Why is high school chemistry so hard?

Students usually have to take a chemistry course in high school. Many students have a hard time with the course because it’s often one of the first classes they take after middle school which demand higher level study skills.

Which branch of chemistry is the hardest?

General Chemistry Truthfully, for most people, the hardest chemistry class is the first one. General Chemistry covers a lot of material very quickly, plus it may be some student’s first experience with a lab notebook and the scientific method. The combination of lecture plus lab can be intimidating.

How much do students actually remember?

In his experiments, he discovered that without any reinforcement or connections to prior knowledge, information is quickly forgotten—roughly 56 percent in one hour, 66 percent after a day, and 75 percent after six days. So what can be done to preserve the hard work of teaching?

Why is Chemistry 101 so hard to study?

Many students were able to get by memorizing in high school but Chemistry 101 goes too fast for memorization by itself to work. Students don’t study effectively or use techniques like reviewing material before class (this site is a good start for that) and working in study groups. It’s easy to procrastinate.

What percentage of students fail chemistry?

On average about 25\% fail general chemistry according to Cooper and Peterson (2012). Others have found rates from 40-60\%. That’s a lot of students and you don’t want to be one of them. So why do many students end up failing or dropping chemistry?

Is chemistry a bad subject?

Chemistry is a subject many students prefer to avoid, even if they have an interest in science, because of its reputation for lowering grade point averages. However, it isn’t as bad as it seems, especially if you avoid these common mistakes. 01

Does memorization work in college chemistry?

Memorization may have worked in high school but won’t in college chemistry. You need a strategy and the ability to solve problems. The concepts involved, especially in topics like stoichiometry, can be difficult and discouraging for students (Schmidt and Jignéus, 2003).