Most science classes have a reputation for being difficult, and AP® Chemistry is no exception. A lot of students don’t even bother with “Is AP® Chemistry Hard?” and skip directly to “How Hard is AP® Chemistry?”. The simple truth is that AP® Chemistry is a difficult class, but if you know what you’re getting yourself into and plan accordingly, it is possible to pass the AP® Chemistry exam with a high score. We’ll let you in on how difficult AP® Chemistry is, what makes it so hard, and how to overcome this challenge.
By the Numbers
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| 5 | 16.2% | 16.4% | 18.9% | 10.1% | 9.2% | 10.5% |
| 4 | 18.5% | 19.3% | 21.5% | 16.9% | 16.1% | 15.6% |
| 3 | 19.6% | 20.1% | 18.8% | 25.9% | 28.1% | 27.5% |
| 2 | 14.8% | 15.0% | 14.9% | 25.8% | 24.9% | 24.8% |
| 1 | 30.9% | 29.2% | 26.0% | 21.4% | 21.7% | 21.6% |
This table shows the scores for AP® Chemistry from 2011 to 2016. For 2016, 53.6% of students earned a passing grade (3 or higher), and only 10.5% earned the top score of 5. The average score for 2016 was 2.69, and scores have been fairly consistent between 2014 and 2016.
Admittedly, these numbers might be discouraging since only about half of test-takers manage a passing grade. Furthermore, given that many colleges only accept scores 4 or higher, even many passing test-takers do not receive college credit. But keep in mind that this level of difficulty is somewhat common for AP® classes. The average AP® Chemistry score in 2016 was actually higher than that of five other AP® classes such as AP® US Government, AP® Environmental Science, and AP® Human Geography. The AP® Chemistry average is also similar average to a few other common AP® exams: AP® US History (2.70), AP® European History (2.71), AP® English Literature (2.75). AP® Chemistry is certainly a tough class, but it might not be accurate to suggest that it is significantly harder than most of the common AP® courses.
Past scores give a lot of information about test-takers as a whole, but they do not quite answer the question “Will AP® Chemistry by hard for me?” In the next sections, we’ll take a look at what makes chemistry so hard and how you can prepare for those challenges.
Exam Structure
There is a lot more to learning chemistry than passing a test, but working towards a high score on the AP® Chemistry exam can be a helpful to goal to focus your efforts and studies. Understanding the structure of the exam is a great start to understanding and overcoming the difficulty of the AP® Chemistry.
The AP® Chemistry Exam has two major sections: multiple choice and free response
Section I —Multiple Choice — 60 questions; 90 minutes, no calculator
This section includes every topic and skill in the course presented as a question with four possible choices. Even though you are not allowed to use a calculator for the multiple choice, there are still many calculations in this section.
Multiple choice is often thought of an easy question type because the correct answer is supplied for you. Do not make the mistake of underestimating the AP® Chemistry multiple choice section. Answering a well-written multiple choice question requires very precise distinctions between ideas and enough confidence in your knowledge to ignore the distractions. Once we factor in that you only have 90 seconds per question, you can see how multiple choice can be just as challenging as free-response.
Section II — Free Response — 7 questions; 105 minutes
This section contains 3 “long” and 4 “short” questions that you must answer. As with the multiple choice section, any of the topics in AP® Chemistry can appear as a free response question. These questions include multi-step calculations, labeling diagrams, making sketches, and designing experimental procedures. According to exam instructions, you should budget approximately 23 minutes to each long answer and 9 minutes to each short answer. This section won’t require writing skills as strong as those needed for an AP® English class, but it will still take skill and practice to express your chemical knowledge in concise, verbal responses.
Content
The study of chemistry seeks to understand the microscopic structure of matter, transformations of that structure, and how that structure influences the properties of matter. These core chemistry topics that you will learn in are organized into the 6 “Big Ideas” of AP® Chemistry. The correspondence is not exact, but the first 3 Big Ideas are often covered in the first semester of a general chemistry course, and the last 3 Big Ideas are covered in second-semester general chemistry.
Big Idea 1: The chemical elements are fundamental building materials of matter, and all matter can be understood in terms of arrangements of atoms. These atoms retain their identity in chemical reactions
This section focuses on understanding the atom. You will learn the how atoms are classified based on the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons they possess; how these subatomic particles are arranged; and how the structure of the atom influences its properties and interactions. The other major goals of this section are to reinforce that all matter is composed of atoms and that chemical reactions are reorganizations of pre-existing atoms and not the creation or destruction of material.
Big Idea 2: Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them.
Big Idea 2 is centered on the forces that determine the structure (arrangement) of atoms at various levels of organizations. Chemical bonds (ionic, covalent, and metallic) and intermolecular forces will be explored, as will their effect on chemical and physical properties of matter.
Big Idea 3: Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms and /or the transfer of electrons
Big Idea 3 focuses on giving students an introduction to chemical reactions. You will study a number of major reaction types and be able to recognize, predict, and quantify their progress. Acid/base, electrochemical (redox), precipitation, single replacement and double replacement reactions are covered in AP® Chemistry. Here you will also learn stoichiometry and related mathematical tools that can be applied to any chemical reaction.
Big Idea 4: Rate of chemical reactions are determined by details of the molecular collisions.
The speed of chemical reactions is of great practical concern in effectively using chemical reactions, and it can give insight into the exact routes of transformation in a chemical reaction. This sub-field of chemistry is referred to as Chemical Kinetics. You will learn mathematical methods to describe and predict reaction rates and qualitative factors that influence reaction speed. Chemical kinetics also helps us to make hypotheses about the exact steps in a chemical reaction.
