How To Help Your Teen Prepare for AP Chemistry ThisSummer

AP Chemistry isn’t just another high school science class. It's fast-paced, math-heavy, and expects students to jump in ready to apply concepts from day one. If your teen isn’t feeling confident or it's been a while since their last chemistry class, summer prep can make all the difference.

In this episode of Teaching High School Science, I’m sharing the exact topics your teen should review this summer to walk into AP Chem with confidence and clarity. From dimensional analysis and algebra skills to electron configurations and stoichiometry, we’re covering the must-know foundations that will help your teen keep up (and stay ahead) in this challenging course.

You'll learn:

• Which key chemistry concepts are essential for Units 1 & 2
  
  
• What math skills students must be comfortable with before the fall
  
  
• Why practice—not just notes or videos—is the secret to solid prep
  
  
• How to get the most out of school-issued summer packets
  
  

Plus, I share how my 1:1 AP Chemistry Summer Prep Tutoring on OutSchool provides a personalized, structured plan to fill in gaps and build confidence before class even begins.

If AP Chem is on your teen’s schedule this fall, this episode is your summer prep roadmap.

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Chapters

• 0:00 AP Chem Challenges and Summer Prep
• 2:10 Essential Topics to Review
• 4:08 Practice Strategies and Resources
• 5:35 One-to-One Tutoring Option
• 6:01 Final Tips and Call to Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

AP Chem is fast, math heavy and assumes your teen remembers quite a bit from their earlier chemistry class. Now, if that makes you pause, then this episode is for you. Today I'm sharing the exact topics your teen should review this summer to be prepared for their class in the fall, and how a structured, personalized plan can make all the difference. So let's help them start AP Chem with confidence. Welcome to Teaching High School Science. I'm your host, doc, a former biochemist turned high school science teacher and private tutor. Whether you're homeschooling your team through high school science or teaching online, join me as I share tips and strategies I've learned over the years for at-home and online labs and activities, breaking down complex concepts and structuring learning in a way that makes sense. Now let's dive into today's topics.

Speaker 1: 0:52

Ep Chemistry isn't your average high school science class. It moves quickly, builds on prior knowledge and expects your team to be ready to apply math and chemistry skills from day one. After all, it is a college level chemistry class. But not every student walks in with that full foundation, especially if their previous chemistry class was more general, was rushed. Maybe they had a situation where there was a sub half of the year that happens, or if it was a while since they'd taken it. And add to that the fast pace of AP Chem is really easy for students to feel behind before the year really gets going, and teachers often have to move quickly to stay on track for that AP Chem exam, which means that there's just not a lot of time to slow down for extra review and extra practice. That is the nature of the course. That's why summer prep makes such a difference. It gives your teen a chance to brush up on the concepts they need from their previous chemistry class to strengthen their math and problem solving skills, especially if Algebra 1 was a bit of a challenge, and that allows them to walk into AP Chem knowing that they're ready for whatever is about to come.

Speaker 1: 2:10

Now let's talk about what your team should actually review this summer. One is dimensional analysis. This skill is used constantly to convert units and solve problems involving moles, grams, liters, particles. It is a must-have. It will help them to keep track of not only the substances but also the units, as we're converting between one or the other, and this leads to a review of algebra. They should be comfortable rearranging equations, solving for unknowns and working with ratios. They should also be familiar with natural logs and logarithms, because that is going to be used extensively in acids and bases.

Speaker 1: 2:53

They need to review atomic structure and periodic table trends. This shows up immediately in units one and unit two and becomes foundation for bonding and reactions. Topics can include electron configurations, periodic trends ranging from electronegativity, atomic radii and ionization. It is not just enough to know what those trends are, but why they are, how they are. Another topic is chemical bonding and compounds understanding the difference between ionic and covalent bonds, molecular structure, how to name and write chemical formulas for compounds and molecules, including ionic compounds that are binary with polyatomic ions and with transition metals. The next topic is stoichiometry mole conversions, writing and determining empirical formulas limiting reactants. These skills build quickly and students who are comfortable with these basics have a much smoother start. Now don't just allow them to go back and read notes and watch videos. Make sure they're actually practicing. Practicing how to solve actual problems makes the bigger impact. Have them walk through the steps, label the units and have them get used to showing all of their work. That is going to be extremely important on the AP Chem exam, because if they're not showing their work, they will not get partial credit.

Speaker 1: 4:24

Some schools will have an AP Chem summer prep packet. This is usually with the school's AP Chem teacher and if your student already enrolled in a course and know who that teacher is, if they go and speak to that teacher nine times out of 10, they will give them a summer packet. And sometimes these summer packets are with the counselors so that the student can just grab it if they're interested in AP Chem and work on that packet over the summer. These packets are great to provide an idea of what to review, but they may not provide enough problems in the area that your student need the most, and some students may need more structure, whereas watching videos or practicing on their own is not enough. They need someone that they can ask questions and practice with.

Speaker 1: 5:13

That is why I offer one-to-one AP chemistry summer prep tutoring on our school.

Speaker 1: 5:20

These sessions are personalized and focus on giving your team a structured review of the chemistry foundations that they need the most, so that they feel confident and ready on the first day of class. So if your team could benefit from this level of structure, check out the link in my show notes, which will take you directly to my one-to-one AP Chem summer prep tutoring so that you can learn more. And don't forget that if your teen is reviewing for AP Chem over the summer, grab that AP Chem summer packet if your school has it and make sure that they are actually practicing the problems. Let me know if you have any questions, ideas or other experiences that you'd like to share. Head on over to my podcast page, which you can access by visiting my website at thesciencementorcom. Then select podcast from the menu and subscribe now to the Teaching High School Science podcast for your regular dose of motivation and just-in-time science ideas, and together let's make high school science a journey of exploration and achievement. Until next time, remember, curiosity leads to endless possibilities.