BlogStudyThe 4-Step Guide to Effective HSC Chemistry Revision

The 4-Step Guide to Effective HSC Chemistry Revision

We all know time is tight in the lead up to exams so when it comes to Chemistry revision, you have to make every second of study count, all through the year.

That’s why we’ve put together 4 simple steps for HSC Chemistry revision that you’ll need to make the most of your study time!

Step 1: Create a strong set of notes
Step 2: Do standalone practice questions as often as possible
Step 3: Do practice papers
Step 4: Independently research anything you don’t understand

Step 1: Create a strong set of notes

To write thorough Chemistry revision notes, use each syllabus dot point as a heading, then have detailed but short dot points underneath!

It might look something like this:

Chemistry Revision

Why do you need a good set of notes?

Strong notes are the core of a good study regime – they establish all the content you need to know, and where it comes from.

Plus, the act of writing out notes yourself helps you in retaining the information, which means memorising it when you look over it the next time will be much easier!

A good set of notes should always have reference of the HSC Syllabus, and address all areas, not just what you’ve done in class!

For a step-by-step guide to writing kickass HSC Chemistry study notes, check out this article!

Step 2: Do standalone practice questions as often as possible

This step in Chemistry revision is to polish your knowledge and technique for each topic area, as you’re learning it (and then to keep it fresh once you have!). 

Where can I find practice questions for Chemistry revision?

  • Past HSC or Trial papers from NESA here
  • Your textbooks or exercise books
  • Experiment with writing your own!

There’s also plenty of great question collections on the market, with a special shout out to the Dot Point series from SciencePress for doing the hard work of syllabus targeting for us!

Once you’ve done the question, mark it yourself, then get a mate to mark it, or get a teacher to mark it. The more feedback you get the more you’ll improve!

Also, make sure to experiment with your answer format – use tables and diagrams and anything else you can come up with to convey information effectively.

Step 3: Do practice papers

Whenever a major test is coming up, do entire practice papers relevant to it.

Again, mark it yourself, get a mate to mark it, or get a teacher to mark it. Why? Feedback makes all the difference

It helps if you get together a group of friends and make a day of it – go to a library, do the paper, get lunch or catch a movie (or both), head back to library, swap papers and mark them.

Studies from the University of Pittsburgh indicate that team learning increases retention and motivation, and reduces the possibility of mistakes – so if your teacher tells you you won’t get anything done in a group, drop that one on them!

That said, make sure you do actually get the work done instead watching two movies or getting two lunches.

Here’s what your day could possibly look like!

Chemistry Revision

Step 4: Independently research anything you don’t understand

Sometimes, you just need another point of view in order to properly understand something.

Teaching yourself forces you to explain concepts to yourself in the way that you understand them.

In order to develop a fuller picture, use as many sources as you can and then get your teacher to clarify your understanding

Top sources include HSC Together which has FREE video resources explaining each HSC Chemistry dot point, WolframAlpha and the High School Chemistry Handbook. 

Wikipedia is always a good first step to understand a concept, but the references on the page will prove much more valuable!

Google Scholar is an excellent resource, however as most of them are college papers, they’re a bit beyond what is expected of HSC level Chemistry. 

Why Constantly Revise?

We know that NSW’s State Rankers typically study (meaning both homework and revision) for no more than 2 hours of one subject a day.

If you dedicate at least half an hour every two days to doing the above in your HSC Chemistry revision, you will retain much more due to constant exposure to your topics than if you decided to cram it all the night before.

Struggling with Module 5? We’ve made a study guide on Equilibrium and Acid Reactions for you to use!

Looking for extra help with HSC Chemistry?

We pride ourselves on our inspirational HSC Chemistry coaches and mentors!

We offer tutoring and mentoring for Years K-12 in a variety of subjects, with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or at our state of the art campus in Hornsby!

To find out more and get started with an inspirational tutor and mentor get in touch today!

Give us a ring on 1300 267 888, email us at [email protected] or check us out on Facebook!


Matt Saunders is a huge nerd who first got into writing through fan-fiction. He’d known science was the path for him since a young age, and after discovering a particular love of bad chemistry jokes (and chemistry too), he’s gone onto to study Forensic Chemistry at UTS. His HSC in 2014 was defined in equal parts by schoolwork and stagecraft, which left him, weirdly enough, with a love of Maths strong enough to inspire him to tutor any level, along with 7-10 Science and HSC Chemistry.

 

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