Why Studying Chemistry in Advance

I’m Violet, a second-year medical studentfrom Monash University. I graduated in 2022 with chemistry raw score of 47.

Chemistry is a popular subject in VCE, as abooster of ATAR with raw score to be scaled up, not to mention it being the pre-requisiteof some courses including medicine. Before sitting the final vce chemistry exam,you will need to complete 4 Units of contents over 2 years. If not in an earlyentry program, you will complete Unit 1&2 in year 11, and Unit 3&4 inyear 12. For chemistry study to be more efficient, we are introducing anapproach which is learning in advance. That is, getting started early in year10, and finishing all contents from 4 units in year 11, one year before yourfinal vce chemistry exam.

Here are a few reasons why we recommendthis approach:

Better Understanding for chemistry exam

Learning the contents one year ahead helpsyou stay on top of and master the contents. Going through contents in the firsttime establishes a framework and adds in basic understanding on theories andconcepts. It’s like setting a foundation before building a house. Once you’ve gottena firm foundation, you will gain some deeper insights into contents, and startto establish connections between different sections when going through thecontents again at school. Gaining a thorough understanding is way moreefficient than simply trying to memorise everything. For vce chemistry example,there will be a lot of calculation questions in vce chemistry exams, and manystudents struggle to memorise the formula. But if you really understand theconcepts and how the experiment works, you should be able to deduce the formulaeasily.

Better Consolidation

The best way to consolidate knowledge is topractice. Practice questions build on understandings and aid memorising,especially when keeping a good error log. As the best resources and guide, VCAApast vce chemistry exams give you invaluable information on what to expect inthe final vce chemistry exam, how to structure your response to get all marks,and how to use your time wisely. Year 12 is a jam-packed year. After finishingall contents at school, there will hardly be enough time left for acomprehensive and thorough revision. However, finishing off contents early inyear 11 leaves you adequate time to delve into these practice questions andVCAA vce chemistry exams. You will get the whole year to revise, toconsolidate, to clarify and to learn from mistakes. This will make you way moreprepared than those who are still struggling with contents a month before vcechemistry exam.

Better Pace

VCE, especially year 12, is tough. It willbe filled with heavy contents from at least 5 subjects and heaps of SACs, whichare assessments that will contribute to your final study score. Consequently,there will be little time for you to prepare for each SAC, especially when youhave to study for multiple subjects at the same time. Therefore, it is crucialto maintain a good pace that balances between studying new contents andrevising for SACs. Going through the contents in advance gives you an advantagein terms of timing and preparation. Being ahead makes it way easier and lesstime consuming for you to revise and consolidate, not only improving theefficiency for studying chemistry, but also saving more time for other subjects.This will largely reduce stress and anxiety, and hence, improve performance inall subjects.

Concern?

I’ve heard about some concerns on whetherthey will have enough prior knowledge and capacity to do a VCE course at a year10 level. My answer is yes. Chemistry is a subject that does not need largeamount of prior knowledge on science. Also, the requirements for mathematicalcalculation would be easily reached at Yr10 level. In Unit 1 and 2 you will beintroduced to the basis of chemistry, starting with things as simple and basicas an atom. As long as you can build solid understanding and great scientificskill at the start, the subsequent contents should not be too challenging.

In short, starting chemistry earlier willgive you a great head-start for VCE, building a solid knowledge system andtaking away much anxiety and stress from Year 12. It will be a great approachthat boosts your confidence and your study score in your vce chemistry exam.

‍