Frequently Asked Questions
How do I view my previous practice exam results?
After you login to your account, go to the PRACTICE EXAM page.
If you have Submitted a Practice Exam before, at the top of the page you will have a section that looks like this:
ACS Practice Exam Statistics
Note: If you have not completed and submitted a practice exam, there will be no results displayed here.
The most recent Practice Exam Submission will be at the top of the list. Click the “view” link on the right.
If you have multiple submissions, you may view more of them by clicking the “+ Toggle # previous attempts” link at the bottom of the list.
Can I use my mobile device to take the exam?
Yes, however the exam itself is not optimized for mobile devices. While it can be used to practice 1 or 2 questions as needed, it is not ideal for taking the complete exam.
For best results, we recommend a large comfortable work space with room for any materials you need, a laptop or desktop computer, and a modern browser such as Chrome or Safari.
Do you have a practice test for Gen Chem 2?
Yes we now have a practice test for the general chemistry 2, or second semester general chemistry, standardized final. The exam for Gen Chem 2 is also known as an “Accumulative” or “Comprehensive” General Chemistry Final Exam. The test covers both gen chem 1 and gen chem 2 material. We added the Practice Exam for the General Chemistry 2 Standardized Final in April, 2017!
Should I still use the Official Study Guide to study for the Exam?
Yes! You should! With that said, there are a few issues with the Official Study Guide that you should know:
The Official Study Guide is for both General Chemistry 1 and General Chemistry 2, but it does not say which sections and for which.
Another issue is that it hasn’t been updated much in the past 15 years or so. Also, some of the items in it will not be in the Chemistry Exam that you take. Many of the questions are way harder than they should be.
Also, when it explains an answer, sometimes it goes into a lot of detail that can be beyond the understanding of a Gen Chem Student, and therefore, can be more confusing than helpful. Also, it doesn’t cover any “Tricks” or “Ways to Remember” things.
The study guide will be looking at things from a PhD Chemists Perspective. In the material on this website, we try to approach things from a Student’s Perspective, as well as try to focus on HOW to take the exam. The study guide will NOT do those things. With that in mind, we would still recommend the official study guide as long is you start using it at least 2 weeks or more before the exam.
How should I study for the Chemistry Exam if I only have 1 day to study and haven't studied at all yet?
First off, watch the Tips Video that pulls up on your account before the Practice Exam. Watch it a couple of times and make a list or plan of what you are going to do.
Second, take the Practice Exam that you purchased as you would take the actual exam. Have your calculator, your 1 piece of scratch paper, etc… Set a timer for 2 hours and follow the tips in the Tips video while you take the practice exam. Don’t watch any of the videos as you take it.
When your time is up, look at the questions you missed and the one’s you struggled with and watch the videos on how to answer those chemistry questions.
After you have done all of that, I would recommend getting a good 8 hours of sleep.
If you are really far behind in chemistry and don’t understand most of the material on the practice exam at all, it will not help you much in getting a good grade on the exam. There is no fix for not learning any of your class material throughout the semester. This isn’t a magic solution that will suddenly make you know everything on the Chemistry Exam.