How to smash VCE chemistry

How do I succeed in VCE Chemistry?

This is the question on every Chemistry student's mind as they enter year 12.

Perhaps they found 1/2 challenging, and are apprehensive about what 3/4 may hold in store for them.

Perhaps they need to achieve a certain study score, so they can make it into their dream course after high school.

Perhaps they've always struggled with Chemistry, and want to know what they can do to change this.

In this article, I will uncover what it takes to 'Succeed' in Chemistry, what worked (and didn't work) for me personally, and the logical steps you can take to improve your scores and hopefully achieve your dream study score.

What is Success??

Success only comes with a plan. A goal without a plan is only a dream.

But before we can plan, we must have a goal. We must define 'success' for ourselves, so that we can take the steps to achieve that success.

This might seem trivial for most, as their natural response to the question 'what is VCE success' would be the highest study score achievable for them.

However, it is important to quantify this amount, depending upon what study score you need for your course, or to achieve the ATAR that you want.

When you quantify exactly what study score you are happy with, you can then (approximately) determine the exam and SAC scores needed to achieve your conception of 'success'.

I'd be happy with a 43 study score, and I know (by asking past students, or using tools like study score calculator) that I need X% overall in my SAC's and X% on my exam to achieve this study score.

What makes up your study score?

Your study score, when it comes to Chemistry, is 50% exam, and 50% SACs.

What is more important than your actual SAC marks is your ranking within the cohort, as SAC marks will be scaled up or down depending on their difficulty and how you and your cohort perform in the exam.

To get a good study score, the formula is simple:

• Rank highly in your chemistry cohort

• Do well on the exam.

Tips to do well:

Start early:

We've always heard the people around us say 'don't compare yourself to others' and 'focus on your own growth'. While these age-old adages hold true, we must also face the reality and acknowledge that the VCE is very competitive. 

Whether it be the ATAR, study scores or even cohort ranking, these are all RELATIVE measurements of performance - they pit you against the students around you to see who will come out on top.

A really good way to gaining a competitive advantage is to start learning content early.

Personally, I have seen students who have tried to finish 3/4 content in year 11 for chemistry, and honestly, I think this is just too far.

Nonetheless, it is very beneficial to at least get the first area of study down during the summer holidays before year 12 begins. This can really help you when you cover the same content in school again, and prepare you to smash the first SAC. 

The key is to never be behind. Always try covering class content at least a day or two before the actual class happens, allowing you to benefit from covering the content multiple times, thereby improving information retention. You can usually access the curriculum schedule by asking your teacher, so you know what will be covered in each class.

Furthermore, students can gain a sense of assurance and confidence when they see content covered in class which they already know about, allowing them to excel over their peers.

Understand the content fully:

VCE Chemistry is a content-heavy subject, demanding lots of memorisation and understanding.

The best place to start is the study design. Both SACs and exams can only ask you questions related to the study design. Personally, I recommend printing out sections of the study design which describe 'key knowledge' and 'key skills' and highlight key words, so you are aware of what you have to know.

Some of the concepts in VCE Chemistry can be quite difficult to understand.

Take lots of notes, and utilise diagrams where possible, as it is usually easier to recall information from visual stimulus. (Drawing diagrams can also be fun, and allows you to take a break from the monotony of words).

To fully understand content, have a habit of going over your notes regularly.

For example, at the end of every week review all the content that you learnt for Chemistry. Every term holidays, go over all the 3/4 content you have learnt so far. Practice makes perfect.

Lastly, learn to utilise the time you spend travelling using public transport, so you have less to do at home.

Learn to Apply your knowledge:

While information retention is key in VCE Chemistry, it is the application of your knowledge that will actually be assessed during SACs and exams.

After learning a new concept, enforce your learning by completing some easy questions, then move on to tougher exam questions related to the concept. Finally, try some questions which link multiple concepts together.

