Classic Mistake №1 Not reading all the question.

Not checking that the sentence you have just written makes sense. Classic Mistake №2 Not checking that the sentence you have just written makes sense.

Classic Mistake №3 Forgetting state symbols in equations.

Not learning definitions off by heart, and Classic Mistake №4 Not learning definitions off by heart, and trying to make them up in the exam.

(and no it’s not the number of protons and neutrons an atom has!) Classic Mistake №5 Thinking that Relative Atomic Mass has the same definition as Mass Number. (and no it’s not the number of protons and neutrons an atom has!)

– at least have an educated guess! Classic Mistake №6 Missing out exam questions – at least have an educated guess!

Not doing past paper questions for revision Classic Mistake №7 Not doing past paper questions for revision – or not marking them!

Classic Mistake №8 Restating the question instead of answering it. e.g. You may know that δ+ is ‘delta plus’ but what does this mean?

Classic Mistake №9 Not correcting your mistakes and finding out the correct answers – or finding them out but not learning them!

Classic Mistake №10 Leaving revision until the last minute – or not revising at all!

Not asking when you don’t understand something. Classic Mistake №11 Not asking when you don’t understand something.

Not writing up and re-reading your notes after EVERY lesson. Classic Mistake №12 Not writing up and re-reading your notes after EVERY lesson.

Not preparing for the next lesson by reading ahead in the text book. Classic Mistake №13 Not preparing for the next lesson by reading ahead in the text book.

Classic Mistake №14 Thinking metals and non metals usually form covalent bonds – they’re usually Giant Ionic Lattices!

Not knowing the 3 formulae: Classic Mistake №15 Not knowing the 3 formulae: n = m/Mr For solutions: c = n/V For gases: n = V/24dm3

Classic Mistake №16 Forgetting to convert between kg and g, or cm3 and dm3 in calculations.

Not taking molar ratios into account in calculations. Classic Mistake №17 Not taking molar ratios into account in calculations.

Not labelling diagrams. Classic Mistake №18 Not labelling diagrams.

Classic Mistake №19 For questions about the difference in first ionisation energy of two elements, putting anything other than: Larger distance of outer shell from nucleus Shielding of nuclear charge New subshell, so bigger distance Larger nuclear charge so smaller atomic radius.

Not learning shapes of molecules and their bond angles off by heart. Classic Mistake №20 Not learning shapes of molecules and their bond angles off by heart.