How to Study Chemistry (and Actually Understand It): 10 Proven Strategies

Many students say it:

“Chemistry is hard.”
“There are too many formulas.”
“I just don’t get it.”

And maybe you’ve said it too.
I’ve heard these words countless times over the last 12+ years teaching Chemistry—both from students who were genuinely struggling and others who just didn’t know how to study chemistry the right way.

But here’s the truth:
Chemistry isn’t impossible. It’s misunderstood.

It’s not a subject meant to be crammed and forgotten. It’s a system—a living, breathing world of ideas that connect like puzzle pieces or bricks in a well-built house. When the foundation is solid, everything else starts to click.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to study chemistry effectively—even if you’re currently finding it tough. I’ll share the exact strategies that helped me score a straight A in Chemistry (KCSE), and that I’ve used to guide my students for over a decade—from struggling learners to confident science stars.

By the end, you won’t just be memorizing formulas…
You’ll be understanding chemistry—and maybe even enjoying it.

Let’s begin.

🔑 1. Build a Solid Foundation First

Think of chemistry like building a house—you can’t put on the roof before laying a strong foundation. It’s tempting to jump straight into mole calculations or redox reactions, but if you don’t understand the core concepts, the whole subject can start to feel like a blur of symbols and frustration.

Start with the basics. Make sure you’re truly comfortable with:

• Atoms, elements, and compounds
• The periodic table (and why it’s structured that way)
• Chemical bonding (ionic vs covalent)
• States of matter and how they change
• Simple atomic models (Dalton, Bohr, etc.)

These are the “ABC” of chemistry. Once they click, everything else becomes less overwhelming.

🧑‍🏫 A Word From Experience

Let me tell you something personal:
I easily scored a straight A in Chemistry in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) because I started building my foundation early.

From the moment I stepped into Form 1, I was already in love with chemistry. In fact, even back in primary school, I had a strong passion for Science and Math, which helped me build confidence early on. That passion followed me into high school—and I leaned into it.

I didn’t wait to be pushed. I took responsibility for my learning.

Here’s how I did it:

• I read chemistry every day, armed with my class notes, a rough book, a pen, and plenty of practice questions.
• I didn’t just copy notes—I made sure I understood every concept before I wrote it down.
• For example, if the teacher wrote an equation like the reaction between magnesium and steam, I challenged myself to write it from memory first.
• I even used beads and bottle caps to visualize ions and electrons before drawing them on paper.

💡 Real Talk: This Is Where Most Students Go Wrong

Many students dive into calculations before understanding what atoms even are or how bonding works. It’s like trying to read a novel in a foreign language before learning the alphabet.

If you’re struggling with chemistry right now, don’t be ashamed to go back to the beginning.

✔️ Rewatch beginner videos on atomic structure.
✔️ Use flashcards to learn periodic table groups and properties.
✔️ Read slowly and ask questions like:

“Why does this element lose electrons?”
“What really happens during a chemical change?”

📌 Your Turn

Ask yourself:

• Can I explain what an atom is—like I’m teaching it to someone younger?
• Do I know why metals form positive ions?
• Can I sketch and label an atom without looking?

If your answers aren’t confident yet, that’s your sign:
Go back, rebuild the basics—and watch how quickly everything else will fall into place.

🧠 2. Understand Before You Memorize

Let’s be honest—chemistry can look like a language of strange symbols, formulas, and numbers. But here’s the truth: you don’t have to memorize everything to succeed in chemistry.

In fact, the less you cram, the more you’ll actually understand.

When you take time to understand why something works, memorization becomes almost automatic. You no longer feel like you’re chasing formulas—you start seeing the logic behind the formulas.

Example 1: The Mole Formula

Don’t just memorize:

number of moles = mass / Molar mass

Ask yourself:

“What is a mole, really? Why do we use it in the first place?”

The mole is just a way to count particles (atoms, ions, molecules) using mass. You’re basically saying,

“How many particles are in this much substance?”

Once I truly understood that, calculations started making more sense—not just because I knew the formula, but because I felt the meaning behind it.

