How to Succeed in High School Chemistry

• Step 1

  Make sure your math skills are up to par. You should not attempt to take chemistry before taking algebra, as you will need to demonstrate a basic understanding of equations to do well. Chemistry also makes liberal use of fractions, exponents and negative numbers.

• Step 2

  Be prepared to make a substantial investment of your time. For every hour you spend in class, you should schedule an additional 1 to 2 hours outside the classroom for homework, laboratory reports and general study.

• Step 3

  Stay ahead of the classwork. By looking over the next few pages, you'll have some idea of what will be discussed the next day. When the instructor is presenting the information, it will be the second time you're exposed to it, rather than the first. Also, you'll be aware of any areas that you find particularly confusing.

• Step 4

  Ask questions. Nobody wants to raise their hand or draw attention to the fact that they don't understand something. Remember, odds are good you're not the only one who has no idea what the instructor is talking about. If you just can't bring yourself to speak up, catch your instructor after class, or swing by the classroom after school, and ask your question privately.

• Step 5

  Show up prepared. Have your text, your lab book and your calculator, and be ready to take notes. Anything your instructor writes on the board, write down. Anything your instructor covers more than once, highlight, as it is more than likely something they are thinking of putting on your next exam.

• Step 6

  Read your laboratory assignment the night before. Search the Internet for similar labs with video clips. Sometimes things make more sense if you can see how they are done. Write down any key formulas you will need to use to complete your laboratory assignment.

• Step 7

  Decide before you even walk into class that chemistry will be your favorite subject. Find something interesting about every chapter; if nothing else, find a novel experiment that ties into what you're learning. For example you might try your hand at soap making or homemade fireworks, when you reach the relevant chapters.

• Step 8

  Search for ways to tie what you are learning into your everyday life. Almost everything that happens in the kitchen can be related back to chemistry in some way. One of the first applications of chemistry lab technique is still in effect today: the creation of wine and beer through distillation. Chemistry is all around you; you just have to figure out how to connect what you see and are familiar with to what you are learning in class.

• Step 9

  Get help if you need it. If you're starting to feel lost, find a tutor immediately. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to achieve a high mark. If no tutors are available, join or form a study group.

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• Periodic Table of the Elements Calculator
• Periodic Table of the Elements
• Calculator
• Know the periodic table. Live the periodic table. Love the periodic table. It will save you on any number of occasions. Get a solar calculator. There is nothing more panic-inducing than sitting down to take a chemistry test and hitting the "on" button, only to discover that your batteries are dead. Do all the practice problems at the end of each chapter, not just the ones assigned.
• Know the periodic table. Live the periodic table. Love the periodic table. It will save you on any number of occasions.
• Get a solar calculator. There is nothing more panic-inducing than sitting down to take a chemistry test and hitting the "on" button, only to discover that your batteries are dead.
• Do all the practice problems at the end of each chapter, not just the ones assigned.
• Do not light your Bunsen burner with a lighter. Learn the proper procedure for this and all other laboratoroy skills.
• Do not light your Bunsen burner with a lighter. Learn the proper procedure for this and all other laboratoroy skills.

References & Resources

• Chemical Equation Balancer