Registration for ‘O’ Level Chemistry Intensive Revision Program has completed.

Together with this special group of students that have decided to committment their time and energy, i am looking forward to the  ‘O’ Level Chemistry Intensive Revision Program in 2 days time.

If you are one of them, i congratulate you in making this decision to join us (we can only allow a certain number of students due to space and acticity participation limit). We will be using Accelerated Learning Techniques to impart and coach you comprehensively on 80% of your syllabus for GCE ‘O’ Levels, over the next 40 hrs of Intensive period.

You must be as excited as me at the moment. Hold on, put on your seatbelt and we look forward to the ‘accelerated drive’ towards your Academic Success in Chemistry. You will be learning Chemistry effectively and efficiently in a fun way, with lots of everyday life examples and lots lots lots of analogies. I will help you to utilize your ‘resources’ and maximize your potential, and achieve the grades you truly deserve.

See you on 16th June 2008 @ 9.00am! =)

Latest Update on 30 May 2008: Register for your FREE Introductory Workshop to O Level Chemistry Intensive BootCamp here

www.simplechemconcepts.com/register  

The March’s Chemistry Intensive Revision Program was conducted in mid-March 08 and prove to be very successful. We had lots of fun and saw tremendous amount of participation from the students and this certainly will help them in their Chemistry learning. Several topics such as Atomic Structure, Elements, Compounds & Mixtures, Different Types of Bonding, Properties of Bonding Structure, etc was thoroughly revised and discussed.

For those that missed out on our March Chemistry Intensive Program, we will conduct another 2 programs during the coming June Holidays. These ones will cover even more extensive topics of Chemistry in an open interactive manner.

We will be conducting GCE O Level Chemistry Intensive Topical Revision Bootcamps to prepare students for Sec 3 Final Year Examinations and GCE O Level/Preliminary Examinations respectively.

Chemistry Intensive Topical Revision Bootcamp :
–> Extensive Coverage of Sec 3 Fundamental Topics
* Kinetic Particle Theory
* Purification & Separation
* Elements, Compounds & Mixtures
* Atomic Structure
* Covalent, Ionic & Metallic Bonding
* Balancing Chemical Equations, Mole Concepts & Chemical Calculations
* Acids, Bases & Salts

–> Extensive Coverage of Sec 4 Application Topics
* Oxidation & Reduction (Redox)
* Electrolysis
* The Periodic Table
* Metals & The Reactivity Series
* Energy Changes
* Speed of Reaction
* Ammonia

Do send me an email to sean@simplechemconcepts.com and leave down your contact number if you are interested to enroll for this workshop or for any other enquiries. Priorities will be given to students that have never scored an A before in previous major Chemistry examinations. You can also contact me at 98287357 for discussion.

Do contact us early as first come first served basis. Once the class size is full, we will not be able to accept any more students due to venue constraint.

PS: For students & parents interested in Combine Science (Chemistry) Intensive Revision Programs, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will look into setting up a revision program once we have the minimum number.

“Determination: Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way”
- Abraham Lincoln

 (Image by shito)

Dear Parents and Students based in Singapore,

I will be conducting an Intensive GCE O Level Pure Chemistry Sec 3 Topical Revision Workshop this coming March school holiday for students taking their O Levels this year. Objective is to do intensive revision for the Sec 3 fundamental yet essential topics so that students can effectively understand the application questions in Sec 4 topics. (more…)

I had recevied a couple of emails from Secondary 5 Normal (Academic Students) asking for help to cope for their ‘O’ Level this year. Transiting from completing the N Levels to preparing for the O Levels in Sec 5 is not an easy journey indeed. This is also mentioned by Beetsma, the Singapore Top O-Level Performer among the Sec 5 cohort for 2007 GCE ‘O’ Level examinations.

As mentioned by Beetsma, “the gap is very wide because they teach us more in a shorter amount of time. The classes were getting harder and harder and I had difficulties.” In recent weeks, they has been controversies of cases that Sec 5 students attempting O levels are being “discouraged” by their school principal to transfer to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) as they are unlikely to do well at ‘O’ Levels.

Even though the road to ‘O’ Level from ‘N’ Level is not easy, i personally felt the principal should have been more tactful in his speech. Perhaps, the principal (and thus the school) should have a meeting/breifing with parents and students together and let them know the options that are available. I remembered in my early school days, such “talks” on Options that are available, have always been very smooth and positive.