⚡ Example 2: Oxidation Numbers

Don’t just remember that “oxygen is usually -2.”
Ask:

“What’s actually happening to the electrons in this reaction?”

Understanding oxidation as electron loss and reduction as electron gain helps you see redox reactions, not just balance them. You realize oxidation numbers are just a way to track electron movement.

This shift in mindset helped me simplify even the trickiest questions.

👨‍🏫 What I Did as a Student

When I was preparing for KCSE, I made a deliberate choice:
I wouldn’t just memorize chemistry—I’d understand it deeply.

Here’s how:

• I would break down every concept until it made sense to me in my own words.
• I wrote rough notes explaining topics like I was teaching someone else.
• I developed mnemonics not just to remember—but to make things logical. (Ever tried singing the reactivity series?)
• If something didn’t make sense, I didn’t skip it. I kept revisiting it from different books, notes, or by asking others until it clicked.

I still remember explaining oxidation and reduction to my classmates using real-life analogies:

“Imagine an atom donating an electron like giving away a gift. Who loses? Who gains?”

Teaching others forced me to understand—not just memorize.

🔍 Ask Yourself:

• “Can I explain this without looking at my notes?”
• “Do I really get why this happens, or am I just quoting a line?”
• “Could I teach this to someone else?”

If the answer is “no,” pause—and revisit the why behind the concept.

Understanding > Memorization.

Once you understand, you can’t forget it.
And the exam? It’ll feel like a conversation—not a guessing game.

Explore how Chemiverse Sage Chemistry Learning Platform can help you improve your grade in Chemistry.

✍️ 3. Practice Like a Chemist

Let’s be real—just reading your chemistry notes won’t cut it.
It might feel productive, but without practice, it’s like watching a cooking show and expecting to become a chef.

Chemistry is a doing subject. You need to write, calculate, draw, and analyze.

When I was in high school, I didn’t just sit and highlight textbooks.
I used to study with my pen in hand, a rough book by my side, and past papers spread out on my desk. I’d solve a question, write a chemical equation from scratch, and explain the reasoning to myself out loud.

In fact, by Form 3, I never studied chemistry without my calculator nearby—numerical chemistry became second nature because I practiced it daily.

🧪 My Personal Routine

This helped me build speed, accuracy, and confidence—especially for Chemistry Paper 3 (practicals), which I completed in record time during KCSE: 1 hour 15 minutes out of the 2 hours 15 minutes allowed. That only happened because of years of intensive practice.

🧠 What You Can Do (Starting Today)

Try this weekly practice schedule:

This approach replaces passive reading with active recall and muscle memory—which is exactly how a chemist thinks and works.

🧩 Cheat Sheets & Resources

👉 Keep a growing notebook of solved problems, shortcuts, and tricky questions you’ve mastered.
👉 Use past KCSE papers, school mock exams, or my upcoming “Chemistry Problem Solving Cheat Pack” for topic-specific drills.

If you can do chemistry regularly, you’ll never fear it in exams.

Get your hands dirty. Make mistakes. Fix them. Repeat.
That’s what turns students into masters.

🧩 4. Use Smart Study Tools

Chemistry isn’t just technical—it’s visual, conceptual, and sometimes even emotional.
That’s why the smartest students don’t just rely on books—they use a toolkit of strategies that help their brain see, connect, and remember information better.

When I was a student, I didn’t have YouTube, ChatGPT, or advanced simulations—but I got creative. I turned chemistry into something I could interact with.

Today, you have even more tools. Use them! The more senses and strategies you engage, the deeper your understanding becomes.

Explore our library of 200+ Chemistry digital tools.

🧠 Memory Tools

Sometimes chemistry requires recall—but that doesn’t mean cramming. Use fun, clever memory tricks to help things stick.

• Mnemonics: OIL RIG (Oxidation Is Loss, Reduction Is Gain)
• Acronyms: LEO the lion says GER (Lose Electrons = Oxidation, Gain Electrons = Reduction)
• Storytelling: Imagine ionic bonding like a rich friend giving away money (electrons) to a poor friend—now they’re both “stable.”

