Continuing chem

[Toothbrush547]

Hi all,
I need some help with whether I should do 3/4 Chem. I’m doing yr 12 this year and am supposed to be doing chem, but I’m not sure whether it’s a good idea. I really struggle with the maths component like the mole and received scores from 50 to the low 60s for that topic. I did well in unit 1 averaging about a 70-80 for each test (aside from the mole) but did horribly for unit 2 (around 50-60 each test and and sao for my s for the unit, barely passing with only a few exceptions) and got a 59% for the exam. However for the exam, apparently many people did badly so I ended up getting a standardised score of 63%. Does it get much harder? I’m not sure if the drop in marks was from the two lockdown due to covid or if I’m just bad at the subject. I don’t usually procrastinate but I’ve been unable to concentrate well lately due to online learning. Some of the topics in unit 2 I worked hard on and felt like I understood but ended up doing badly. My other option is to pick up psychology instead, but I tried it as an elective in yr 10 and don’t really like it as much. Any ideas on what to do?

[colline]

Hey!

First off, is chem a prereq for the course(s) you are looking at doing after VCE? If yes, then you should 100% keep it.

Chem is definitely not an easy subject but don't worry, it is entirely possible to do well in unit 3/4 without having done well in 1/2. Also, do keep in mind that your 2020 performance may not be an accurate representation of how well you'd actually do in the subject.

For the calculations side, I found getting heaps of practice questions and repeating them day after day really helps with getting that area down pat. Also, the content for 3/4 chem isn't actually very maths-heavy. There is quite a lot of theory involved, especially for unit 4.

[Toothbrush547]

Chemistry isn't one of my prerequesites, but i'm doing it because I enjoy it. Sometimes I feel like i'm working hard to understand the maths side of things, but honestly I usually just don't get it until i've worked on a much harder concept that requires that previous concept I was trying to learn to be used. In general i'm much better at the theory side of things, but sometimes even that's a struggle to get right. Since i'm way better at memorising and applying the knowledge then doing something like maths that requires problem solving skills (i'm much better in biology) I feel like I might be struggling the entire year without getting any good results. What's psychology like as opposed to chem? Is it more memorisation based?

[colline]

I did 1/2 psych a few years ago (didn't do 3/4) so take what I say with a grain of salt... psych is definitely more theory/quantitative compared to chem. SACs had questions which required longer worded responses (for my school) and generally people who are better at biology/humanities seem to do well in psych.

Honestly, I thought chem had quite a lot of memorisation particulary for unit 4 (*reaction pathways*). There was also some overlaps with bio. I assume psych might require even more memorisation but I haven't done 3/4 so I can't be sure about that.

You can always try psych and see. You're still allowed to change subjects for the first few weeks of year 12 - give it a go and see if you like it.

[tiredandstressed]

I'll chuck in here and say yes psych is alot more memorisation- that said you also need to understand and apply the theory to be able to do well in scenario based questions in section b for the exam.
As for chem and its calculations, yes its not everyone but I will say from year 11 to year 12 you don't learn new concepts (except for the universal gas equation) its more building on the content covered in 1/2
I will i don't think you will struggle to do psych 3/4 without 1/2 ik many people who have done it and scored very well, but since you like chem I do believe you should give it a good hot go.
I encourage you to try reading a little ahead in janruary not too much (maybe even attending a headstart lecture) and try to get exposed to the content early and complete some past exam questions (that are unit 3 calculation based) and see how that goes.
Getting a tutor is also an option, for a subject you enjoy you will work hard so you can use a tutor as an additional resource.
There is also plenty of free resources such as khan academy that can be very helpful.
But more importantly, if you do decide to drop chem, psych 3/4 will treat you will the way to study for psych is
1. Make detailed study notes, that summarise the information and cover all the study design points
2. Make flashcards (or some other resource) and memorise the content
- but don't memorise terms and definitions, memorise a structure to your response
(e.g. when memorising the steps of the spinal reflex, you should memorise in a way the can be applied to a scenario; for instance when you touch a handle of a hot pan)
3. Complete practice questions and get feedback (examiner reports can also be helpful for this as well)
~colline has provided some points so please do pay attention to was she has said
All the best
T&S

[Toothbrush547]

Thank you all so much for your replies, but I'm still unsure. Realistically I think I could do better in psych, but I do like chem more so I'll probably talk to a teacher about it. The fact that I like the subject is putting me off from switching...
Below I attatched a table with my pros and cons for the subjects, at least from what I've seen so far from them. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you so much in advance.