Organic Chemistry 2 ACS Exam

[PreMedStudent55555]

I currently have the study guide for the Organic Chemistry ACS Exam. The final is in 3-4 weeks but I was wondering if there are any insights anyone can give in preparing for the exam? I've heard there is some material from Orgo 1 within it so I was wondering how people studied for that as just thinking about going through all of the chapters that covered orgo 1 in the textbook just sounds so tedious and exhausting. I know there are past threads with regards to the ACS exam but they're from a while ago and was wondering if anyone can provide some new insight or advice on how to prepare.

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[Joemm426]

Religiously study the study guide.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

Religiously study the study guide.

Any suggestions on how I should tackle the orgo 1 topics?

 

[Joemm426]

I will be taking the exam in 3-4 weeks also. I suggest studying the study guide and correcting your mistakes. I also recommend reading other peoples' opinions, people who have already taken the exam. By doing that, I read that reactions are a big component of the test.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

Yeah I heard that too. Apparently there's more of a focus on just knowing what the reactions do rather than just an understanding of the reactions.

 

[Endoxifen]

I just posted this in another thread on the ACS Gen chem exam: I didn't take the ACS gen chem exam, but I took the ACS OChem exam. At the time (senior in HS), it was the hardest exam I had ever taken. I used the ACS study guide religiously and I remember it covering the exam well. If you study, I'm sure you'll be fine. The test was exceedingly fair and I score in the low 90s for percentile and low 80s for absolute score. My prof used the absolute score to grade (% correct), but I'm sure yours isn't a sadist. Good luck!

I'd like to add that really understanding the material, not just memorizing, is absolutely required. I'm sure you've figured that out at this point, but it becomes much more important when you're tested on all of Ochem at once. Also, do as many synthesis reactions as possible and explain the mechanisms of each step to yourself. Finally, see if you can find partners who are willing to let you lecture at them. Teaching is an excellent way to guarantee that you understand everything.

Good luck!

Edit:typos

 

[mwsapphire]

I have the orgo ACS final coming up, and my prof told us to go through all lecture ppt slides, as well as do all the chapters in the ACS guide. Mine also posts a practice final- although I'm certain you can google it and find it.
Here's one
http://web.mnstate.edu/jasperse/Chem360/Handouts/Final Exam-ACS-360-Preview.pdf
The material from orgo 1 in the orgo 2 final is minimal, and if you remember how to do the questions from orgo I in the practice final , you should be fine.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

@mwsapphire Do you know if you could possible share that practice final with me? My professor doesn't give us any practice materials and I couldn't find any online.

 

[mwsapphire]

@mwsapphire Do you know if you could possible share that practice final with me? My professor doesn't give us any practice materials and I couldn't find any online.

Mine hasn't been posted yet. But look at the link I sent you- the website has a few more of those, I was just too lazy to look for them.
Edit: Shouldnt your prof also give a practice test? I don't think you need to go through your textbook notes on Orgo 1, b/c the orgo I questions will be relatively simple ones and the exam will focus on orgo II questions.

 

[Lifeblood_20]

What's the acs final? Are you talking about Chem Olympiad?

 

[mwsapphire]

Also, OP, look at this
Chemistry Olympiad Exams - American Chemical Society
That's what I was originally looking for and could not find it.
And yeah, penguin, it is like the chem olympiad.
Endofixin: You took Ap Orgo in HS? Did you use the transfer creds...

 

[mwsapphire]

Guys please don't kill me for bumping this but my orgo final is coming up and I'm curious
How many of you guys did really well on the final?
I'm nervous most people I know said it was their lowest test and I'm really nervous. Can somebody please say they did well on it. I need a little encouragement I'm legit shaking.

 

[Lifeblood_20]

Guys please don't kill me for bumping this but my orgo final is coming up and I'm curious
How many of you guys did really well on the final?
I'm nervous most people I know said it was their lowest test and I'm really nervous. Can somebody please say they did well on it. I need a little encouragement I'm legit shaking.

I got A's on both Orgo finals! Don't worry, you'll be fine. Feel free to pm me if you need someone to talk to.

 

[Runner500]

Guys please don't kill me for bumping this but my orgo final is coming up and I'm curious
How many of you guys did really well on the final?
I'm nervous most people I know said it was their lowest test and I'm really nervous. Can somebody please say they did well on it. I need a little encouragement I'm legit shaking.

I got a 93%... after curve though.

 

[mwsapphire]

Did you guys do ACS? ( I should have made that more clear)

 

[ash_k]

I took the ACS exam last week. I would suggest getting an ACS book, reading through each section, and doing all of the practice questions. I found the book to be helpful because some of the questions give a explanation to the answer and they are very similar to the actual exam questions!!

 

[mwsapphire]

I took the ACS exam last week. I would suggest getting an ACS book, reading through each section, and doing all of the practice questions. I found the book to be helpful because some of the questions give a explanation to the answer and they are very similar to the actual exam questions!!

!!! I did use it!!!!
The practice exam our prof gave actually is easier than the questions in the book.