💡 When I was preparing for KCSE, I created my own mnemonics to remember reactivity series and periodic table groups. Some were funny, even silly—but they worked! I still remember them today.

🗺️ Visual Tools

If you’re a visual learner (and most chemistry students are), tools like diagrams and color-coding are game-changers.

Try:

• Mind maps for tricky topics like acids & bases, periodic trends, or solubility rules
• Color-coded notes—use red for metals, blue for non-metals, green for reactions
• Concept maps to see how ideas connect, especially in organic chemistry or equilibrium

I used to redraw the same diagrams again and again until they were etched into my brain. Even now, as a teacher, I still encourage students to draw first, memorize later.

🎮 Interactive Tools

Technology makes chemistry even more engaging.

• Virtual labs: Try PhET or Labster to simulate real experiments—especially useful if you don’t have access to a school lab
• Flashcard apps like Anki or Quizlet for rapid-fire review of terms, equations, and definitions
• YouTube channels like Tyler DeWitt, Khan Academy, or CrashCourse Chemistry that explain concepts with visuals and energy

🔧 Tip: Don’t just watch—pause and practice what they teach. Rewriting what you see or teaching it to someone else boosts retention.

Explore 200+ digital Chemistry tools and resources

📚 What I Did Back Then…

I didn’t have all these fancy apps, but I:

• Built mental maps of the entire periodic table
• Used color-coded exercise books (yes, I had a “blue book” for organic chemistry!)
• Acted out reactions in front of a mirror to teach myself the flow of concepts
• Borrowed and read books like Principles of Chemistry until I felt I knew the author personally (shoutout to P. Muchiri!)

🔑 Takeaway:

Don’t study harder. Study smarter.
Use tools that fit your learning style, not just what others are doing.

Chemistry becomes more exciting when it’s not just in your notes—but in your hands, your screen, your memory, and your imagination.

🧑‍🏫 5. Study With Others (or Teach Them)

Here’s a truth most students overlook:
You remember more when you teach.

Chemistry can feel tough if you’re studying alone, stuck in your head, unsure if you’re even getting it right. But once you talk it out, everything starts to click.

When I was a student, some of my best revision moments came not from reading notes, but from explaining chemistry to others. Whether it was Le Chatelier’s Principle, the periodic trends, or even Faraday’s Law—teaching it to a classmate helped me see where my understanding was strong and where it needed work.

💬 Try This:

• Form a study group (even just 2–3 people) and take turns explaining a concept
• Ask a friend to quiz you on definitions, reactions, or diagrams
• Teach someone younger—a sibling, cousin, or even your pillow
• If you’re shy, record yourself explaining a topic, then listen back
• Use the “Feynman Learning Technique”: Pick a topic, explain it in the simplest way possible, and identify any weak spots

If you can teach bonding, electrolysis, or equilibrium to someone who has no chemistry background, congratulations—you’ve mastered it.

👨‍🏫 From My Teaching Experience:

In my classroom, I often ask students:

“Imagine your friend missed today’s lesson—how would you explain it to them?”

That moment of role-play shifts them from passive learners to active explainers. And the confidence it builds? Game-changing.

Even the quietest students become sharper when they have to explain oxidation numbers to someone else. It’s a magical transformation—and one I’ve seen repeat itself over the years.

🤝 Bonus Ideas:

• Start a “chem talk” wall where you and your friends post short explanations of tough concepts
• Do timed challenges: “Explain titration in under 60 seconds”
• Volunteer to tutor a junior student—it’s good for them and for you

Let your learning come alive through teaching.
Speak chemistry. Share it. Own it.

⏱️ 6. Space It Out (Don’t Cram)

Cramming for chemistry is like trying to sprint your way through a marathon.
You might make it halfway, but you’ll be exhausted, confused—and likely to forget everything the moment the test ends.

Here’s the truth: Chemistry rewards consistency.

When I was in high school, I didn’t wait until mock exams or KCSE was around the corner. I made chemistry a daily rhythm, not a panic mode. That’s part of what helped me score a straight A—it wasn’t magic, it was method.

