Degree Plan – BS Math Major at Excelsior

[NAP]

Chemistry CLEP part 2 of 2

Memorize – It’s never too early to start memorizing the important material. Here is a list of some of the information that I memorized and the best source I found for them:

scientists (REA), nomenclature and ions (Concepts), organic functional groups (Schaum’s**), hybridization (REA), solubility (REA), definitions (Cliffs glossary is a good start, but find another one, too)

bonds, radioactivity, formulas, periodic properties (a mix of all sources)

Look for patterns to make memorizing easier, such as positive enthalpy is endothermic as is breaking bonds which is going from solid to liquid to gas.

I couldn’t learn enough about acids/bases and oxidation/reduction. I used a textbook to memorize the list of acids/bases and oxidizing/reducing agents.

I tried to learn/memorize as many of the “simple” things as I could and accrue points that way. Things like quantum numbers (REA, Cliffs AP), bond order (Schaum’s**), and orders of reactions (REA, practice tests) were still confusing but I seemed to know enough about them with these resources.

Strategy – Since it is hard to finish the test on time, I had seen tips to go through and answer easy questions quickly and then start over and work on more difficult parts. When I tried this on practice tests, it left me feeling very unsettled and uncommitted to answering anything on the practice test. For the real test, I ended up answering each question as it came and making sure I stayed on time (25 questions by 30 minutes, half of 75 questions by 45 minutes, 50 questions by 60 minutes, and all 75 questions by 90 minutes). I gave my best answer and marked a lot, but I don’t know why I marked any since I knew I wasn’t going to have the time to look at them again. I didn’t have much time to really think through problems or chemical reactions, so it would help to be as familiar with those as possible.

Periodic Table – I had read a tip that they don’t always give the full periodic table during the test, but during the pre-test, they show one that you can sketch out on scratch paper. Another idea was to note an early question that does show the whole table. I used both ideas. It is possible, though, that I needed neither because when I checked their table on about 5 questions during the test, it was always complete with atomic symbol, number, and weight for each element. They often give molar mass in the problem, but did not give any formulas.

Calculator – I had read that I wasn’t allowed to bring my own, but I had some trouble understanding the CLEP calculator on the test computer. Make sure it is in degrees (deg) not radians (rad). Then try floating decimal (flo) and scientific notation (sci) during the pre-test. I used both during the test. I just found the EE button (power of 10 - Schaum’s**) on my calculator – I love it. I wasn’t able to figure out how to use EE with square or square root on their calculator. I also needed to double-check all of my calculations. I am going to need some extra practice before I take a math exam.
Update: The CLEP Sampler can be downloaded from the official CLEP website. This has the calculator that will be available during the exam. You can use this to practice at home before the exam and get familiar with the features on the calculator.

Schaum’s** - use the Amazon link and scroll down to “Search inside this book”
organic functional groups – search IUPAC, choose p. 229
bond order – search antibonding, choose p. 130, 144, and 145
EE – search EE4, choose p. 370

Note: Before you go to all of the work of studying for and taking this exam, be sure that your college will accept it for the credit that you need for your major and make sure that any lab requirements can be earned separately.

This may seem like an overwhelming amount of material to learn, but it is really not that bad, considering it represents a full year of college chemistry classes. With great resources and giving myself enough time to learn, I was able to pass this exam having started with no prior knowledge. I know that others can do this, too!