The goal of the AP Chemistry Practice Exam 2 is to help you become more knowledgeable on AP Chemistry. It is not necessarily intended to be a study guide. However, the book does state that it will “help you understand more in your class” as well as help you apply that information “to your own research.”
This is useful, but does it go far enough? While AP Chemistry is definitely an advanced course of study, it is not going to teach you everything you need to know to do it well. A good textbook should provide you with the proper methodology and logical reasoning, but it is not there to act as a mentor.
For example, you might learn more than you expected from your textbooks, but then the book goes on to tell you on test day that you did not understand the material. With these kinds of things in mind, the writer of the book really should have outlined certain sections for each chapter. A book this informative would be invaluable.
Such a guide is needed to outline every part of the test, and by extension, of each section. Some of the questions, you may think, just require that you understand the material, but you will still need to know what the test taker will be tested on so that you can prepare.
These guides are available and are not difficult to find. One such company is AP Chemistry Test Coach. They offer a comprehensive and easy to use guide, which helps prepare the students for the realAP Chemistry Exam.
The guides are designed to give students with a clear understanding of the material. Therefore, if you are using a good guide, your preparation will be much easier.
Also, unlike textbooks, you can download the Alphabets to Practice section. The actual AP Exam requires the use of English alphabets, rather than Latin or Greek. Knowing the correct pronunciation and using the correct writing is essential in answering the many questions posed on the actual AP Exam.
Furthermore, the practice exam gives the students a nice example of what is going to be on the actual test. Therefore, the students can get a feel for what will be required of them. Plus, the sample question is very similar to what they are going to be tested on.
The other benefit is that you can refer back to the AP Chemistry Practice Test section whenever you need a refresher or practice. You also have the option of downloading the guides to PDF format for additional review whenever necessary.
Most practice tests are not focused on Physics topics, and that makes sense, since Physics is the course of study most students are going to take. However, if you take an outside help from another career counselor, or even an independent tutor, they can teach you things like these.
Since there is no “hard and fast” schedule for taking the exams, no one can tell you what you need to do or what you can expect to accomplish with a “serious attempt”. As long as you know what you need to do, you can be as prepared as you want to be. That is the great thing about Chemistry: The student with the best information on their shoulders is going to do well in any discipline.
