2nd DAT-Gen chem help

[Jo07]

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So yea...pretty much didn't get a first round acceptance meaning that I have to retake this f****** test. Which isn't really THAT bad, but when you study for so long and then have to study AGAIN for it, I feel like I would rather swallow razorblades. Well, that is beside the point... I'm terrible at math. Which means that I'm terrible at two things: QR and Gen chem. I did destroyer first DAT and I guess I need to start doing it again.

Any advice for gen chem? On my first DAT I just froze when I came to a calculation for something like pH. I'm much better with the conceptual stuff. So I know that I need to practice and practice some more, but did anyone have the same problem with the gen section and come out alright after the second test? If so, what was your approach?

Thank you!

 

[D.D.S.]

So yea...pretty much didn't get a first round acceptance meaning that I have to retake this f****** test. Which isn't really THAT bad, but when you study for so long and then have to study AGAIN for it, I feel like I would rather swallow razorblades. Well, that is beside the point... I'm terrible at math. Which means that I'm terrible at two things: QR and Gen chem. I did destroyer first DAT and I guess I need to start doing it again.

Any advice for gen chem? On my first DAT I just froze when I came to a calculation for something like pH. I'm much better with the conceptual stuff. So I know that I need to practice and practice some more, but did anyone have the same problem with the gen section and come out alright after the second test? If so, what was your approach?

Thank you!

I got an 18 the first time on gchem and a 21 the second time. I used destroyer, achiever, and top score in and out like 8 times and made sure I knew how to do the problems. This worked for me.

 

[TheWiredNerv]

hey Jo07, just keep running through problems after problems after problems. Repeat many times so it becomes second nature. As far as math goes, I only had to calculate two problems, the others were worked out for me. My motto in gen chem has been "practice makes perfect," and it has always worked.

 

[rose786]

I'm in the same boat, I really suck at calculations. What I've been doing is making 2 study guides for each chapter. One will have my condensed notes and generic conceptual problems (like "what is internal energy?"). The other has any problems that I've missed so far, written down with my own explanation of the steps (not the book's explanation). I make a check mark next to any question I get right, and I'm going to go through the study guide redoing the unchecked problems until I get them all right. It sounds like a lot, but the concepts really stick after a couple passes through and it really targets what gives you trouble.

Anyways, this method has worked so well for me in GChem that I'm thinking of doing it for the other subjects as well.

 

[Jo07]

That sounds like a good idea, thanks!

I have two days til my test... I'm thinking about pushing it back a couple of days. But on the other hand...will I learn anything else? Or will it just be prolonging my misery? My brain is full.!!

 

[mss255]

I agree with the postings left already - practice, practice, practice. I used the Kaplan blue book to get a sense of the material and then used my gen chem text from intro chemistry to get more problems where I wasn't sure of myself. My text was the Brown, LeMay, et al., which is apparently what the ADA listed as a reference text for chem.

Good luck!

 

[TheWiredNerv]

I agree with the postings left already - practice, practice, practice. I used the Kaplan blue book to get a sense of the material and then used my gen chem text from intro chemistry to get more problems where I wasn't sure of myself. My text was the Brown, LeMay, et al., which is apparently what the ADA listed as a reference text for chem.

Good luck!

Be carefulusing gen chem texts as practice problems. So gchem text can have some crazy problems that the DAT would never ask. Also, most calculations require a calculator to do.