🧠 Try These Smart Study Techniques:

1. Spaced Repetition

Instead of reading one chapter in a single sitting, break it up and review small portions over several days.

💡 Example:
Study the periodic table trends on Monday, review them briefly on Wednesday, and quiz yourself again on Saturday.

It locks the knowledge in your long-term memory instead of letting it evaporate.

2. Pomodoro Method

Work with focus, not fatigue.
This method breaks your study time into 25 minutes of deep focus, followed by 5-minute breaks.

• 4 Pomodoros = 2 hours of solid study
• Use the breaks to stretch, grab water, or review flashcards
• It’s perfect for keeping your energy up—especially with tough topics like organic chemistry or electrolysis

3. Weekly Mini-Reviews

At the end of each week, revisit the topics you studied.
You don’t have to do it all over—just a quick run-through of definitions, formulas, diagrams, and tricky questions.

📌 Tip: Keep a mini “confusion log” during the week. Then address it during your weekend review.

📅 Bonus Tip: Use a Study Planner

One of the best things I ever did as a student was create and actually stick to a personal study timetable. I made sure to include:

• A balance of theory and practice
• Time for group discussions
• Slots for revising notes
• Breaks and recharge time

I’m currently working on a free downloadable Chemistry Study Planner—customized to help you break up topics, set realistic goals, and stay consistent week after week. (Stay tuned!)

“Studying chemistry for 20 minutes a day beats cramming for 6 hours before the test.”

Consistency builds clarity.
Clarity builds confidence.
Confidence gets you that A.

💥 7. Make Chemistry Feel Real

Here’s a secret most textbooks won’t tell you:
Chemistry isn’t just a subject—it’s your everyday life in disguise.

Once you begin to see chemistry happening around you, it becomes less about memorizing reactions… and more about understanding the world.

As a teacher—and a lifelong chemistry enthusiast—I’ve always believed that if students can relate chemistry to what they already know, they’ll stop asking, “Why do I need to learn this?” and start saying, “Wait… that’s chemistry?”

🧴 Chemistry Is Already All Around You

Let’s look at some everyday examples:

• 🍳 Cooking your eggs or steak? That browning? It’s the Maillard reaction—a beautiful chemical dance between amino acids and sugars.
• 🧼 Using soap or detergent? That’s surfactant chemistry at work—breaking surface tension and lifting grease away.
• 🌬️ Smelling your favorite perfume? You’re experiencing esters—volatile compounds that evaporate and hit your nose.
• 🚲 Rusting bike chain? Welcome to the world of redox reactions—oxygen and iron having a reaction party.
• 💄 Applying makeup or lotion? That’s an emulsion—two substances (like oil and water) held together by a stabilizing agent.
• 🧃 Adding lemon juice to tea and watching it change color? That’s acid-base chemistry in real time.

These aren’t just examples—they’re memory anchors. The moment you connect a concept to a smell, sound, or scene from your own life, it becomes unforgettable.

💡 What I Did (and Still Do)

Even back in high school, I trained my brain to ask:

“Where do I see this in real life?”

When we learned about endothermic and exothermic reactions, I thought of ice packs in my lunch box.
When we covered esters, I remembered the fruity scent of ripe bananas and bubble gum.
That curiosity made chemistry stick—not just for exams, but forever.

And as a teacher, I love telling students stories like:

“Did you know the fizz in your soda is carbonic acid breaking down?”
Or:
“Ever wondered why iron turns reddish-brown in the rain?”

Their eyes light up. They finally see chemistry as something alive, not just a subject.

🧪 Try This:

Ask yourself regularly:

• “Where do I see this reaction happening?”
• “What does this formula explain in my daily life?”
• “Can I spot this process in the kitchen, bathroom, garden, or garage?”

Make it a game.
Make it fun.
Chemistry is everywhere—once you start looking.

“When you connect chemistry to your world, you’ll never need to cram it again.”

It becomes part of how you see life.
And that’s when real learning happens.

