Penn State CHEM 110: Chemical Principles I
CHEM 110 is Penn State's first general chemistry course (stoichiometry, atomic structure, bonding, thermochemistry, and gases) required for engineering, science, and pre-health tracks. With common evening exams and curved grading, it shares the weed-out reputation of the MATH 140 cluster.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with Penn State University. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
The exam style is the shock: time-pressured, multi-step problems where stoichiometry fluency is assumed from week three onward. Students who follow lecture fine but practice few problems discover the gap on exam one, and because grading is curved, 'decent' preparation lands below average in a room full of pre-meds and engineers.
What you'll cover
- • Stoichiometry and the mole
- • Atomic structure and periodicity
- • Chemical bonding
- • Thermochemistry
- • Gas laws
- • Solution chemistry basics
The CHEM 110 study guide
How to study for Penn State CHEM 110, step by step.
- 1
Make stoichiometry automatic in the first three weeks
It's embedded in everything CHEM 110 does after week three. Drill mole conversions and reaction stoichiometry daily until they cost you no thought. Slowness here bleeds points all semester.
- 2
Solve problems daily with solutions closed
Following lecture fine while practicing few problems is the classic CHEM 110 setup for an exam-one shock. Work problems cold every day and redo your misses the next.
- 3
Let units carry you through multi-step problems
Write units on every quantity and make them cancel. Dimensional analysis converts the course's long calculation chains from memory tests into guided paths, and catches errors before they're graded.
- 4
Work past exams under time pressure the week before each evening exam
Old exam-style questions, timed, no notes. The evening exams are time-pressured and curved against a room of pre-meds and engineers, so speed has to be trained, not hoped for.
- 5
Remember the curve is the opponent
Decent preparation lands below average in this room. Whatever your routine, calibrate against exam-style problems, not homework comfort. The curve grades you against people doing exactly that.
Today
Today's CHEM 110 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for CHEM 110. Yours is built from your own syllabus and adapts every day to your deadlines and progress.
First plan free, no card required. Fennie is independent and unaffiliated with your school.
FAQ
Is CHEM 110 at Penn State a weed-out class?
It has that reputation, and the curved evening exams are why: time-pressured multi-step problems in a room of pre-med and engineering students set a high bar. Students doing daily problem practice consistently beat it; passive studiers consistently don't.
How do I pass CHEM 110?
Make stoichiometry automatic in the first three weeks. It's embedded in everything after. Then solve problems daily without solutions open, and practice old exam-style questions under time limits before each evening exam.
How much math is in CHEM 110?
Constant algebra: unit conversions, multi-step calculation chains, logarithms late in the course. No calculus, but algebra speed and accuracy under time pressure is effectively part of every exam.