Colorado’s Best Chemistry Tutors
Denver Test Prep’s experienced chemistry tutors help students build a strong foundation of all conceptual levels of chemistry and provide students with knowledge about the fundamental assumptions and structure of chemistry systems. High school chemistry courses include extensive laboratory work in-class, and our tutors work with students to prepare them to successfully apply key concepts and topics during their lab work. Topics include, but are not limited to, states of matter, chemical bonding, the periodic table, electron structure, thermochemistry, liquids and solids, molecular geometry, equilibrium, acids and bases, oxidation-reduction, equilibrium, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, and organic chemistry. While Denver Test Prep tutors have significant experience in helping student with a variety of middle school, high school, and college chemistry courses, our most commonly requested courses are general high school chemistry and AP Chemistry.
What concepts are covered in AP Chemistry?
The AP Chemistry course offers students an opportunity to tackle advanced chemistry topics during their high school career. The course is designed to be taken only after achieving strong grades in an initial course in high school chemistry. Students should also have a solid understanding of algebra before taking the course. The AP Chemistry exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes long. It includes a 105-minute free-response section and a 90-minute multiple-choice section. The College Board (www.collegeboard.org) provides a detailed description of the AP Chemistry course, topics, and exam. A short description has been provided below of the six “big ideas” identified by the College Board for the AP Chemistry course. These “big ideas” form the foundation of the AP Chemistry course and are the primary areas where Denver Test Prep tutors will focus their attention during AP Chemistry tutoring programs.
Big Idea 1: The chemical elements are fundamental building materials of matter, and all matter can be understood in terms of arrangements of atoms. These atoms retain their identity in chemical reactions.
Big Idea 2: Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them.
Big Idea 3: Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms and/or the transfer of electrons.
Big Idea 4: Rates of chemical reactions are determined by details of the molecular collisions.
Big Idea 5: The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role of energy and explain and predict the direction of changes in matter.
Big Idea 6: Any bond or intermolecular attraction that can be formed can be broken. These two processes are in a dynamic competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external perturbations.
“I really liked that my tutor helped me to develop my own pace, but challenged me to increase my stamina in answering questions. In a sense, my tutor helped me feel comfortable with myself when prepping, which in turn helped relieve the nervousness that I often feel when taking tests and ultimately resulted in an improved overall score.”
