American Chemical Society Final

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Hello I am taking the ACS final for General Chemistry next week. It covers topics that we have learned from Chem 101, 102, and 103. I have been wondering how it was. Was it easy or hard and what should I expect? Also are there many different forms to the test (like Form A and Form B or more) or does my whole class get one version of the test. Any information would be appreciated.

I only took the ACS exam for Biochemistry, but experience and testimony from my colleagues suggest that it's difficult.

Originally Posted by omnione

I only took the ACS exam for Biochemistry, but experience and testimony from my colleagues suggest that it's difficult.

For BS at Cal State I was required to take ACS Ochem, PChem, and Analytical Chem exams. They were quite difficult with no review (2 years after AChem, 3 years after PChem, and 5 Years after OChem.) Fortunately they were curved. I'm not sure why my biochem exam wasn't ACS. All I can say is I passed. I don't know what to expect from GChem, but at least as a final it should be relatively fresh material.

Originally Posted by Stamatcr

Also are there many different forms to the test (like Form A and Form B or more) or does my whole class get one version of the test.

and y would that matter?

ACS tests are stupid. they dont give u anything to prepare for. Professors who give these type of tests are lazy.!

I ask this because I was wondering if I could share my results with my classmates to get a better knowing of how we did.

Originally Posted by cystapharm

and y would that matter?

I asked this so I can ask my classmates questions about after the test. To get a better understanding of it.

The ACS exam for gen chem was not difficult. It was thorough. Buy the study guide. Do the practice problems. Make sure you understand the concepts. Nothing on the test should come as a surprise after that.

The ACS exam for organic was a different animal - but so is organic.

well i just took the ACS final for ochem yesterday...up until yesterday, i was getting an A in that class...but in order to retain that grade, i can only get one grade lower on the final...which is the ACS exam...and i dont think i did too well...and from the looks of my classmates, i don't think they did too well either. Since it is curved, i hope everyone did bad too...but of course there's always one or two ppl who will ruin the curve as for the ACS for gchem, i took it last year and i think it was overall pretty easy. If you search online for old exams, i think some of them contain questions from the ACS. Good luck!

I thought the ACS exam for gchem was easy...

ACS exam is pretty hard , that's why the average score last year was 50%.
So you should be careful.

I took the ACS final in april and it WAS very difficult (and they don't curve ours) It isn't that the professors are lazy but rather they are trying to make the playing field more even. It was 40 ?'s in 50 min's about 1/2 conceptual & 1/2 calculations... at 15 mins I still had 25 ?'s and freaked out. and ours wasn't curved. GOOD LUCK ps i think the website has some study guide you can buy

Originally Posted by rxpharmtech

I took the ACS final in april and it WAS very difficult (and they don't curve ours) It isn't that the professors are lazy but rather they are trying to make the playing field more even. It was 40 ?'s in 50 min's about 1/2 conceptual & 1/2 calculations... at 15 mins I still had 25 ?'s and freaked out. and ours wasn't curved. GOOD LUCK ps i think the website has some study guide you can buy

Do they at least grade based on percentiles for that particular exam? To pass I just needed to get 50th percentile or better for the exam year they used. (They reused old exams. I think mine were all 4 years old or better)

they didn't grade on percentiles for MY school (USF-univ south florida) I specifically asked my instructor about that bc I heard they did. Luckily we had a built in curve for our total grade and I ended up getting a B+

If the professors use a standard chemistry test which I think is a good thing, then isn't better to look at as many textbooks with solutions and practice tests as you can? I think then that the notes in class would be absolutely useless, unless they were directly prepping you for the exam in the way that some GOOD professors prep you for the AP exam.

I think you need to get previous tests and work out as many problems as possible in various textbooks. My general chem book (I took it way back at a community college in 2001) had separate solution manuals with many practice tests, and even vocab words. It is absolutely GREAT for learning general chemistry. I hardly remmeber anything now, but reading those books trying to work the problems and going back to the solutions that you do not know would help you know gen. chem inside out. AND you would probably ace the 2/3 of the PCAT (the general chem portion).

The books name is General Chemistry by Whitten, Davis, and Peck (sixth edition) (back in 2001). The publishers are Saunders College Publishing

The solution manual has COMLPETE solutions for the even numbered problems all worked out. There is also three other supplements.Problem Solving in General Chemistry ISBN 0-03-021229-4, Student Study Guide, ISBN 0-03-021232-4, Student Lecture Outline, ISBN 0-03-021223-5.

And the publishers: Harcourt (THE SAME PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE PCAT!!)

Study this entire book, along with AP chemistry, and SAT II chemistry problems and you will be able to get every single gen. chem question correct.