 

[ash_k]

!!! I did use it!!!!
The practice exam our prof gave actually is easier than the questions in the book.

Just continue to practice and review any concepts you feel unsure about!! You'll be fine.

 

[ToXicity09]

Kind of late for you guys at this point but I used Organic Chemistry as a Second Language throughout both Ochem semesters and I ended up doing very well on the ACS finals. Provided you know the reactions and generally understand the mechanisms you should do fine.

 

[Gilakend]

I found this guys videos super helpful, he has a video for every section of practice questions in the book (the ones without explanations).

 

[EtherOne]

I currently have the study guide for the Organic Chemistry ACS Exam. The final is in 3-4 weeks but I was wondering if there are any insights anyone can give in preparing for the exam? I've heard there is some material from Orgo 1 within it so I was wondering how people studied for that as just thinking about going through all of the chapters that covered orgo 1 in the textbook just sounds so tedious and exhausting. I know there are past threads with regards to the ACS exam but they're from a while ago and was wondering if anyone can provide some new insight or advice on how to prepare.

I took mine Spring of 2016. I studied the ACS booklet and it did it 3 times over the course rse if the semester, all of it. I read the practice sections for understand, and I would write my answers on a blank piece of binder paper. I would circle the ones I guessed in and out the alternative answer I might have guess next to it. This way, if I got it right, I could go back and see what made me narrow my options. I find the study guide to be harder than the actual exam. Just by going through the book, knowing my mechanisms step by step, my IR and NMR spectroscopy (mechanisms and spec was knowledge from the course not additional studying) I was able to get 96th percentile. But then again my whole class did really well on that exam. My best friend got 100th

Also draw EVERYTHING you can out quickly. When you are used to bone-line structures it can mess with your head by seeing it as CH3-CH3 it seems silly, but it helped me a lot. It my was professor's mantra as well, "when in doubt draw it out "

 

[RocuROMANium]

Guys please don't kill me for bumping this but my orgo final is coming up and I'm curious
How many of you guys did really well on the final?
I'm nervous most people I know said it was their lowest test and I'm really nervous. Can somebody please say they did well on it. I need a little encouragement I'm legit shaking.

I used the ACS study guide and really liked it. When I got answers incorrect I would use my OChem book to figure out why. I went through the entire study guide. I got a 92 percentile. This is coming from, at the time, a below average student.

 

[mwsapphire]

I took mine Spring of 2016. I studied the ACS booklet and it did it 3 times over the course rse if the semester, all of it. I read the practice sections for understand, and I would write my answers on a blank piece of binder paper. I would circle the ones I guessed in and out the alternative answer I might have guess next to it. This way, if I got it right, I could go back and see what made me narrow my options. I find the study guide to be harder than the actual exam. Just by going through the book, knowing my mechanisms step by step, my IR and NMR spectroscopy (mechanisms and spec was knowledge from the course not additional studying) I was able to get 96th percentile. But then again my whole class did really well on that exam. My best friend got 100th

Also draw EVERYTHING you can out quickly. When you are used to bone-line structures it can mess with your head by seeing it as CH3-CH3 it seems silly, but it helped me a lot. It my was professor's mantra as well, "when in doubt draw it out "

That's what I seem to be finding! I've gone through the ACS guide, and it seems way harder than the practice exam my prof put up.
I think it's kind of like Kaplan making the practice MCAT harder- if you can do well on this, you can well on the real thing.

 

[deleted668917]

That's what I seem to be finding! I've gone through the ACS guide, and it seems way harder than the practice exam my prof put up.
I think it's kind of like Kaplan making the practice MCAT harder- if you can do well on this, you can well on the real thing.

The ACS study guide was very similar to the exam

 

[Skillerskillzs]

Hey guys I have a quick question on how the ACS is scored
I received 19 out 70 questions right

I was wondering if you could tell me the grade I would receive, my teacher gave me a 2% on it and stated that it's my grade with a curve

But 19 out of 79 is 29 %

Please help !!


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[BombsAway]

Hey guys I have a quick question on how the ACS is scored
I received 19 out 70 questions right
I was wondering if you could tell me the grade I would receive, my teacher gave me a 2% on it and stated that it's my grade with a curve
But 19 out of 79 is 29 %
Please help !!
Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

ACS publishes the percentile curve. That's how it should be graded, not by raw score! Although, some schools are more generous. My school enters all the scores into a system and creates their own curve for each semester.

 

[Turkishking]

Hey guys I have a quick question on how the ACS is scored
I received 19 out 70 questions right

I was wondering if you could tell me the grade I would receive, my teacher gave me a 2% on it and stated that it's my grade with a curve

But 19 out of 79 is 29 %

Please help !!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Ouch did you study?

 

[Turkishking]

Can someone explain to me what the ACS is?

 

[Gilakend]

Can someone explain to me what the ACS is?

