, according to my teachers, Physics SL is the easiest out of all the experimental sciences (whenever anyone has any trouble, the teachers laugh and say 'go take physics sl'). So I would suggest that you take Physics SL and Chem HL so you can spend more time on the HL with an easier SL.

Edited February 18, 2010 by masochist

[fan]

Well it depends on you personally. I know people who find physics easy and get 7s during there tests. However I personally think physics HL is harder than Chemistry HL. That's my personal thought.

[dsds1000]

I am taking HL physics HL chem and HL math, so I guess I would know. Personally I find chemistry much harder, not that the material is harder itself, but the fact of the matter there is much more memorization than in physics. In physics if you get the concept you can pretty much apply it to any topic. I don't want to say that HL physics is super-easy, it's not, but the thing is that most people in my school tend to do better in physics than chem. Also the better conversion, which I think is 70% vs 80% for an IB 7 helps too.

[Ilkana]

I personally love Chem HL.

I'm not doing Physics at all, but there are like.. less than 10 people doing Physics at my school (out of 70) and whenever I ask them - Physics HL? Their eyes go really wide and they gag. And tell me - ARE YOU KIDDING!?

So.

Chem HL

[bumblebeee~]

HL physics/SL chem is definitely the harder combo. At my school, SL chem is taught the same content as HL chem, just in a shorter time frame. Additionally, SL physics is comparable to HL math.

Then again, I know people who did SL physics/HL chem and found the physics to be much easier to understand and do well in.

So really, its preference based on your strengths.

I'm taking HL chem/SL bio and took physics in summer school as an academic course, and I suffered greatly in physics...

Edited April 27, 2011 by bumblebeee~

[Guest Red XII]

I'm taking both Chemistry and Physics HL. Starting out, I was better at physics than I was at chem. I learned physics more quickly and did better on a lot of the earlier tests in physics than I did in chem. Now that it's time for exams, though, I felt much more prepared for Chem than I am for Physics. I feel that I did much better on Chem than I'm likely to do on Physics, even though I'm naturally a bit better at physics than chem. Further, the Chem SL topics are mostly quite easy (the HL topics contain most of the hard stuff). That's true for Physics SL, too, but the Physics HL material is far more challenging than the Chem HL material.

[berkay560]

I am taking HL in both courses, and I find Chemistry to be slightly harder.