Having said that, i strongly urge Normal (Academic) Students to keep their focus and study hard. Starting from now, go learn all the fundamental concepts in Chemistry that you are not strong with. It is important to have a good understanding of the basic Chemistry Concepts in order to appreciate the Sec 5 chapters.

Following are some fundamental chapters In Chemistry that you need to master:

• Elements, Compounds & Mixtures
• Atomic Structure
• Bonding (Ionic, Covalent & Metallic)
• Writing Chemical Equations (including Ionic Equations) –> Most Students have problems
• Mole Concepts & Chemical Calculations –> Most Students have problems
• Acids, Bases & Salts
• The Periodic Table & Its Elements

You can do it! Start your revision early, so that you can find help. Do not revise on the 11th hour.

PS: Go download your Free Video on Tips for Balancing Chemical Equations on the right side of this webpage.

PSS: I will be sharing with you on questions that emphasize on Essential Chemistry Concepts in this post. Stay Tuned!

Well Done my students from 2007 batch,

I am very glad that you have all made tremendous inprovement in your Chemistry examinations. Appreciate the phonecalls and SMS to inform me of your results after the release. I am very proud to have coached you towards this 2007 GCE O Level Chemistry Examinations, and see all of you being happy about the Chemistry results that you have obtained – some with exemplary improvements.

Cheney Wong (St. Andrews Sec) D7 (Mid-Yr) –> A1 (O Lvl) [3 mths]

June (Dunman High) A1 (Sec 3) –> A1 (O Lvl) [results maintained]

Hui En (Crescent Girls) C5 (Sec 3) –> A2 (O Lvl)

A. Yu (Sports School) C6 (Prelims) –> A2 (O Lvl) [23 days]

H. Woo (Clementi Sec) D7 (Prelims) –> B4 (O Lvl) [2 mths]

(more…)

Halo students,

Do you find assigning Oxidation Number (or Oxidation States) to elements and then geting the correct chemical formulae of compounds very challenging, and often lost marks on it. Fret Not! In fact, assigning Oxidation Number to the elements and obtaining the subsequent chemical formulae of the compounds is easy if you observe the following rules:

• The oxidation numbers of an atom or the atoms in a neutral molecule must add up to zero.
• If an atom or molecule is ionic its oxidation number must add up to its overall charge.
• Alkali metal atoms (Group I) have an oxidation number equal to +1 within compounds.
• Alkali earth atoms (Group II) have an oxidation number of +2 within compounds.
• Halogens have -1 oxidation number within compounds.
• Hydrogen is always assigned a +1 oxidation number in compounds, except in metal hydrides (e.g. LiH) whereby the Li has a + 1 oxidation number while H adopts a -1 oxidation number.
• Oxygen is assigned an oxidation number of -2 in compounds except when It is found in Hydrogen Peroxide whereby each 0 atom has a -1 oxidation state.
• The sum of oxidation states of all the atoms in a molecule is equal to zero.
• The sum of oxidation states of all the atoms in a radical is equal to the charge on the ion.

Examples To Note:

N₂O      +1 state for N, -2 state for O

LiH         +1 state for Li, -1 state for H

H₂O₂      +1 state for H, -1 state for O
O₂         0 state for O
SO₄^2-       +6 state for S, -2 state for O

I have been chatting with some of my students on MSN or via email, to find out how they are doing lately during their holidays. And it came to my awareness (and unhappiness in a way) that schools (especially the elite school) are already packing lots of homework for the students. Some homework are due upon school opening, whilst others are to be submitted during Dec “remedial” class. Seems like the school are again afraid of not able to finish their Secondary 4 syllabus again (This actually happened to lots of school this year!). Personally, i thought learning should be more fun and relaxing manner. In this way, the knowledge will be more applicable to real-life situation and the education will be more holistic.

Now, let’s go back to the subject of Chemistry. Is Chemistry really that difficult to learn & score?

Are you worried that you or your child:

• Is Struggling with Chemistry?
• Is not interested in Chemistry?
• Is Unable to link the different Chemistry chapters together?
• Has not benefit from other tuition program attended?
• Is Giving up Chemistry which you know is so important for his future?

How can SimpleChemConcepts Small Group Coaching help you or your child?

(more…)