Getting into medicine entails a lot of jumping through hoops: you’ve submitted your UCAS application, taken the UKCAT and BMAT exams, and practiced for your interviews. There’s one more stumbling block: the tests. For the most part, this would imply an A in A-Level Chemistry. Chemistry exams can be tough, and many people see this as their Achilles heel (once they have deals, of course) – but here are 5 top tips for A-Level Chemistry revision to help you leap through the Chemistry hoop.
Before you attempt to learn the content, make sure you understand it.
Before you attempt to apply the knowledge to exam questions, you must first understand several principles in chemistry. So, if you’re having trouble understanding a subject, talk to your teacher about it and ask them to explain it first. If you’re unsure, inquire. You don’t want to be sitting in the exam thinking you’d asked about haloalkanes or redox reactions.
Get your maths happy.
Chemistry needs a lot of math and is a significant step up from GCSE. This puts many people off, but the trick to math is to practice as much as possible once you understand it. This will allow you to apply your expertise to a variety of situations.
Remember to review the simple parts of A-Level Chemistry!
Make sure you cover all topics in your A-Level Chemistry revision. Often you spend too much time concentrating on the tough topics that you fail to focus on the smaller ones, where you can pick up a few extra points. Ensure you cover the tricky parts of a ‘simple’ subject you think you’ll be comfortable with.
Collaboration is essential (before, not during, the exam)
Work with your friends on exam questions, explaining complicated concepts to one another (or even just rapid-fire questions on the “simple” stuff). It can be tedious to spend all of your time revising alone, so why not go to the library or a chemistry tuition centre? Just try to get some job done…
Past papers
When it comes to A-Level Chemistry, practice makes perfect. A-Level – preparing for the more challenging or math-based questions will help you feel more confident when taking the exam. You should apply what you’ve learned in practice to questions on your actual test until you’ve mastered them.
So, best of luck! Hopefully, this guide will assist you in approaching your A-Level Chemistry revision and gaining acceptance to medical school. Remember that while there is a lot to do to get there, you can do it with a bit of effort and commitment!