Chemistry lab work at uni

Not chemistry but biochemistry
We have labs with between 50 and 70 people in
We have everything we need in our own area so not chaotic with people moving around
We have one lecturer person who is in charge of the lab and a couple of post grad students who are there if you need to ask questions
They generally leave you alone but also totally understand that people make mistakes and are really nice about it (they've made mistakes before)
For assessments for the lab we get assessed based on questions with numerical values and written questions on methods and lab reports. I don't know if this is different for different modules
We do have to pass a "general competencies" test where they ask questions and watch you use different equipment but they totally understand that you are still learning

Hi, can anyone give me information on what the lab work / practical sessions are like at uni for chemistry? What I mean is - are you constantly being watched over and scrutinised for everything you do? How is it assessed? By the final product or by tutors watching you complete each step of the work?

Probably depends a bit on the uni, but in my experience:

Are you constantly being watched over and scrutinised for everything you do?
Not really. There's usually a couple of lecturers/tutors overseeing everything (and helping when your stuff won't recrystallise or something), and some post-grad students who can help if you're not sure what's going on. Plus there are some lab technicians from whom you can get any extra equipment you need if it's not in your cupboard. We each have a cupboard with beakers etc in, and there are some extra pieces of equipment and machines around the lab. It's usually independent work (very occasionally in pairs or something) but you are allowed to communicate with others! You're not expected to be perfect, but ideally reasonably efficient and tidy and organised – there's usually a bit of pre-lab work/planning needed.
How strict/intense the lab session is probably depends on the lecturers and what you've got to do.

How is it assessed? By the final product or by tutors watching you complete each step of the work?
In-lab: final product(s) – appearance, yield etc., any other data relating to what you've made. Also maybe your lab book – whether you've the information needed, results etc. You'll usually be guided on this
Post-lab: there's usually some form of write-up to do – might involve some data analysis, questions, or a lab report – this is usually the majority of the marks for the lab. We sometimes also get a short pre-lab quiz to do.


Don't quite know how things work for 3rd/final year but I do think that groups are a bit smaller – like a supervisor and maybe 5 or 6 or so students. In 1st and 2nd year we've had maybe 30-40 students in the lab but I think that depends on the size of the cohort – if there are loads of people they may split you into a couple of groups.

They're also a bit longer than in school – ours are currently timetabled for 4 hours but I know that some people have longer ones (usually a break for lunch if it's a full-day one) but you can usually leave once you've finished