Final Exam Study Tips

[Alara Aygen 3K]

Hi! I was wondering how everyone will be studying for the final. Since it will be cumulative I don't know where to start studying. Does anyone have any tips?

Thank you in advance!

[Leyna Tran 2D]

Hi, for me personally, I find that practicing many problems helps me understand the concepts the most. So I will be reviewing the sapling homework problems and the textbook problems. i also find the UA sessions to be very helpful because they give out worksheets with a bunch of different problems to practice with.

[FrancescaHawkins2H]

Personally, when I need to cover a lot of information I like to break it up into chunks, or different sections. I find that this makes it a little easier and less overwhelming to tackle it all. I generally start by reviewing the material I feel the least confidant about and then progressing from there. Hope this helps!

[rachelhchem1I]

Something that has been very helpful is doing the UA worksheets and attending their sections, and it will be beneficial to at least look at the textbook problems because Prof Lavelle stated that he got some of the harder questions on the midterms from there.

[Brian Bui 3H]

Practice problems have always been helpful for me, particularly from the textbook or UA worksheets. Maybe you could consider doing those (if you haven't done so already) or perhaps redoing or looking over them again!

[Keeryth Sandhu 1H]

I think practice problems are really helpful! Also, I heard UA's will be doing final review sessions so I'm planning on attending at least a couple of those.

[Brenda Silva 1B]

Doing practice problems from the textbook are very helpful. I tend to focus more of my time on the concepts I do not fully understand and complete the practice problems from there.

[Wil Chai 3D]

Like most of the other people on this thread, I think practice problems from the homework/textbook are your best bet. However, something I like to do as well is change up homework problems or make up my own problems! For example, I might find a compound from the notes, draw its lewis structure, and predict some of its properties based on trends. Then, maybe make up some % numbers and work backwards to find it's empirical/molecular formula, which you can check to the original compound.

[Vivian Chang 3L]

Hi! For me personally, doing textbook problems, sapling, reviewing lecture notes, and attending UA sessions have prepared me really well for both midterms so I'll probably do the same for the final. Another thing I've found that has really helped me is when doing textbook problems, if you get a problem wrong, take the time to go through your mistakes and understand why the correct answer is correct so you don't make the same mistake again :)

[Juliet Cushing_2H]

I am going to do the book problems that Dr. Lavelle listed in his unit outlines! Then I'm going to review notes/textbook chapters on the ones I got wrong and if needed find more practice problems relating to those subjects. Hope this helps!

[Breanna Ouyang 1I]

Do the textbook problems and the UA worksheets! I sometimes like to brush up on content review by rereading my notes because rewatching lectures is a bit too much. The sapling questions aren't as helpful as the ones straight from the textbook and the past midterm questions the UAs put on their worksheets.

[Cass Cheng 2A]

the organic chem tutor on youtube is really helpful for reviewing material! also doing the txtbook problems have been helping

[abby hyman]

I have also used organic chem tutor on youtube! I found that really helpful.

[Akshata Kapadne 2K]

I would also really recommend reading the textbook. I found that the concept questions from the midterm came directly from sentences in the textbook, which really helped me in the 2nd midterm. Calculation problems also come straight from the textbook homework, so giving those priority would be really helpful.

[Neel Bonthala 2G]

Hey! Dr. Lavelle just put up a lot of the synchronous review hours, so I'll be sure to making use of as many of them as I can. I'd spend a lot of time studying the Quantum World because that section will be most prevalent on the final, considering we spent the most time on it. And of course, make sure not to study too late into the night before!

[Aliya 1H]

Hey! I've found it super helpful to zoom with one or two friends that I study well with to do book questions, go over the outline, and discuss any questions we might have. It's a fun way of studying and I recommend doing it for 3-4 nights leading up to your exam. This has been really working for me, in addition to reading all of the book chapters as well.

[Norah Gidanian 3D]

Does anyone know when they will start studying? I am nervous that its going to be hard studying the old material while still learning new things.

[Ruochen Yang 3B]

I would say going over your notes would definitely help! Also, I'm going to review all my sampling homework and textbook problems (which I find very useful). I've never attended a UA session, so I don't know how it works. Just try to ask questions and never be reluctant to ask for help!

