Louis La Minh Hoang

Today, I spent my study session going over all the core parts of chemistry I’ve learned so far — the fundamental concepts that form the backbone of everything in IGCSE. It wasn’t about learning something completely new this time, but rather about revisiting and reinforcing what I already knew — and honestly, it felt great seeing how much more sense everything makes now compared to when I first learned it.

I went through topics like atomic structure, chemical bonding, periodic trends, and reactivity — and this time, I wasn’t just memorizing facts or definitions. I was focusing on why things happen: why ionic compounds form, why metals conduct electricity, and how molecular structures actually determine the physical and chemical properties of substances.

What made it even better was linking different ideas together — like connecting electrolysis to ionic bonding, or understanding how energy changes in reactions relate to the concept of bond formation and breaking. It’s all interconnected, and seeing the full picture makes chemistry feel a lot more logical and less like a pile of random information.

Even though this was technically a “review,” the problems I practiced weren’t simple. They forced me to apply what I learned in different contexts — especially when balancing tricky chemical equations or predicting the products of reactions under specific conditions. It reminded me that chemistry isn’t just about knowing; it’s about thinking scientifically.

In the end, this restudy session wasn’t just revision — it was reinforcement. I walked away not only remembering the facts but actually understanding how they fit together in real-world chemistry. Sometimes, going back is exactly what you need to move forward.