ACS Standardized Exam

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premedCarl

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Has anyone taken the ACS 1st semester general chemistry exam? And if so how did you compare to the norm of 40 correct out of 70 questions? Thanks.

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Actually, I have an ACS chemistry exam next week and it covers whole chemistry 1 and 2. What practice exams do you use to study? i really wanna do well on it. Has anyone else taken it before or knows about practice exams that helps to ace the exam?
 
It's not really that tough. For me, my midterms were much harder than the ACS test (both gen chem and ochem). The ACS study guides that you can buy off their website were fairly helpful.
 
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Actually, I have an ACS chemistry exam next week and it covers whole chemistry 1 and 2. What practice exams do you use to study? i really wanna do well on it. Has anyone else taken it before or knows about practice exams that helps to ace the exam?
It's not really that tough. For me, my midterms were much harder than the ACS test (both gen chem and ochem). The ACS study guides that you can buy off their website were fairly helpful.
This. Our professor took orders from the class and charged us $20 a booklet. I did all the practice questions and clarified why I got some of them wrong. It was perfect. I scored something like 62 of 70. The practice booklets are just like taking the AAMC MCAT practice tests. You'll see so many variations of what you practice and will thus do far better on the actual exam than if you hadn't used the practice test.\

Oh, and I didn't write in the booklet and was able to resell it for $15 online.
 
Same I have my ACS exam in about a week. The book is a lifesaver, I ended up buying one used for pretty cheap from amazon. Their questions are pretty straightforward, no tricks. But the answers offered are so that if you did something wrong along the way, that option is probably there.
 
I just took it this past Tuesday. I found that out of the 4 multiple choice 2 are obviously wrong. The other 2 makes you think a little. It gives the feeling that both are right, just one is more right than the other so you gotta know your stuff. I bought the review book as well but my professor was of no help with it. Way more math than I thought since I was told it was more "concept based" than math based. Load of crap. The concept is more noticing things are 1 mol or 2 mol so you gotta double amu or something, lots of math. It was the first time I wish I had a study group. Good lucky!
Yeah, Gen Chem is very heavy on the math. Blegh.
 
so what helps to ace the exam Gen chem 1 and 2 whole year of chem? i dont have a book or study guides, my professor just put up a practice acs exam with answers and hints online to study.
 
so what helps to ace the exam Gen chem 1 and 2 whole year of chem? i dont have a book or study guides, my professor just put up a practice acs exam with answers and hints online to study.
When is your exam? Go to the ACS website and buy their study booklet or buy one elsewhere with expedited shipping if you have time. Otherwise, just study your year's worth of chem notes and do problems out of the book if it's too late. :/ Good luck!

P.S. Pay particular attention to the statement somewhere above stating that incorrect answers will be prevalent among your answer choices. Watch that arithmetic!
 
We're taking the ACS Gen Chem exam for our final for Gen Chem 1.

Is it my understanding that both first semester and second semester chemistry is covered on this exam?

Also, I heard that this exam is more difficult than you're prepared for in lecture, so the exam is normed in reflection of this. Is this true?

Thanks.
 
When is your exam? Go to the ACS website and buy their study booklet or buy one elsewhere with expedited shipping if you have time. Otherwise, just study your year's worth of chem notes and do problems out of the book if it's too late. :/ Good luck!

P.S. Pay particular attention to the statement somewhere above stating that incorrect answers will be prevalent among your answer choices. Watch that arithmetic!

Its on tuesday, tomorrow. I have studied but since i don't know whats gonna be on it, so nervous about it. Someone I see here took it and says its lot of Math than concepts. I thought it was gona be concepts too, but what kind of math expecting. Or was that just for Chem 1? Mine is overall Chemistry ACS exam both 1 and 2.
 
Its on tuesday, tomorrow. I have studied but since i don't know whats gonna be on it, so nervous about it. Someone I see here took it and says its lot of Math than concepts. I thought it was gona be concepts too, but what kind of math expecting. Or was that just for Chem 1? Mine is overall Chemistry ACS exam both 1 and 2.
Mine was 1 & 2, as well. It just covered your typical gen chem calculations, from Boyle's Law and pH to equilibrium points and reaction rates.
 
Mine was 1 & 2, as well. It just covered your typical gen chem calculations, from Boyle's Law and pH to equilibrium points and reaction rates.

When did u take it, bro? Because that's probably the same one i am gonna take tomorrow. Can you guide me on what to study mainly, i have gone over my practice test, i feel comfortable on some of the calculations, but concept based questions are killing me. I am trying to go over Lewis struct, equilibrium, dilution, pH, gas law etc...Is it that hard people make out to be?
 
When did u take it, bro? Because that's probably the same one i am gonna take tomorrow. Can you guide me on what to study mainly, i have gone over my practice test, i feel comfortable on some of the calculations, but concept based questions are killing me. I am trying to go over Lewis struct, equilibrium, dilution, pH, gas law etc...Is it that hard people make out to be?
Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I usually don't check SDN once I leave work. I took it quite a while ago, maybe 3 years ago? No, I didn't find it all that difficult, but had the ACS practice test booklet. FWIW, my friend and I sat across the room from each other and made the exact same score, setting the curve (somewhere around 61-63 of 70, can't remember exact score). The prof laughed and said, "If I didn't know you two better, I'd totally have had a talk with you two." She later admitted to checking our wrong answers and was relieved to see that we got all different questions wrong. But I'm a firm believer in luck when it comes to standardized tests; and I'm fairly sure we just lucked out to score so high. Nevertheless, I didn't find it that difficult after studying the booklet. You see the exact same types of problems, just with different figures or elements in periodicity. Relax, you'll do fine.

Good luck!
 
Mine was just the first term ACS final. Scored 54/70, which is the 92nd percentile this year.

Felt good. 🙂
 
I have the ACS for organic next monday...I've done pretty well thus far, but I may be lacking in general organic..so I guess I'll have to brush up on that..stupid Amines. If anyone can provide info on this one, please lemme know!
 
I have the ACS for organic next monday...I've done pretty well thus far, but I may be lacking in general organic..so I guess I'll have to brush up on that..stupid Amines. If anyone can provide info on this one, please lemme know!
There are some tricks to the Amines. Anything in particular tripping you up? Aromaticity? pKa?
 
I have the ACS for organic next monday...I've done pretty well thus far, but I may be lacking in general organic..so I guess I'll have to brush up on that..stupid Amines. If anyone can provide info on this one, please lemme know!

I saw a fair amount of carbonyl to enamine and imine reactions on my ACS orgo 2 final. study those
 
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