chemistry problems in dat

[dent03]

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hi,
i have a question regarding the dat.i was just wondering how one is supposed to do the problems in gen chemistry without calculators. some of the problems are so complex and it takes me forever for me to do it by hand on paper. i was solving the problems in my textbook "chemistry, the central science" and solving problems with exponentials and stuff like that takes me a long time. what should i do. will the problems in gen chemistry in dat will be as complex as it is in the textbook or we will be given much simpler numbers to work with?. please help. thanks.

 

[3rdMolarRoller]

Probably the hardest math you will need to do in g-chem on the DAT is when you run into Logs for Ph calculations. Heres a little trick:

The DAT, in my opinion, is not out to trick you so the anwsers are not very close, so you could do some guesstimation to save time.

For instance, if your Kb = 1 X 10^(-7), then pKb = 7. Easy way to explain is that when you have 1 in front the anwser will be the exponent.

Now you ask, what if its 10 x 10^(-7), well the anwser will be 6.

Great brocnizer, you just picked some easy ones...ok just guess at the ones in between. 2 through 9 x 10^(-7) has to be in between 7 and 6.

so lets pick 4 x 10^(-7). I'll guess its like 6.4...actual anwser is 6.39.

Final advice: Practice (should take my own advice). You already know the stuff, you just have to get good at doing it fast.

 

[tinker bell]

Don't hit your head with those DAT problems. Look at the answers first. Most of the time, you can do a guestimate and narrow your answer down to 2 choices. Then, do the math. Half way thru the math, guess the right answer again. I never finished any of my gchem and math problems and still got a 98% score. (I just guess that no body has the time to finish). So, you are not alone. The key to the DAT is to guess, eliminate, and keep your head clear until the end of the game.