Answering the 3 most commonly asked questions that students have when it comes to VCE Chemistry.
1. Is Units 1 and 2 Chemistry relevant to Units 3 and 4 Chemistry?
YES… to an extent. Although Units 1 and 2 Chemistry is not explicitly examined by VCAA at the end of year exam in Year 12, the concepts that you learn in Units 1 and 2 form the foundations of Units 3 and 4 Chemistry.
- Example of topics that are relevant in Units 3 and 4 Chemistry from Units 1 and 2 include:
- Mole concept – especially the calculations
- Intermolecular forces – dispersion forces, dipole-dipole and hydrogen bonding
- Naming organic compounds (alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alcohols, carboxylic acids and non-branched esters)
- Redox reactions
- Acids-bases
- Stoichiometry – a MUST!
- Chromatography
- Spectroscopy
2. Do I need to remember formulas?
YES, you do. There are certain formulas that you are expected to just know for example:
The way to get better at remembering formulas is to do lots of practice questions. When you are doing a question, get into the habit of writing down the formula, as this will help you commit that formula in your memory.
However, if you haven’t done so already, this year’s Data Book contains a section that contains most of the formulas that you will encounter in VCE Chemistry. Therefore, VCAA has made your life a bit easier by giving you the formulas in your Data Book.
Get on to VCAA now and print off a copy of the Data Book!
3. How do I revise for SACs and the exam?
By doing practice questions and starting your revision early. There is no point in starting your revision 2-3 days before a SAC/Exam as you won’t learn much.
You should try to revise theory content every day, that way when there is an upcoming SAC or when exam time comes you don’t need to be spending most of your time going over theory. You can spend that time doing practice questions that will help you apply what you learnt, which is a better way of doing revision and studying in general.
Revision can be as little as 10-15 mins a day. Year 12 can get very busy, but a little bit here and there can go a long way.
Happy studying!
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