Education

Is chemistry hard? (and how to learn it)

Pankaj KFebruary 2, 2022

213 4 minutes read

Is chemistry hard?

The following article deals with different opinions about chemistry being a challenging subject.

I have to say that I agree with both sides because it depends on the person.

For some, chemistry is one of the most straightforward courses ever; it’s nearly impossible to understand for others.

It depends on how many hours you study and your studying techniques – just like any other subject!

Chemistry is not complex once you learn enough about it! Specially if you use a good online chemistry tutor like this one.

I know it looks scary with all its symbols, formulas, and terms, but you don’t have to be afraid!

All you have to do is- take your time, study often, and don’t give up. Make sure that you go.

How not to learn chemistry

Learning chemistry by memorising is not going to help. You need to understand the concepts and why you are studying a specific topic is more important than you think.

Learning concepts is possible by revising the theory and solving problems repeatedly. When you get stuck with a problem, return to the textbook and reread the concepts. You will realise that the concept can also be applied differently than what you understood the first time you read it.

Repeat this process several times, and you will see a gradual increase in your understanding of the subject. There is no shortcut to this. You need to read and practice many times before you can truly master the concepts.

Many exams test your concepts by asking complicated questions. When you read the question, you will not be able to connect it with a particular concept. Only by thinking hard will you connect the dots and ultimately solve the problem.

Pros and cons about chemistry:

PRO 1: Hardness often creates success. If we look back in history, it’s not only the geniuses that made some progress. Most of the time, those who mastered chemistry are people who wanted to do something big, tried hard, and never gave up until they were successful!

PRO 2: Chemistry is a universal problem solver. Whether you want to have nice-looking skin or are interested in alternative energies – chemistry has an answer for every question.

CON 1: You can’t learn everything on your own. I am sure that students believe that chemistry is about memorizing formulas, rules, reactions, etc. It is not like math, where you can do some calculations on your own or biology with more than one correct answer. If you don’t have a good teacher, chemistry might look pretty dull, and it’s not exactly the funniest subject to study.

CON 2: This strange effect is that challenging questions always benefit from more straightforward questions. I bet some students didn’t understand a question after studying for hours – then they pick up a book which readily explains everything, and boom! You finally get it! It looks as if there was some black magic going on. But think about it: If someone doesn’t know what 1+1 means, should we go crazy because he doesn’t know this simple thing? No – we all learned it step by step, so why shouldn’t these people do the same?

So how do you learn chemistry the proper way?

Perhaps I would have gotten better grades, but at what price? And most importantly, would I have enjoyed chemistry more? Luckily for me, there’s a straightforward solution to this problem: Learn everything in the correct order and when studying.

Many students come up with all sorts of tricks to boost their grades, but unfortunately, most of these tricks only make things worse. Why? Well, the truth is that they may seem like good ideas at first and can help you get terrific grades, but in reality, they don’t work long-term. So then, what should you do instead?

Do we remember them if we didn’t put any effort into learning them properly? I think it’s obvious now why people say, ” Learn the basics and then move to the more advanced concepts “: This is because they work and can help you in your future studies.

Learning chemistry in the proper order will make things much easier for you, and you will enjoy this subject much more. So, what’s the best way to learn chemistry? My advice would be to start learning straightforward concepts before moving on to a more complex one, but just enough so that you remember them if you didn’t put any effort into learning them properly. I think it’s obvious now why people say, “Learn the basics and then move to the more advanced concepts”: This is because they work and can help you in your future studies.

And this brings us to our last but the most crucial tip, Focus on the basics first!

So, do you still want to know more about chemistry? Well, you came to the right place because today I’m going to share some beneficial techniques to help you learn this subject better. Understanding them can also make you enjoy studying chemistry much more!

Let’s start with something that I call ” The Reverse Learning Technique. ” Ever wondered why some students get good grades while others don’t seem to get it no matter how hard they try? One of the reasons for this is that some students repeatedly study the same concepts but never truly understand them. Others, however, have figured out how to use their time effectively.

Conclusion:

As you can see, chemistry is not always easy. However, I think that if you learn to understand its beauty and the power it creates. It will be more than just a subject – it will change your whole life!

Chemistry is one of my favourite subjects, and even though I still have some difficulties with specific areas, I am looking forward to the day when I will be done with it and start working on this great subject!

What do you think? Is chemistry hard? Do let us know in the comments section!