General Chemisty Advise

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kingseven

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Hey guys,
I have been doing DAT practice and general chemistry is my weakest are. I am not scoring more than 17 on general chemistry test. Can you guys give me advice on what I should use to bring up my score in gen chem. Thanks
 
Ok so for gen chem the trick is speed I feel. I'm sure all of us have a decent understanding in chemistry (sort of) but you need to practice doing things (not on calculator). Also memorize some structures like SO3 is planar, or NH3 has a lone pair above nitrogen. Might wanna know the equation P(MW) = D R T
mw molecular weight and D is for density
Oh this is great; the weak acid equation [H+] = HA * KA. With that equation there is no ice table etc. anyway if you got specific questions I can help. I'm really good in chemistry. But again your chemistry questions can be helped using Khan academy, your old chemistry text books and dat destroyer!
 
just to make sure, isn't the weak acid situation supposed to be [H+] = square root of HA * KA?
 
Yes you are right I forgot to add the square root in. I stand corrected. I usually right it down but it's hard to do it on here
 
How was your score calculated (which test did you use) Also, what materials have you used/using?
 
use Chad, and follow along with your gen chem textbook from undergrad. Try reading and working examples from your book that correspond whatever Chad is lecturing about. For example, if Chad is lecturing on thermodynamics, it might be useful to try and work the in-chapter examples from your textbook (they're usually solved with explanation) before trying his quiz. It might sound like a lot, but if you're not getting anything above a 17, you have to consider going back to the drawing board and try learning the material as if you were in a gen chem class all over again. just my two cents (from a chem major, whatever that's worth)
 
How was your score calculated (which test did you use) Also, what materials have you used/using?
I have been doing the kaplan tests but i will probably start using bootcamp soon. Do you think I should consider doing problems from qvault and achiever too?
 
use Chad, and follow along with your gen chem textbook from undergrad. Try reading and working examples from your book that correspond whatever Chad is lecturing about. For example, if Chad is lecturing on thermodynamics, it might be useful to try and work the in-chapter examples from your textbook (they're usually solved with explanation) before trying his quiz. It might sound like a lot, but if you're not getting anything above a 17, you have to consider going back to the drawing board and try learning the material as if you were in a gen chem class all over again. just my two cents (from a chem major, whatever that's worth)
yeah thats a great idea. I will go back to my gen chem book and do those problems. are there books for gen chem like 2nd language for orgo. That book helped me a lot in orgo. Let me know if there are books like that for gen chem for review of certain topics
 
Maybe consider some books that teach chem. Schaums outlines, Destroyer or Zumdahl. They are pretty good and explakn the needed concepts well.
 
the only way to learn physics, calculus, chemistry, organic chemistry - all those sciences - is to do PRACTICE PROBLEMS. Solve and do as many practice problems as you possibly can. Read over the explanation and learn from the explanations/solutions to the practice problems.
 
and something else that really helped me was Kaplan - i know that kaplan is extremely expensive ($1,400) - but the Kaplan DAT course has 3,500 (!!) practice problems - the organic chemistry and general chemistry practice questions from Kaplan looked identical to the chemistry questions on the actual DAT.
 
yeah thats a great idea. I will go back to my gen chem book and do those problems. are there books for gen chem like 2nd language for orgo. That book helped me a lot in orgo. Let me know if there are books like that for gen chem for review of certain topics

This might not be a the answer you're looking for, but I'm one of the few people on here (I think) that would recommend learning with a textbook rather than outlines such as Schaum's. I just feel like chemistry outlines take too many liberties with shortcuts. The DAT writers know this, and they often try and bait you into choosing an answer that one might have memorized a shortcut for. And yes, Chad does teach several shortcuts, but he always mentions the caveats associated with them, and that's not something you may easily deduce from a written outline such as Schaum's. But that's just my personal opinion. Anyway, I know you're trying to be as efficient as you can be with your time and money, but if you can't currently score above a 17, I strongly suggest that you try not and overwhelm yourself with a bunch of chemistry outlines and textbooks. You need to set a foundation and work from there. A good general chemistry text book that won't overwhelm you and will keep it basic is the Zumdahl book. I know this is like a broken record on these forms but Chad covers about 95% of the stuff you will see for the gen chem section. Just watch Chad, follow along with the textbook, and you should be in good shape. Your score will go up as you keep working more and more problems. Master Chad's quizzes on coursesaver first, then move on to qvault and do the problems by section. Do not work them exam by exam. Once you've feel like you've mastered these, move on to bootcamp and try their exams. I know that I'm in the minority by saying this, but Destroyer/achiever are NOT necessities for the chemistries on the DAT. Destroyer chem AND ochem are overkill - by a mile. Remember this is a standardized test, which means you're better off practicing problems that resemble the difficulty of the exam rather than the difficulty of a hardcore college gen chem course - which is what is reflected on by Destroyer. You are better off with bootcamp as your final resource as it will most accurately reflect what you will see on test day. Just keep in mind what Chad says (even though it's pretty cheesy, but it's truth) - "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

Or maybe he said hippo...
 
Have you tried DAT Bootcamp? The explanations they provide after the exam are great. I felt like those tests where similar to the real thing. Practice makes perfect!

Also, hone in on exactly what you need to work on with GC. Try and become more a little more introspective, and pick out which concepts need more work. Easier said that done but you got it. 🙂
 
Just throwing this out there cuz it worked for me. I picked up a job tutoring ap chemistry while studying for the DAT. Really forced me to learn the material quickly
 
Just throwing this out there cuz it worked for me. I picked up a job tutoring ap chemistry while studying for the DAT. Really forced me to learn the material quickly

This is so true. AP Chemistry is exactly the chemistry that you see on the DAT (the general chemistry section on the DAT is much easier though) - Go to Barnes and Noble and buy the AP Barron's Review Book for AP Chemistry - and it has a huge number of problems that could help you.

But please keep in mind - Kaplan has 3,500 practice problems for the DAT Review course. the only way to do well on the DAT is to do practice problems.
 
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