📉 8. Track Progress, Not Just Grades

One of the biggest mistakes chemistry students make?
Waiting for the exam to find out what they don’t know.

But here’s the truth:
Success in chemistry isn’t about being perfect—it’s about improving consistently.

And the best way to improve?
Assess yourself as you go, not just at the end.

🧪 Why It Matters

When you only study for the final exam, you miss opportunities to course-correct while learning. But when you pause regularly to reflect, even for a minute or two, you give yourself the chance to:

• Catch confusion early
• Reinforce what you’ve learned
• Stay motivated by seeing small wins

✍️ A Small Habit With Big Impact

I used this method as a student, long before I ever heard the term “formative assessment.”
After every study session—even if it was just 30 minutes—I’d grab my notebook and write down:

• ✅ What I now understand (e.g., “I finally get how ionic bonding works!”)
• ❓ What still confuses me (e.g., “Why does aluminum have a 3+ charge?”)
• 🧩 One thing I’ll review later (e.g., “Look up electrode reactions tomorrow”)

It only took 2–3 minutes, but it helped me feel in control.
Learning felt less like a guessing game—and more like progress I could see.

👨‍🏫 What I Do in Class

Even now as a teacher, I encourage this simple self-assessment.
I often end lessons with:

• “Write one thing you’ve learned today.”
• “Tell me one thing you’re still unsure about.”
• “Explain the main idea of the lesson in one sentence.”

It’s not a test. It’s a check-in.

And for many of my students, those little moments of reflection become confidence checkpoints.

📋 Easy Continuous Assessment Ideas for You:

• Exit tickets after study sessions
• Mini true/false quizzes (you can even create your own!)
• Label-the-diagram tasks
• “Explain it like I’m 5” challenges
• Short voice notes to yourself summarizing a topic

Each of these takes less than 5 minutes, but their impact compounds over time.

“Don’t wait for the exam to find your gaps—discover them while it’s still easy to fix them.”

Chemistry is a journey. Track your steps, reflect on your path, and celebrate how far you’ve come.

🧭 9. Ask for Help Early

Let me say this clearly:
Chemistry confusion doesn’t fix itself.

If something doesn’t make sense today, it won’t magically make sense next week—unless you actively clear it up. But here’s the good news:

Chemistry confusion grows fast when ignored—but shrinks quickly when explained.

That’s why one of the best study habits you can build is this:

👉 Ask for help early. And often.

🧠 What I Did as a Student

When I was in high school, I didn’t wait to get stuck for too long.
If I couldn’t balance a tricky redox equation, or I didn’t get the solubility rule exceptions—I asked. I’d raise my hand in class, pull aside a friend during lunch, or write down the question for my next teacher consultation.

And guess what? Each time I asked, the concept became clearer—and my confidence grew. That habit alone saved me hours of frustration.

🔎 Where You Can Get Help

You’re not alone in this chemistry journey. Tap into your support network:

• 👨‍🏫 Ask your teacher — They want you to succeed. Seriously.
• 🧑‍🏫 Hire a tutor — Even a few sessions can clear major roadblocks.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Talk to a classmate — Explaining it together often reveals what’s missing.
• 💬 Use online communities:
  • Reddit (try r/chemistry or r/HomeworkHelp)
  • Quora (search or ask your question)
  • YouTube comments on tutorial videos
  • Leave a comment on Chemiverse Sage or send me an email—I actively respond to questions and love helping students!

Sometimes a single reply or analogy is all it takes to make things click.

💡 Don’t Let Pride Block Progress

It’s okay to not know everything.
In fact, asking for help is a sign of strength—it means you’re committed to understanding.

Even today, with my years of teaching experience and academic background, I still ask colleagues and check references when I hit a tricky topic.
That’s how scientists learn.

✨ Make This a Habit:

• Keep a “Confusion List” in your notebook. Review it weekly.
• Commit to asking at least one question per topic you cover.
• Join an online chemistry community and engage—even just once a week.
• Treat asking questions like brushing your teeth—something you just do.

“Strong students don’t know all the answers—they know where to find them.”

