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how many units can I take in the summer if I start revising now

I am not going to school anymore but I changed plans and intend to study medicine for which I need chemistry. As I am going to start uni next year (in another subject) I am intending to get as many units done with as I can. I have no knowledge of chemistry but plenty of time to study. So what do you think, for how many units should I enter myself?
I would also be grateful if someone could give me any tips on useful books (I am doing the edexcel syllabus) to read.

Reply 1

Creative

tbh if you're willing to put in the effort I think you could do all 6. All the Chem units link together and overlap in some way, so doing it all in one go would help you get a better mark..

good books.. erm, personally I use the Edexcel student unit guides by George Facer. Get a book for your specific exam board and just do/go through loads of past-papers and you'll get your A no problemo.

Reply 2

ninety_nine

if you've done NO chemistry a level then don't do six! i'd say about three maximum! i'm doing all six in the summer and it's difficult enough even though i've been doing it for two years! i guess it depends on how much time/dedication your willing to put in but it would be superhuman to do more than four i reckon!

Reply 3

Creative

ninety_nine

true say.. if you have a lot of time on your hands.. and have access to labs (for practical work) then all 6 is possible. Otherwise I would go with Unit 1, 2, 4 and 5. (i.e. the ones with no prac). I think exams from next year have no prac, right?

Reply 4

ninety_nine

Creative

hmm i'm not sure about the exams having no prac :confused:

well i suppose all six would be possible if:

1) you have the capability to learn and understand so much completely new material!

2) you have the motivation to learn it all! (which is a lot)

3) your aiming for a moderate grade...getting an A in a level chemistry is a task that fails many very intelligent medics....i can't even imagine trying to do that in a matter of 12 weeks!! :eek:

Reply 5

Mush

I'm doing the same thing with highers and also in biology (Y)

Good luck.

Reply 6

713

Creative

unfortunately I can't do the lab unit because the exam centre where I have to do it has no lab.
I was told in unit 3, 50% of the marks is for lab work, so it is possible to get marks for the other 50% without doing something practical? what does the other 50% consist of?

Reply 7

713

Mush

I'm doing the same thing with highers and also in biology (Y)

Good luck.

I was thinking of doing biology as well but I think for the moment I have to concentrate on chemistry which I believe is more important.

Reply 8

Creative

713

For Unit 3 the other 50% is a written practical paper where basically you write plans for experiments and distinguish compounds and do experimental calculations from the data/observations given to you on the paper. Check the specification for Chemistry for your exam board, it's on their website.

I don't think it's possible to do 1 exam for unit 3, you have to do two in the same sitting to get a mark since both are out of a total of 120 and the grade boundaries for each 50% exam vary from year to year. However I might be wrong, ask your centre :smile:

Reply 9

icapturethecastle

all of them...effort and hard work is the key

Reply 10

Mush

713

I was thinking of doing biology as well but I think for the moment I have to concentrate on chemistry which I believe is more important.

Well for my uni, I have to do both within 5 years of entry to med.

Indeed. I have a bit of a dilemma though, so many options. I'm in first year of my course and I don't know what my plan of action shall be. Each has it's pros and cons.

1) I could do BOTH of them together next may, however, that will mean extra workloads, and less chance of getting great marks than if I concentrate on them separately. However, it'll be looked favourably upon by med schools if i do them in one year.

2) I could do them separately. Less work loads, but probably not looked favourably upon!

ALSO

1) I could do them next may, along with my 2nd year degree exams. Which is better than leaving it until later in the degree, since the workload will be heavier from uni then.

2) I could do them nearer the end of my course, meaning I'd had to do that aswell as the harder workloads of uni... but I think the nearer to my entry to medicine I do them, the more favourable it looks.

Also I'll have to hope the higher exams don't clash with my uni exams, since they're all in May/June.

Reply 11

713

@Creative
Do you know at which date the exams are? I am not able to access them on the edexcel website.
Concerning the lab exam, I found out that I don't have to do it, there is a choice B in which I have to answer questions relating to practical exams.

Reply 12

RMIM

713

I dont think that is entirely correct.

Taken from the syllabus.

Unit tests 3 and 6 are each composed of two parts, A and B. Unit tests 3A and 6A will test competence in practical chemistry, either by internal assessment or by an externally assessed practical test. Unit test 3B will test a student’s ability to work with and evaluate information produced from laboratory work. Unit test 6B will be the synoptic paper. Unit test 3A must be taken in association with unit test 3B and unit test 6A must be taken in association with the synoptic paper 6B.

You have to do both the A and B parts – the marks are added together. If you don’t do the prac you have already lost 50% of the marks.

It’s possible to study all 6 written units and get A’s for them all if you are good.
But I think I would be right in saying that no matter how good you are, you cant read the theory of something like titrations then take a practical that involves titrations and get full marks – in fact could be dangerous. You need lots of practice for titrations. As for the other experiments you have to perform – they don’t need that much skill, but still.
You could sit 1,2,4,5 – that’s all the theory of chemistry done! Then sit 3A/B 6A/B later – but you have to go to class for that. And I think it would have to be in June.

If you sat 1,2,3B,4,5,6B and dropped both practical 3A + 6A – you would have to score 100% in all exams and would get an overall grade of 80% which means you scrape an A grade (ignoring grade adjustments). It’s not unheard of people scoring full marks on some papers.

Don’t forget the late fees now.
Practicals in May
4 June 2008: C1,C2,C3B
12 June 2008 C4,C5
19 June 2008 C6B

Reply 13

Creative

713

All timetables are found here + i think the dates quoted by the guy above me are correct.

http://www.edexcel.org.uk/VirtualContent/59454/GCE_May_June_2008_final.pdf

Reply 14

No Future

Hmm, depends how hard you work really. As long as you are willing to put in the hours and have basic intelligence it is certainly possible to pass. It's hard to say as I have no idea how much background knowledge you have on chem/ability.

I took all six units Edex last year (retook 3) and did okay.
(My chem background was B at GCSE, C at AS)

Reply 15

713

RMIM

Thanks for your help (and yours Creative as well).
I decided to do only two units this year, take another two next january and the remaining two in summer 2009. As I was reminded of I need some practice for the practical aspects and I can't go to school here to study for A-Levels (I live in Germany). My dad is a chemist so I will try to get laboratory access and do some practice there.
I think it won't be necessary for me to get an A because I want to enter a graduate course and I hope that the grade I received in my degree will play a great role and not only my A-Levels. Nevertheless it would certainly be better if I got an A.

Reply 16

RMIM

If your dad is a chemist Im sure he can bring some of the basic equipment home for you. If you can get your hands on a volumetric flask, burette and pipet - you will need some reagents too, that might be a problem.

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chemlab/techniques/pipet.html
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chemlab/techniques/titration.html

Your dad can show you what to do.