Stephen Zhang graduated with a raw 50 study score in Chemistry. And a 99.95 ATAR. You go, Stephen Zhang. If you have VCE Chem questions you want answered, ask them here!
This is the fourth in a series of articles looking at how to score a raw 50. It’s quite a feat, but certainly doable! In this article, we’re speaking with Stephen, who nailed Chemistry. If you want to request a certain article or series, let us know here!
Hey Stephen! Your results are extremely impressive – did you do other things in your life during VCE?
Definitely – whilst my studies were definitely enough to keep me busy, I made sure I took time off with family and friends, staying fit by going on spontaneous runs, as well as revisiting my old hobby of computer programming during the holidays (something I’m actually picking up at uni soon, actually!). On top of that, I often took time to read up on some science topics outside the VCE course for some fresh air.
One more thing – pretty random, but my family and I actually took a semi-spontaneous week long trip to the Accent Coast during the Term 2 holidays… despite being in the middle of a Year 12’s equivalent of a nuclear war, looking back it was not just great fun – it gave me a chance to chill out and recover before stepping back in towards the finish.
Semi-spontaneous holiday aside, was Year 12 completely hectic for you? How much did you study?
Year 12 was pretty intense – largely a joint result of my decision to pick up uni extension maths… as a 6th subject (no regrets there – loved every moment of it) but also because of the general attitude I took towards Year 12 in general. Having 6 subjects to handle all at once meant I had to stay on my feet a lot of the time – at least I never got bored! Still, I managed to find time to relax and take some time off studying to spend with family and friends.
Uni, by the way, is way more hectic (but also way more fun). ^_^
Focusing more specifically on Chem: did you think during the year you’d get a 50?
Definitely not – personally I found Chemistry to be one of the trickier science subjects I was taking (compared to maths subjects… or Physics!). That said, I did aim to perform at my personal best throughout the year, and I made sure I put in as much effort as I could into the subject. Chemistry ended up being one of the (few) exams that went (relatively) well without hiccups in November, and consequently it ended up being my best subject – quite a surprise.
During the year, did you study differently to other people?
Not hugely – I got through most of Year 12 with just the textbook and practice questions, as well as my teacher’s notes. I did make sure I was continually up to date with topics being covered in class, and I took a fairly proactive approach towards Chemistry SACs in that I began SAC revision roughly a week ahead, which gave me a fair amount of time to practise before actually walking into the SAC. Perhaps one of the things that I found was most helpful was to make a deck of flashcards for Chemistry, with each card asking for a small definition, equation, or fact (e.g. ‘Q: what is the name for the process for production of bioethanol?, A: anaerobic fermentation’). Going through a few (well-shuffled) cards regularly helped me retain what I had learned from a wide range of topics, which made revision much easier later in the year. This is still a study habit that I have at uni!
For Chem, what do you think the difference is between a 30 raw, a 40 raw and a 50 raw?
Between a 30 and a 40, I think the biggest difference is that between having a working knowledge of methods and facts, and having a deeper conceptual understanding of what’s going on behind the scenes. One example is having an intuition behind the reason the anode is positive/cathode negative in an electrolytic cell, whereas in a galvanic cell the polarities are reversed. Another example is the justification for Le Chatelier’s Principle in terms of the reaction quotient Q and the equilibrium constant K. Understanding these general concepts, as opposed to being able to reiterate a response or procedure makes up much of the difference. Between a 40 and a 50? The difference in my opinion is much smaller – practice and elimination of the small silly mistakes and minor slip-ups, regular revision, and perhaps the rectification of the occasional misconception.
I’m not sure what most of those words meant, but it sure sounded fancy! The age-old question, though: how many practice exams did you do?
Back in the day, we had both older exams in the split Unit 3 + Unit 4 format and a newer combined format, so counting a pair of Unit 3/Unit 4 papers as one set, I did roughly 30 papers over the duration of the year. That said, ‘number of practice exams’ is at best a poor indicator of the quality of exam preparation – it’s the amount of effort that you put into each individual paper and the amount of attention you put into understanding what you got wrong and revising weaker topics that will really pay off in the long run. In Year 12, I set up an Excel spreadsheet to log my practice exam performance, and personally I largely found this helpful as a motivational tool that would allow me to visualise my progress in terms of exam scores.
Okay, let’s cut to the chase: what are your top three tips for absolutely nailing Chem?
Here we go…
Pay attention to the concepts and ideas – make sure you understand the why and how behind the concepts being introduced, and make sure you have an intuition behind how to solve common problems (e.g. fuel energy calculations, galvanic cell calculations and so on). The point of studying is not to just be able to answer questions – it is to be able to comprehend the chemistry that is being conveyed.
Practice, practice, practice. I made sure that each skill and idea I learned was given ample practice throughout the year (and not all just before the exam!). Learning and understanding the content is central of course, but without practice, all that is nothing. You don’t necessarily need fancy resources to survive – personally, I made it through Chemistry armed mainly with a textbook, my teacher’s notes, practice questions, and – of course – the ATAR Notes community 🙂 Threads like this one are a great starting point!
Enjoy what you’re learning! While Chemistry was my thing, it may not be yours and that’s fair enough! However, I think we can all agree that Chemistry is a very relevant part of life in the 21st century. After all, they don’t call Chemistry the ‘central science’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_central_science) for nothing! Try to see how different chemical concepts and ideas relate to compounds and phenomena that occur in everyday life – the results can be surprising!
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Thanks very much, Stephen! Makes me wish I studied Chem (almost).
Stephen will be answering Chem questions on the ATAR Notes Forums, and you can also ask questions on The VCE Discussion Group. If you think about it, a question unasked is simply wasted potential for improvement.
NOTE: Following all of this advice by no means guarantees a high study score or ATAR – but hey, it worked for Stephen!
Want Chemistry practice? Get around the Chemistry Topic Tests!
