Chemistry – you either love it or you hate it. In my opinion, it can be a pretty divisive subject, since a lot of people find it either very challenging or very fun. For those who find it difficult (like me!), it’s really unfortunate that schools often require chemistry up to GCSE level. However, there are a few things you can do to make studying chemistry more enjoyable & productive!
Get a grip on the basics
In chemistry, if you don’t understand the basics, you won’t understand anything, and it can feel really stressful if you start falling behind. Ask your teacher or friend to explain the topic in more detail if you don’t understand! If they’re not helpful or you still don’t get it, freesciencelessons explains any chemistry topic incredibly well.
Use anki + quizlet
Anki & quizlet are simply the best study duo, and that’s why I talk about them literally all the time! You can find pre-made flashcard sets on quizlet (or make your own). Then, you can export your sets to anki – their spaced repetition software will help with memorising! Seriously, this is such a fun and easy way to study 🙂
Do practice questions
Doing practice questions is a form of active recall AND it helps you figure out what the examiner might ask – what more could you want? You easily find questions online: physicsandmathstutor.com is my favourite source of past papers and practice questions for any STEM subject, but they are focused on the British curriculum. Regardless, you can also find practice questions on platforms like Kahoot or Blooket, which incorporate gamification into studying, making it so much more fun!
Understand why
Examiners love asking you why things happen (like why an element has certain properties!) Make sure you understand everything so that you’ll be prepared and ready to answer any question. Also, I’ve found that understanding a process can help with remembering it later, since instead of having to memorise something, you’ll be able to use your logic and prior knowledge.
Revise core practicals
This one’s specifically for the GCSE chemistry students – examiners LOVE asking you about core practicals. Make sure that you can explain the method correctly and ensure that you understand why something is happening! Also, remember to memorise any calculations or formulas you need to find the results (e.g. for titrations).