A key skill in VCE chemistry is identifying which concept(s) are being tested in which question. As mentioned before, VCAA (and your school) can only ask you things which are from the study design. In some tricky questions, these obvious concepts are hidden behind complex, wordy jargon or a real-life scenario. It is up to the student to identify which concept each question is targeting, and apply the right skill set to answer the question. 

As always, practice makes perfect.

Minimise silly mistakes:

The Bane of every student.

Due to the myriad of small details in Chemistry, there are literally infinite possible silly mistakes which can be made by a student, each one chipping away at your SAC/exam score, and ultimately, your study score as well.

To minimise human error, do LOTS of practice questions, then make a log for recording common mistakes. Then, when you do similar questions again, run through this log in your mind, and try identifying whether you have made any silly mistakes. Repeating this process many times will ultimately train your mind to actively prevent common pitfalls, and avoid losing unnecessary marks.

Actively prepare for SACs:

Do not be the student who rocks up to school on SAC day without having done a single practice SAC.

Make a timetable, and decide 'I am going to do X amount of practice SACs, and by the end of my practice I want to be scoring X%'. Do not procrastinate, and follow your schedule. 

When you don't understand a question from a practice SAC, don't just leave it be - either it was a silly mistake (add it to your mistake log) or you couldn't understand it (seek help from your teacher/tutor/online/friends so you can do better next time).

The key is to be ACTIVE. This involves acknowledging that whatever SAC mark you will ultimately get was a result of decisions you made, and practice you did (or didn't ;) do. The power to do well (or not) is in your hands, so if you REALLY want X% in your upcoming SAC, then ask yourself 'Am I doing enough work that I will confidently get X%?' If the answer to that is not a resounding 'YES!', then something has to change.

Don't let one bad SAC demotivate you:

We just said that everything that happens is on you, whether good or bad. Nonetheless, stuff does happen sometimes, and external factors outside your control might mess with you. Maybe you were having a bad day.

Know that one bad SAC mark in the grand scheme of things is really not significant. Sure, it might push you down the ranks a bit, but there is nothing stopping you from compensating in the next SAC. 

However, you will only be able to bounce back if you do not let this bad mark overcome you. Once something is outside your control, pondering upon it will not help. 

There is no point crying over spilt milk.

Focus on what you CAN change, and work for the future.

Take advantage of the experimental poster SAC:

This is a bit of personal advice: the poster SAC is the best opportunity for you to beat the crowd. 

They give you the rubric, so you literally just have to follow the guidelines on the rubric to achieve 100%.

Bonus tip: teachers can't really help you out with identifying experimental errors etc after they've given you the task itself, so think ahead and brainstorm errors before the task has been given out, and cross-check these with your teacher.

Focus on exam preparation:

The exam is 50%, while 5 SACs combined are worth 50%. Needless to say, the exam is much more important than SACs, and exam preparation must be treated as such.

Start doing practice exams towards the end of term 3.

If you are aiming for a 45+ study score, then try getting at least 15 practice exams done.

Make a log of all mistakes you make, and before you do a new practice exam, read through all of the previous mistakes as to not make them again.

Review all content notes once every week or few weeks.

Complete every exam in real conditions - no music, no distractions. Pro tip: wake up a bit early during those term 3 holidays and get an exam done before everyone else rises. 

Utilise all available resources:

There's a lot of free stuff online. Ask your teachers for it, or ask friends. Facebook groups are a great place as well.

If you find any concept or question hard, then seek support through your tutor, or teacher.

You are not alone in this journey.

Enjoy Chemistry:

This needs to be said. Learning should be a fun process, and Chemistry is very interesting. This is very easy to overlook due to the stress of year 12, which may cause you to hate chemistry.

Trust me, it's much easier to learn a subject when you show genuine interest in it. Our tutors at VCE Pro demonstrate the application of chemistry concepts in exciting, real world examples which will make even the greatest enemy of Chemistry fall in love with the subject.