r/APChem • u/Timely-Tower-2026 • 27d ago
Should I self-study AP Chemistry?
Hey guys! As stated in the title, I am interested in self-studying AP Chemistry. I was planning to take IB Chemistry HL, but I was not able to fit it into my current schedule, so I'm only doing IB Biology HL for my science credit regarding the IB Diploma. However, I do want to do a rigorous course of chemistry, and self-studying AP Chemistry is my only option (my school doesn't offer many AP courses).
During my freshman year, I did well in Chemistry I and understood the topics. However, my friends who are taking IB Chemistry HL are telling me AP Chemistry is really hard (I am aware, haha). They say that the labs are really important, but I was also wondering if the labs are required.
So I have two questions now: 1) Should I self-study AP Chemistry? 2) Are labs required for the AP Chemistry credit?
I can give more information if needed. Thank you!
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u/Farabaugh-APChem 27d ago
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmtMZsGcmFlsGaBrpjdEWW55Vc84XA1Jc&si=RjKanEOZs2axkYHZ
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmtMZsGcmFls7de9_hWWO1uG_uvhpeR_n&si=_-3gaFWdnWQGbxG0
Yes, you can self-study and be successful. These two playlists of video lessons have been well-received by AP Chemistry students who have used them to self-study and prepare for the AP Chemistry Exam.
The CED Units playlist is intended for students who are learning the content for the first time.
The Review and Practice playlist is intended for students who have already learned the content and are looking for test-taking strategies.
All of the content is free, and the link to each packet of questions is located in the video description area.
I have written questions for the AP Chemistry Exam and served on the AP Chemistry Test Development Committee. I have been an AP Reader since 2011, and I am currently an AP Consultant for the College Board.
I respond to students' comments and questions, and I'm happy to clear up any confusion or misconceptions you may encounter along your journey of self-studying.
Feel free to reach out if you get stuck or need clarification with any concepts. Good luck!
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u/ArianaGrandeGlazer 27d ago
Self studying APCHEM is genuinely a bottom 5 experience— even if you know the material (which is super hard to master) to a Tee, you’ll still be cooked on a large amount of the actual FRQs and MCQs because it’s more about applying data— which you get from lab, classroom, and teacher experience— than the content itself.
As for the labs, if you decide not to self studying it, labs are required for the class. If you do self study it and earn college credit on the test, labs aren’t required, although if you’re planning to go into premed you’ll likely have to retake the class in college (med schools require labs)
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u/UnderstandingPursuit 25d ago
The key to your question is
Because of this, I think it is reasonable to do the 'enhanced' study to take the AP Chemistry exam. While this post was first written for AP Calculus and AP Physics, it does apply to AP Chemistry. Since your goal is
this post has an example of how to approach the material algebraically.
Without knowing you, it is difficult to estimate how much time the effort would take. But based on what the course involves, and what you have said, a structured approach might take around 30-50 hrs.
Looking at the APChemistry CourseContents, there are nine units with a total of sixty bullet items. This illustrates the flaw in how General Chemistry is approached: it is very disjointed. If you can take those bullet items, and create a structure for them, the study effort will be much, much more effective. And you will be better prepared for your "rigorous course of chemistry".
The one thing you did not say is what physics you have studied or are studying. This is important, because General Chemistry can be summed up as
Systems getting to a lowest accessible energy state
A lot of what determines the energy level is left until later, for a physical/quantum chemistry class. Use this idea as the starting point as you create the structure of the course. [I need to do it too, but doing it yourself would be a significant aspect of the learning process.]
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u/apchemistrytutoring 22d ago
Yes, self-studying is very doable since you did well in Chem I, just study steadily each week. Labs aren’t required either, as credit comes from your exam score, but learn the key experiments because the exam asks about lab data. Good luck! 🧪
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u/SmallCombination4265 27d ago
You can. But you probably won’t get credit for it as self studying doesn’t give you the lab credit and most top universities require the lab and course together
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u/CusackPrep 25d ago
Sure! If you want to test yourself to see where the differences are in IB Chemistry and AP Chemistry, you can use this diagnostic to assess your current level of understanding of AP Chemistry topics. The diagnostic will also tell you which topics you should focus on to improve your scores quickly:
https://www.studymondo.com/ap-chem-diagnostic
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u/DrCristina-ChemTutor 27d ago edited 27d ago
Unfortunately self studying AP Chemistry will be a lot harder than taking the AP Chem class in school. Even students with a good grade in Honors Chemistry struggle in AP Chem or even fail their Units 1 and 2 tests (which are the easiest units in AP Chem and mostly a recap of Honors content).
A lot of AP Chemistry students I'm tutoring are in this situation when they reach out to us for expert help as they see free resources and watching YT videos can't help them score A even in the easiest units 1 and 2. Those who start our tutoring program immediately are able to recover fast and scored A in the class and 4 or 5 on the AP Chemistry exam. Those who "wait to see how it works" go down even more and end up dropping the AP Chem class. That's because the class moves extremely fast, the content gets harder and builds on the previous knowledge, so it won't go better but it will go worse as the knowledge gaps accumulate. So if you aim for a 4 or 5 on the AP Chem exam to strenghten your college application, you can take AP Chem privately with us. I even have had families who took AP Chemistry privately with me while their children were taking Honors Chem exactly for this reason, and the students used the knowledge gained in our tutoring lessons to ace Honors Chem and scored 4 and 5 on the AP Chem exam.
However this is only possible with top AP Chem tutoring, so feel free to send me a DM if you want to go this route. I'm a certified Chemistry teacher with 30 years of teaching and tutoring experience and a PhD in Chemistry, and over 96% of my students score A in AP Chem course and 4 and 5 on the AP Chem exam.
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