For all of you lucky IB students out there, the May 2011 exams will be upon you on 9 May and 10 May 2011.
The Chemistry syllabus, for both Standard Level and Higher Level, is extremely concept-heavy and thus needs a lot of memorization. If you were in a class like mine, and did not have access to an IB Chemistry textbook, then revising for the final exams could be quite problematic.
This is where the study guide comes in. Although it is not a replacement for the textbook nor actual class material, it provides a useful, concise summary of the syllabus and relevant questions that relate to the course material. Many of my classmates had access to one, and it significantly accelerated our Chemistry revision.
The study guide I would recommend is the one by Geoffrey Neuss. Each subsection of the syllabus is summarized in neat little boxes, which contain only what you need to know without extraneous material. It also differentiates between SL and HL material by labeling sections so it is useful for students who are in both levels. Furthermore, at the end of every chapter, there are practice questions which are taken from past IB exams or are very similar to past IB questions; these help familiarize you with the structure of the examination so you don’t necessarily need to purchase the question bank or the old examination papers.
This study guide is available for purchase from Amazon, perhaps the largest online retailer for books. At the time this post was published, the regular price is $42.00. Express shipping options are also available.
(Also, by purchasing a textbook via Amazon, you can help donate to Intense Cogitation so we can continue to help IB students like you!)
Rating: 5/5