The sooner you ask, the faster you grow.
Let curiosity, not confusion, guide your study habits.

🌟 10. Be the Chemistry Enthusiast They Remember

This one’s personal.

Chemistry isn’t just about getting top grades or solving mole problems. It’s about loving the process, getting curious, and letting your enthusiasm show—even when things get messy.

When I think back to what truly helped me master chemistry, it wasn’t just flashcards or past papers. It was passion.
I genuinely loved chemistry. I saw it everywhere—in food, fire, soap, rain, batteries, perfumes, medicine.
It was part of my daily thinking, and that made learning feel less like a task and more like a mission.

🔥 Passion Is a Powerful Teaching Tool (Even for Yourself)

Whether you’re learning or teaching chemistry, your energy transfers.
If you approach your books with dread, chemistry will feel like a burden.
But if you show up with curiosity and drive, it becomes something else entirely: an adventure.

As a teacher, I’ve seen this over and over:

• The student who lights up when they see a color change during a titration
• The one who finally “gets” bonding after acting it out in class
• The smile when I tell a story about a scientist who failed 99 times before changing the world

Those moments stick longer than any test score.

👨‍🏫 From My Own Chemistry Journey

• I didn’t just study to pass. I studied because I loved it.
• I told stories about chemists who inspired me—from Dmitri Mendeleev to John Dalton.
• I explained chemistry to anyone who’d listen—friends, classmates, even pillows.
• I showed up, every day, fully present. I used to complete Chemistry Paper 3 in KCSE with time to spare—not because it was easy, but because I had trained like an athlete through years of joyful practice.

Chemistry was in my DNA. It still is.

💬 You Can Be That Student (or Teacher), Too

So here’s my challenge to you:

• Tell your chemistry story—why you love it, or how it frustrates you, or where you want to use it in life.
• Celebrate effort, not just results. Progress matters more than perfection.
• Let your curiosity lead. Try new tools. Ask wild questions. Watch a documentary.
• Be excited when things go wrong. Failed experiments are still learning.
• Keep the energy alive. Your future self will thank you.

“You don’t have to be the smartest in the room—just the most curious.”

Be the enthusiast. The chemistry nerd. The one who lights up when talking about molecules.
That spark? That’s what transforms confusion into confidence—and learning into legacy.

🧪 Final Thoughts: You Can Learn Chemistry—For Real

You don’t need to be a genius.
You don’t need to memorize the entire textbook.

What you need is:

This guide has shown you how to study chemistry in a way that actually works—from building a strong foundation, to using memory hacks, to asking better questions, to staying consistent.

And here’s what I know after more than 12 years of teaching:
Every student can succeed in chemistry—including you.

It might take time. It might take effort.
But when it finally clicks—and it will—you won’t just pass.
You’ll enjoy it. You’ll own it. You’ll say:

“I get it now.”

And that’s the moment chemistry becomes more than a subject—it becomes part of how you see the world.

Let’s keep learning.

📌 Related Reading:

👉 How to Teach Chemistry Effectively
Perfect if you’re a teacher, tutor, or older student guiding others.

Or grab my free Chemistry Study Toolkit coming soon. Stay curious. Stay brave. Stay you.

✉️ Want Weekly Study Tips?

Subscribe to the Chemiverse Sage newsletter for chemistry hacks, study tools, and real-world science explained simply.

CONTINUE READING:

10 Real Solutions That Can Make Chemistry More Lucrative

Chemistry Careers That Will Exist in 2030 and Beyond (But Don’t Today)

Previous

20+ Top Chemistry Jobs You Can Pursue Today

Next

How to Teach Chemistry to High School Students: 10+ Proven Strategies

Show full profile Bonface Juma

Bonface Juma is a chemistry educator, national examiner, and science writer with over 12 years of experience. He has pursued a Master’s degree in Analytical Chemistry. He is the founder of Chemiverse Sage

Related Articles

Added to wishlistRemoved from wishlist 0

How to Teach Chemistry to High School Students: 10+ Proven Strategies

$2.99