Advice on getting a tutor (maybe A level Chem)

I am not doing so well in my A Level Chemistry as I'd hoped. I am thinking it may not work because I may need extra outside help, it seems I can't do it on my own.

Has anyone had a tutor before? Maybe you could tell me what your experience has been or what you gained from them? How the sessions went? If you really thought the experience was worthwhile, maybe even a mode of finding one.

Thank you for the help in advance.

Reply 1

uglyplushy

hi!! i did my a levels this year and went from a C in mocks to an A* in my actual exams without a tutor. i used to be in the same position as you and considered getting a tutor for so long but i never did and i am lowkey kinda glad i didn't get one.

in my opinion chemistry is a very repetitive subject. what helped me the most was doing exam questions and spotting patterns/key words for each topic (e.g. the process for a back titration calculation is usually the same, the way to explain benzene reactivity is usually the same, the key words wanted in definitions is usually the same, etc). i was also really bad at organic chemistry but genuinely one day i just sat down (this was like a week before my organic exam lol) and tried to memorise the entire synthesis chart including pathways and reaction conditions (it sounds like a lot of work but i promise literally dedicate like 2 days solely to this and keep doing it a few times a day so it sticks like spaced repetition yk) and then i was literally able to draw out the entire chart by memory and then organic chemistry became a LOT easier.

sorry this may not have been the answer you were looking for but i hope it helps regardless and good luck finding a tutor!

Reply 2

lx14

Original post by uglyplushy

hi!! i did my a levels this year and went from a C in mocks to an A* in my actual exams without a tutor. i used to be in the same position as you and considered getting a tutor for so long but i never did and i am lowkey kinda glad i didn't get one.
in my opinion chemistry is a very repetitive subject. what helped me the most was doing exam questions and spotting patterns/key words for each topic (e.g. the process for a back titration calculation is usually the same, the way to explain benzene reactivity is usually the same, the key words wanted in definitions is usually the same, etc). i was also really bad at organic chemistry but genuinely one day i just sat down (this was like a week before my organic exam lol) and tried to memorise the entire synthesis chart including pathways and reaction conditions (it sounds like a lot of work but i promise literally dedicate like 2 days solely to this and keep doing it a few times a day so it sticks like spaced repetition yk) and then i was literally able to draw out the entire chart by memory and then organic chemistry became a LOT easier.
sorry this may not have been the answer you were looking for but i hope it helps regardless and good luck finding a tutor!