Hey guys,

I'm interested in taking some second year chemistry courses. The main one I'm debating between is Chem Bio 2P03 vs Chem 2PD3, I've heard they're essentially the same course with different profs. Dr. Goward is teaching Chem 2PD3, and I had her for Chem 1A03 and I liked her as a prof.

I was just wondering, does the way of testing change? I really liked Chem 1A03 because they gave you a lot of resources to do well such as weekly tutorial assignments, practice tests/exams, and they never tricked you in multiple choice, if your answer was there, you could be 99% sure you are right because they don't throw in distractors as options.

Is the format for second year chem courses more short answer than multiple choice, I prefer multiple choice.

I'd just like any feedback from people who've taken these two courses, thanks!

While I can't comment on chem2PD3, I've taken chem bio 2P03. This course would probably be right down your alley, as all of the tests are multiple choice. When I took the course, there were three or four tests, plus an exam. The exam had two parts:half new material, and half old material.There is a bit of leeway as your lowest mark gets dropped. In a sense, if your marks from the test were high enough, you could choose not to write the exam (the section with the old material). There are also quizzes that can help bring up your mark. I'm not sure how much the course has changed though (I took it in 2011). Hope this helped!

We have basically no multiple choice by second year. I had Goward for Chem 2PD3 this year. I had a very tough time at the beginning because I hadn't taken Chem 2PC3. It isn't required if you have Math 1AA3 and 1B03, but I honestly think 2PC3 should be a required prerequisite. I ended up doing very well in the end, but the beginning was tough; I had to put in a lot of effort before I was able to do any of the derivations. If you have a strong math background, that'll make it a lot easier.

This is not an easy course. From the description of Chem Bio 2PD3 above, I'd give that one a shot instead, especially if you're just doing this for fun and not as a required course.

Thanks guys, so Chem Bio 2P03 is a better elective than Chem 2PD3? Is it less mathematical, and Bug324, do you mind telling me what the marking scheme was like, because I know in Chem Bio 2P03, you have a lot of leeway in your marks (36% Quizzes, options of not writing parts of the exam if you do really well in the tests, option of dropping tests if you do really well on the exam, etc.)

Chembio 2P03 isn't actually too light on the math. I'd say there is a fair split of theory and calculations on the tests/exam. Each test is only 16 multiple choice though (for us), so there isn't actually a lot of room for error.

Originally Posted by naval23

Thanks guys, so Chem Bio 2P03 is a better elective than Chem 2PD3? Is it less mathematical, and Bug324, do you mind telling me what the marking scheme was like, because I know in Chem Bio 2P03, you have a lot of leeway in your marks (36% Quizzes, options of not writing parts of the exam if you do really well in the tests, option of dropping tests if you do really well on the exam, etc.)

There are two marking schemes, one with Mastering Chemistry and one without. I don't know if she'll be using Mastering in the future, though, this was a trial run and it was pretty disappointing (super easy, which is nice to get free marks, but then completely unhelpful for learning). She supplemented the Mastering assignments with a few written questions to be handed in, too.

Marking Scheme 1:
Midterms 30%
Mastering Chemistry/Assignments 15%
Final Exam 55%
Possible Tutorial Bonus +5% (Attendance and correct answers)

Marking Scheme 2:
Midterms 30%
Final Exam 70%
Possible Tutorial Bonus +5% (Attendance and correct answers)

Your mark is calculated using both, and the better of the two is used. There are two midterms, but I don't know how she split them up within the 30%.