Agrasin

I intend on taking a course online in order to prepare for AP Chem (my school can't afford the course). I came upon this website:

Free Online Course Materials | Chemistry | MIT OpenCourseWare

Could you browse the 20 or so undergraduate courses and tell me which one is closest to an AP Chem course? I think it may be course 5.111... but I do not know.

If none of them are adequate prep for the AP Chem test, what do you suggest? Any book that will prepare me well? Perhaps a different online course? Thanks so much!

biodontchem

most of -Principles of Chemical Science- and some of -Solid State Chemistry-. not completely sure of solid state

rspence

5.111 is closest to AP Chem. However here are some topics that 5.111 has that aren't on the AP exam (wavefunctions, for example).

Pdpinch

You might also want to take a look at the Exam prep section of MIT OpenCourseWare as a starting point:

Free Online MIT Course Materials for High School | Chemistry | MIT OpenCourseWare

gopanthers

I don't recommend it.

The problem is that the MIT OCW content is not designed specifically for the ap exams. What you end up doing is covering topics which aren't tested on the exam and other topics aren't even covered in the MIT OCW. You won't get a 5 if you use MIT OCW. You'll probably get a 3, at best.

rspence

^Of course MIT's OCW isn't designed for AP exams (why would it be anyway?). Also, it is definitely possible to get a 5 by just watching OCW lectures...might be a little harder, but it's possible.

Thing is, 5.111 is a little more advanced than AP Chem (taking it this semester btw), so there are several topics that don't appear on the AP test. There are a few (but not many) topics that are in AP Chem but not in 5.111. You can definitely watch the 5.111 videos, but you may want to supplement with an AP Chemistry workbook.

mapletree7

Not at all. You don't need to prepare specifically for AP Chemistry in order to get a 5. A 5 amounts to ~80% on the exam, which is perfectly doable with MIT OCW. AP Chemistry is just an amalgamation of a few major concepts; it's one of the easier APs. Of course, you should take some sample tests to find out how you're doing.

Agrasin

I probably cannot afford an AP Chem textbook, and I have a feeling that studying a textbook would be bothersome and time wasting. . How about I watch MIT OCW and use barrons ap chem practice?

Desafinado

Not sure if Barron's is the best prep book but that general idea should work.

Agrasin

Okay, my plan is now: I will borrow an AP Chem textbook from a teacher (the course was offered last year, they should still have the textbooks). I won't rely heavily on this textbook though, but I could use the problem sets.

I will get the Princeton Review's Cracking AP CHem.

And finally I will watch MIT OCW lectures.

And I will then proceed to get sh** done.