American Chemical Society I believe is what it stands for. They make tests for Gen chem and Ochem (I took both) that are standardized throughout everyone who takes them. I found the gen chem one to be fairly easy and the Ochem one I was very lost. For example, in my ochem class we covered most of the reactions on the test but many questions were about stereochemistry of reactions and we didn't cover much of that. The average for my class was <50%.

 

[mwsapphire]

ACS publishes the percentile curve. That's how it should be graded, not by raw score! Although, some schools are more generous. My school enters all the scores into a system and creates their own curve for each semester.

I think the prof used a custom-made curve and gave her a 2 based on it, and that's her actual grade. Nationally, a 39 percent is above the 50th percentile ( believe it or not). I'm really sorry to hear that, Skillerskillz.
My prof used raw score 🙁 I lost my grade in the class.

 

[Gilakend]

I think the prof used a custom-made curve and gave her a 2 based on it, and that's her actual grade. Nationally, a 39 percent is above the 50th percentile ( believe it or not). I'm really sorry to hear that, Skillerskillz.
My prof used raw score 🙁 I lost my grade in the class.

My prof used raw scores too and our final was ~30% of our overall grade. It was brutal.

 

[RocuROMANium]

At UGA if you didn't make a certain percentile on the ACS final you automatically failed the course, regardless if you had an A or not. I can't remember what the percentile was though.

 

[On_The_Way_Up]

I got 50/70 on my test and kept my A average in Orgo 2. The Orgo ACS test prep definitely helped.

 

[mwsapphire]

I got 50/70 on my test and kept my A average in Orgo 2. The Orgo ACS test prep definitely helped.

Was it curved? Or was your grade just really high?
I wish mine was curved ): I feel like that A- was unfairly taken from me b/c that test was brutal...


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[On_The_Way_Up]

Was it curved? Or was your grade just really high?
I wish mine was curved ): I feel like that A- was unfairly taken from me b/c that test was brutal...


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Yes it was curved. Yours wasn't curved?! Every professor I've known curved it in some way. I'm also a chemistry tutor so I've talked to many Chem students. That sucks. What did you score on it?

 

[CommyO]

.

 

[Joemm426]

My teacher gives us the raw percent grade until the percentile grade is worth more. Also, a superior final exam score may replace a lower scored semester exam in our class.

 

[Skillerskillzs]

I went to the dean because I feel like he's using the raw scores in some students and curving others, I didn't study 🙁 I'm going to the dean , it's unfair


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[Skillerskillzs]

My exam grades(80%)
We're
81
89
72


Lab grades (20%)
83
100
85
95
95

And the ACS was counted as an exam grade
19/70 = 2%

He gave me D for the class



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[RocuROMANium]

My exam grades(80%)
We're
81
89
72


Lab grades (20%)
83
100
85
95
95

And the ACS was counted as an exam grade
19/70 = 2%

He gave me D for the class



Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

I don't understand where the 2% comes from. At worst it should be 27%, but as all of us have posted, usually the final is curved upward to some degree so I am very confused about this.

 

[mwsapphire]

I don't understand where the 2% comes from. At worst it should be 27%, but as all of us have posted, usually the final is curved upward to some degree so I am very confused about this.

Curve pushes people below the average downward.
So it's like, say the average was a 60 percent , and she got a 29.
She got the 2nd percentile score, because only 1 percent did worse than her an 99 percent did better. If you got a 50 percent, it'd be like a 40 something. If you got a 80, it could be a 90-something because you did better than 90 percent of the class, even if it wasn't a raw 90. It's a classic example of how bell curves hurt some people.
@On_The_Way_Up I got a B-, and our university isn't allowed to curve, so it was 30 percent of our grade, raw score. My 90.5 fell to an 88.7, so I lost the A-.
The average was a 55, I got a 77 ( that's a B- in orgo), and a 87 was the highest.

 

[Skillerskillzs]

The worst part is that he said he was going to curve
He said if you get 35 , you will get a B
And anything 43 and up you will get an A


If i got 19 out of 70 how is that a 2% with the curve he said he's going to do

It just sucks cause today's the last day to send in your transcripts to pharmcas to meet the extension deadline

I swear he's after me


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[Skillerskillzs]

My lab partner got 34 right and recieved a 65 %
Yet I got 19 right and recieved a 2%


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[Skillerskillzs]

He changed my grade ^-^


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[ChymeofPassion]

He changed my grade ^-^

Classic premed

 

[mwsapphire]

Classic premed

Yeah a B--->D is totally an arbitrary difference that any non-pre med would ignore
/s


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[unicornshadow888]

I currently have the study guide for the Organic Chemistry ACS Exam. The final is in 3-4 weeks but I was wondering if there are any insights anyone can give in preparing for the exam? I've heard there is some material from Orgo 1 within it so I was wondering how people studied for that as just thinking about going through all of the chapters that covered orgo 1 in the textbook just sounds so tedious and exhausting. I know there are past threads with regards to the ACS exam but they're from a while ago and was wondering if anyone can provide some new insight or advice on how to prepare.

1) Work through the whole guide!
2) PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE (again, with the guide)