[Marley Magee 3A]

The textbook problems on the outlines and the sapling homework are good resources, especially since some textbook problems are recycled for the tests. Also make sure to attend the step up and workshop sessions! I heard that some of the ones for week 10 are going to be review sessions, so those should be especially helpful for the final.

[Nancy Yao]

My high school chemistry teacher recommended us to write down everything you know on a blank sheet of paper, and this process will help you recall the knowledge you gained, especially the bulky parts, like the chart of different chemical geometries and their bond angles, or the elements that do not follow the octet rule.

[Nathan Chu 3H]

I will try to attend as many review sessions as possible. To study, I will probably go over my notes and also do some of the textbook problems, since some of them should appear in the final.

[Audra Mcleod 3G]

Personally, I like to review my notes, the textbook, and the practice problems, and then compile all the most important information on a google doc. I've found this to be very useful because it concentrates all the knowledge I need to know in one place, enabling me to more efficiently study. Again, you obviously want to do as many practice problems as possible to prepare for potential test questions.

[ellenulitsky Dis 1I]

Do the TEXTBOOK problems, especially since Dr, Lavelle wrote that in the document with the description about the final.

[Katie Le 3K]

Read the textbook and do the problems assigned in the outlines. ALso, going to the UA sessions are really really helpful. I feel like they explain concepts really well

[John_Tran_3J]

Per my last midterms, I just studied a compilation of the UA workshop sheets, Sapling, and textbook questions. Doing them by yourself is very satisfying and beneficial for you to understand the concepts.

[Isabel_Eslabon_2G]

My plan is to do the textbook problems listed in the outline. Since this final is cumulative, you also have to find time to review material from the previous 2 midterms. I suggest doing some of the harder textbook problems to review past content because I think it was mentioned some difficult questions from the midterms may appear again (and those hard questions might have come from the textbook). If it works for you, try and form a study group.

[Rich Luong 1D]

What I would do is go over each topic at least a few times a day and review over the homework problems we've done. Afterwards, I do something where I would speed through a bunch of homework problems and try to solve them as fast (but still correct) as possible to see how efficient my skills in the material are.

[Helena Hu 3E]

I plan on going over the Sapling HW from the previous weeks as well as attending a bunch of the review sections. I think it would be best to try to start studying for the final this week so you know which topics you are weakest with so you can focus on those sections next week.

[Jonathan Malau 1F]

Doing all the textbook problems are really helpful. Since the final exam is cumulative, I would start by breaking up the topics by what you're most comfortable with to what you're not as comfortable with. From there, spend time on each topic, as needed.

[Joey_Okumura_1E]

I try to complete the textbook problems and sapling problems throughout the quarter. Before the exam, I make a one page review sheet (typically one for each chapter) that summarizes all of the concepts that helped me solve the problems. The act of making the review sheet forces me to restudy everything and it is much less intimidating when all of the concepts only occupy a few pages.

[josephspindler2H]

The best place to start is 100% the textbook problems. They best reflect what's gonna be covered on the test, also look into going to some of these review sessions that Dr. Lavelle has planned.

[AliAsh 1H]

The review sessions that Dr Lavelle has been mentioning in his emails seem to be a really good way to go over everything we studied this quarter so definitely look into that!

[Victoria_Sauceda_1B]

I found that I rewatching the lectures helped me refresh my memory and gave me a chance to go over the whole class again

[Cooper Kinne 2E]

Definitely the textbook questions! Some of the questions on the test are pulled right from the book.

[Madison Muggeo 3H]

I would suggest UA worksheets for older subjects and textbook questions for the most recent.

[Rayna Irving 2C]

Definitely textbook problems and UA worksheets for specific topics have been the most useful for me.

[Lindsey_Su_3A]

I definitely learned from my mistakes in 14A and have changed my study habits for this quarter. Going to the UA workshops and step up sessions are super helpful and it's something I totally regret not starting earlier last quarter!!

[Vanessa Perez]

I went to as many UA sessions and did all the textbook problems when studying for the final

[Brianne Conway 1D]

Hi! I was wondering how everyone will be studying for the final. Since it will be cumulative I don't know where to start studying. Does anyone have any tips?

Thank you in advance!