Big Idea 5: The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role of energy and explain and predict the direction of changes in matter
This section focuses on how the transfer of energy can be used to classify and predict reactions. You will learn about enthalpy, entropy, Gibb’s Free energy and methods to measure energy transfer in chemical reactions. This section applies many physics concepts to chemistry, but no prior knowledge of physics is necessary to master this Big Idea.
Big Idea 6: Any bond or intermolecular attraction that can be formed can be broken. These two processes are in a dynamic competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external perturbations.
Big Idea 6 is centered on chemical equilibrium, the concept that chemical reactions rarely proceed 100% and that most chemical mixtures include both reactants and products. You will cover equilibrium constants, reaction quotients, LeChatelier’s principle, and quantitative tools for calculating equilibrium problems. This section requires the most complex mathematical calculations in AP® Chemistry.
Skills Required
Mastering chemistry requires learning a great amount of qualitative and quantitative information over the span a school year. Because of this, it is highly recommended that you have prior experience with chemistry and a strong grasp of mathematics. According to the AP® Chemistry Course and Exam Description, AP® Chemistry is designed to be taken after an introductory high school chemistry course and a second-year algebra course. It may be possible to take AP® Chemistry without completing these courses, but that will significantly reduce your likelihood of passing the AP® Chemistry Exam.
In addition to the content of prior coursework, you will also need to develop a number of critical thinking skills to be successful. Did you notice the drop in 4’s and 5’s between 2013 and 2014? This time coincides with the launch of the redesigned AP® Chemistry exam in the 2013-2014 school year. The exam was changed to emphasize “science practices” which are higher level thinking skills that go beyond memorization. Here are some key skills for the current version of the AP® Chemistry Exam:
- Visualization. You need to be able to make and analyze pictorial representations of chemical systems and processes. Most chemical systems and transformations have a lot of components whose spatial arrangement is very important. Drawing sketches will help keep track of all of this information, and ensure that you understand the microscopic origin of chemical and physical properties.
- Mathematical Reasoning. Many of the math questions you will see on the AP® Chemistry Exam do not ask for numerical answers. You will instead have to know the implications of mathematical results. Whenever you learn or use a mathematical formula in chemistry, ask yourself what physical quantities the numbers refer to and why chemists would use these equations for actual lab work.
- Data Analysis. You will be presented with experimental data and asked to analyze results and justify claims. This tends to be more difficult because you have to take many little pieces of information and combine them. Review scatter plots and other graphical representations of data, and be prepared to make them.
- Contextual Understanding. A common trick in the AP® Chemistry Exam is to give answer choices that are true but irrelevant to the question at hand or to give correct answers with incorrect explanations. Being successful with these questions means that in addition to knowing what is true, you also need to know why it is true and how it affects other concepts in chemistry. Always ask “why” when you learn something in Chemistry. There won’t always be a useful answer, but this will help develop the level of context required for success.
Is AP® Chemistry Worth it?
AP® Chemistry is going to be a major investment of time and energy, so it is fair to ask what benefit you will get out of the experience. Chemistry is often referred to as the “central” science because at least introductory knowledge of chemistry is necessary for any form of science or engineering that involves working with matter (i.e., anything with a physical form). If you plan on exploring any scientific, technological, or medical field, you will be required to take college level courses in chemistry. These courses are often prerequisites to intermediate or advanced classes, so getting credit for AP® Chemistry can greatly accelerate your schedule and options in terms of your class schedule, in addition to saving money. Even if you do not place out of first-year chemistry, having already seen the material will make college chemistry classes far easier.
In addition to making chemistry easier in college, AP® Chemistry will also engage your math and critical thinking skills in ways that other classes do not. While it is true that courses like physics, calculus, and statistics are more computationally intense, the math in chemistry has a greater focus on applying multiple rates and ratios simultaneously and using following variables through successive changes. This type of thinking is indispensable for managing how a given resource (time, money, goods) can be converted to whatever you need.
The focus on the particulate nature of matter helps students to think about problems at multiple scales. Asking how the aggregate behavior of individual atoms translate macroscopic effects like pressure, surface tension, and conductivity can be similar to asking how the opinions of individual people can translate into the political, social, or economic mood of a country. Chemistry is a great topic for anyone interested in learning how specific agents of change produce powerful effects.
Lastly, taking AP® Chemistry will make you a more informed consumer and citizen. Everyday people constantly have to make choices regarding chemistry such as energy production, environmental concerns, and nutrition. A basic understanding of chemistry will better prepare you to make smart decisions in many areas of your life.
Next Steps
If you have decided that AP® Chemistry is the right challenge for you, there are some things you want to consider.
First, you need to check with your school. While the CollegeBoard does not create any major barriers to taking the exam, your school may have additional requirements. Speak to your guidance counselor and ideally, the AP® Chemistry teacher to learn about these requirements as well as any assignments you will be required to do before the school year.
Next, you want to start thinking about how you will make AP® Chemistry as easy as possible. While a little challenging chemistry is good for you, it is also important that you work on college admissions, take other challenging courses, invest in extracurricular activities, further develop your social skills (for academic, professional, and personal reasons), and sleep! Take a moment to research helpful review books, and practice problems. Preparing now will be much easier than when you are also dealing with AP® Chemistry homework and exams.
So, is AP® Chemistry hard? Yes, but remember that you have all the tools you need for success in AP® Chemistry.
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