Chemistry is one of the compulsory subjects for science stream students appearing for grade 12 board exams. It also forms a crucial part of competitive exams that students sit for after their boards, in both technical and medical fields. Chemistry as a subject is further divided into – Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry. It must be noted that all three parts are equally important and must be given equal focus during preparation to perform better. Nonetheless, the preparation strategy for all three differs a little bit, based on the types of questions asked and the nature of the topic. Still, as a whole, Chemistry requires both theoretical preparation and practical preparation.
The following article mentions some of the strategies that students can adopt to enhance their performance in Chemistry during board exams.
Keep the syllabus in mind
CBSE, the central education authority, has already set forth a detailed Chemistry Class 12 Syllabus on their website. All the students must take a printout of the syllabus and keep on consulting it from time to time during their preparation. It is a set rule that all the questions in the final exam are asked from this decided syllabus only. Not only this, but the competitive exams like JEE, NEET, etc. also follow the CBSE chemistry syllabus. Thus, students should stick to this syllabus and make sure that they cover each topic before the board exam to maximise their scores.
Additionally, we all know that Chemistry is a subject of experiments and practicals. Thus, in addition to the written exam, the board also conducts practicals to assess the students’ practical knowledge of the subject. For this, a separate syllabus for practicals is also outlined by the CBSE which should be adhered to during lab practices. However, this is not to say that students should limit their efforts to gain knowledge in the subject within these set boundaries only. Instead, what is being asserted here is that priority should be given to the syllabus from the board exam perspective.
Finish NCERTs before consulting other books
This fact can’t be stressed enough because NCERTs are the best material for board exams. Not only, questions are directly asked from these books but also, in terms of subject clarity, NCERTs are perfectly suitable for gaining in-depth foundational knowledge. A lot of teachers, however, also refer to certain other publications for their students. They might be of great help, undoubtedly, but NCERTs must take precedence. After completing NCERTs thoroughly, students can begin with other books for revision and practice purposes.
Go through previous years’ papers for an idea of paper pattern
This step is of utmost importance as it acquaints students with what all topics they should prioritize and how they should be approached. Most often, questions also get repeated from past years’ papers with just a slight language change. Thus, analysing them in advance will mentally and academically prepare students for the final exam.
Get to know about the latest marking scheme
The board also has a very elaborate marking scheme in place for each subject. There is something called a step marking system that examiners use to evaluate answers, which details that certain marks are awarded to students for every correct step they mention in answers. However, this system differs from subject to subject and question to question. Teachers/mentors can be of special assistance in helping their students understand how questions should be attempted so that they fetch maximum marks under the prescribed marking scheme.
Build daily, weekly and monthly to-do lists
To cover each topic with sufficient focus and importance, students should make a three-fold plan. They can start by deciding on a long-term goal which, then, should be divided into several short-term achievable goals. For example, if a student decides to cover physical chemistry in two months, he/she should then prioritise and divide subtopics into weekly to-do plans. These weekly plans should then be further divided into daily tasks. All these plans should also include enough time for multiple revisions as students go through the syllabus covering topics one by one.
Personalised note-making for quick revision
Chemistry contains a significant amount of reactions, formulas and their nomenclature and rules along with their exceptions. All this information needs to be understood and sometimes memorised by students for fact-based questions in the final exam. To make this Herculean task manageable, students are advised to prepare crisp notes during their preparation. These notes need not be very elaborate or decorative in their look. Try using as many abbreviations as you can. The goal for these notes is quick and simple last-minute revision. Name reactions and famous chemical processes should be specially included and revised over and over again.
For tech-savvy students, there are also several note-taking applications available on the internet that sort out information based on keywords and themes. Inserting graphical images for better understanding is also easier in them. Try checking them out as well.
Mock test marathon before the exam
Before a few weeks of the final exam, all students should start attempting full-length mock tests to prepare themselves for the final day. Instead of reading new information during these last few days, solving sample papers is recommended. This will constitute a thorough revision of the whole syllabus. Many coaching institutions offer test series programs specifically designed according to the board exam’s pattern. Either joining them or simply referring to any mock papers compilation will be the final brush stroke towards a perfect score.
Scoring in Chemistry class 12 exams is an achievable task. Regular and consistent efforts in the right direction are more than sufficient for a perfect score. Begin with getting an idea of the syllabus and deciding on your study material, the rest will fall into place as one goes along. It might seem like a long journey but rest assured that it’s a worthy one. Hope the above-mentioned tips will assist you in your dream of a good score in Chemistry.