Hi, personally, I didn't study incredibly well last quarter and did worse than I wanted to, so this quarter I'm trying to focus on taking THOROUGH notes, keeping up with the material (doing homework and textbook problems early and then reviewing them later on in the section) and watching videos on Khan Academy as well as doing practice problems on Khan Academy.

[Brianne Conway 1D]

I definitely learned from my mistakes in 14A and have changed my study habits for this quarter. Going to the UA workshops and step up sessions are super helpful and it's something I totally regret not starting earlier last quarter!!

Same, I never went to any of the sessions last quarter but I'm gonna try to go to some of them throughout this quarter so I can study and review throughout the quarter instead of cramming at the last second.

[Brianne Conway 1D]

I definitely learned from my mistakes in 14A and have changed my study habits for this quarter. Going to the UA workshops and step up sessions are super helpful and it's something I totally regret not starting earlier last quarter!!

Same, I never went to any of the sessions last quarter but I'm gonna try to go to some of them throughout this quarter so I can study and review throughout the quarter instead of cramming at the last second.

[Devin Patel 2D]

Hi, like many others have stated, doing practice problems for me are very helpful. It gives me a chance to apply the knowledge we learn and it is very helpful for exams. I also plan to space out my learning. I've been guilty of cramming my studying in the final days before an exam and it can be pretty stress-inducing. Since the final is cumulative, spacing out the learning and studying could be really helpful because this type of studying actually helps with long-term memory. So these are just some tips that I'll be utilizing and I think could help anyone!

[Molly_Peterson_2F]

I learned from last quarter to spread out my studying and to avoid cramming in this class. Attending workshops and step-up sessions throughout the quarter is really helpful for staying on top of information. Using outside resources such as Khan Academy is also really helpful!

[Liam Bertrand 3]

Textbook problems and reading, step up sessions, rereading lecture notes are what I've been doing. Hopefully by starting week 1 I'll be better prepared for the midterms and final

[Ryan_Kien_1L]

Based on the last final exam, I'm pretty confident that going over all the textbook problems again would be really helpful to make sure that you still remember how to apply concepts, and they show up on the exams sometimes.

[Alexis Sanft 1E]

I learned from last quarter to spread out my studying and to avoid cramming in this class. Attending workshops and step-up sessions throughout the quarter is really helpful for staying on top of information. Using outside resources such as Khan Academy is also really helpful!

Hi I was wondering what the step-up sessions were like and how they work? Are they like zoom meetings with practice problems for extra help? Or, are they more like just free for all, where students can ask questions about anything they are confused about?

[Molly_Peterson_2F]

I learned from last quarter to spread out my studying and to avoid cramming in this class. Attending workshops and step-up sessions throughout the quarter is really helpful for staying on top of information. Using outside resources such as Khan Academy is also really helpful!

Hi I was wondering what the step-up sessions were like and how they work? Are they like zoom meetings with practice problems for extra help? Or, are they more like just free for all, where students can ask questions about anything they are confused about?

Step up sessions normally have a worksheet or practice problems that you work through! If you wanted to ask specific questions I would recommend going to a drop-in session or attend a TA's office hours! On Dr. Lavelle's website he has a link called "Peer Learning Sessions and Step-Up Program" and that leads to a worksheet that gives more information about those resources!

[Nishka Vipul 1J]

I learned from last quarter to spread out my studying and to avoid cramming in this class. Attending workshops and step-up sessions throughout the quarter is really helpful for staying on top of information. Using outside resources such as Khan Academy is also really helpful!

Hi I was wondering what the step-up sessions were like and how they work? Are they like zoom meetings with practice problems for extra help? Or, are they more like just free for all, where students can ask questions about anything they are confused about?

Step up sessions normally have a worksheet or practice problems that you work through! If you wanted to ask specific questions I would recommend going to a drop-in session or attend a TA's office hours! On Dr. Lavelle's website he has a link called "Peer Learning Sessions and Step-Up Program" and that leads to a worksheet that gives more information about those resources!

Here is the link to all the information and respective Zoom links for Step-Up Sessions, Workshops, and UA Drop-in hours: https://lavelle.chem.ucla.edu/wp-conten ... PL_ALL.pdf.
I like to keep this link bookmarked for easy access! Hope this helps!

[alebenavides]

for me personally I tend to do a lot of review on textbook and sapling problems I've done.