40 ❯ STEP 3. Develop Strategies for Success
- Welcome to the magic kingdom. If you surround the right answer to a question with a
paragraph of chemical wrongness, you will usually get the point, so long as you say
the magic word. The only exception is a direct contradiction of the right answer. For
example, suppose that when asked to “identify” the maximum concentration, you
spend a paragraph describing how the temperature may change the solubility and the
gases are more soluble under increased pressure, and then say the answer is two. You
get the point! You said the “two” and “two” was the magic word. However, if you
say that the answer is two, but that it is also four, but on Mondays, it is six, you have
contradicted yourself and the point will not be given. - “How” really means “how” and “why.” Questions that ask how one variable is affected by
another—and these questions are legion—require an explanation, even if the question
doesn’t seem to specifically ask how and why. For example, you might be asked to
explain how effective nuclear charge affects the atomic radius. If you say that the “atomic
radius decreases,” you may have received only one of two possible points. If you say
that this is “because effective nuclear charge has increased,” you can earn the second
point. - Read the question carefully. The free-response questions tend to be long (multipart)
questions. If you do not fully understand one part of the question, you should go on
to the next part. The parts tend to be stand-alone. If you make a mistake in one part,
you will not be penalized for the same mistake a second time. - Budget your time carefully. Spend 1–2 minutes reading the question and mentally
outlining your response. You should then spend the next 3–5 minutes outlining
your response. Finally, you should spend about 15 minutes answering the question.
A common mistake is to overdo the answer. The question is worth a limited number
of points. If your answer is twice as long, you will not get more points. You will lose
time you could spend on the remainder of the test. Make sure your answers go directly
to the point. There should be no deviations or extraneous material in your answer. - Make sure you spend some time on each section. Grading of the free-response questions
normally involves a maximum of one to three points for each part. You will receive
only a set maximum number of points. Make sure you make an attempt to answer
each part. You cannot compensate for leaving one part blank by doubling the length
of the answer to another part.
You should make sure the grader is able to find the answer to each part. This will help
to ensure that you get all the points you deserve. There will be at least a full page for
your answer. There will also be questions with multiple pages available for the answer.
You are not expected to use all of these pages. In some cases, the extra pages are there
simply because of the physical length of the test. The booklet has a certain number
of pages. - Outlines are very useful. They not only organize your answer, but they also can point
to parts of the question you may need to reread. Your outline does not need to be
detailed: just a few keywords to organize your thoughts. As you make the outline,
refer back to the question; this will take care of any loose ends. You do not want to
miss any important points. You can use your outline to write a well-organized answer
to the question. The grader is not marking on how well you wrote your answer, but
a well-written response makes it easier for the grader to understand your answer and
to give you all the points you deserve.