Hey, i'm picking up 3/4 chemistry so i was wondering whether there were any specific/important topics/ areas I would need to cover for 3/4. I would also appreciate any advice for doing well in chemistry!.
Thanks
Looking through the study design for 1/2, this is what I'd say is most important for 3/4. You may already know some of this, depending on whether you did year 10 chem.
Atoms - structure, electron shells and valence electrons, ions (cations and anions), what isotopes are
Periodic table - know what each value in a square means, how it is arranged into rows and columns (based on structure), electronegativity, and groups such as halogens, noble gases, metals, non-metals
Metallic bonding
Ionic bonding
Moles, Avogadro's number, relationships between moles, number of atoms, mass, molar mass, volume and concentration (see data book), stoichiometry using these
Polar and non-polar molecules and bonds (due to electronegativity and shape)
Intermolecular bonds - dispersion forces, dipole dipole bonds and hydrogen bonds, how polarity determines bonds, how bond types relate to boiling/melting point
Covalent bonding
Families of hydrocarbon compounds - alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alcohols, carboxylic acids, non-branched esters, naming them
Lewis structure, condensed formula, structural formula, molecular formula, empirical formula
Specific heat capacity of water, why it is so high (involving hydrogen bonds)
How substances dissolve in water
Acids and bases - Bronsted-Lowry theory, pH scale, strong and weak acids and bases
Oxidising and reducing agents, conjugate redox pairs, redox reactions
Concentration in mol/L, g/L, %m/m, %v/v, %m/v
HPLC
Acid-base titrations
How to write a prac report, terms such as accuracy, precision, validity, reliability
Some of these things (mostly stoichiometry, intermolecular bonds, hydrocarbon families, molecular/structural/condensed formulas, specific heat capacity, redox, concentration, HPLC, titrations, and prac reports) are covered again in year 12, but your teacher may cover them quicker because they were done in year 11.
The rest are assumed knowedge - they won't be taught again but they help you understand the 3/4 content. You could probably get through 3/4 without knowing some of these, but if you're aiming for 40+ they're worth knowing. You shouldn't need a deep understanding of them - if you can borrow a 1/2 textbook from someone, just reading through those sections should be enough.
As for tips, I definitely second practice exams. The examiners often want very specific things and it can be hard to know what they want, so do lots of past exam questions and read the exam reports so you can start to understand what the examiners look for.
If you're having trouble with concepts, it helped for me to look at explanations from different sources until I found one that clicked. Try your teacher, other teachers if your school has multiple classes, textbooks, Kahn academy, youtube videos, edrolo if you have it, or ask on atar notes.
Also try to make sure you don't get behind too much and ask for help straight away if you don't get something. From experience, it is very difficult to understand what's going on in class if you missed or didn't understand something from the last lesson.
For maths based questions, check if your answer sounds reasonable - e.g. if you calculate that there is 1L of water in a test tube, you know you've probably done something wrong.
Make sure you read the question carefully and answer every part of it. If information is included in the question, they probably want you to use it somewhere. If you have time, read the question again after you've answered to make sure you've answered it properly. Be careful with small things, you can lose marks if you don't get them right - things like states, correct units, right number of significant figures.
Doing 3/4 without 1/2 will be a challenge, but it's a very interesting subject. Good luck!