Virginia Tech CHEM 1035: General Chemistry (with CHEM 1045 lab)
CHEM 1035 is Virginia Tech's first general chemistry course, covering stoichiometry, atomic structure, bonding, thermochemistry, and the properties of matter. It's taken by engineering and science students, typically alongside the separate 1-credit CHEM 1045 lab. ALEKS placement gates enrollment for incoming students.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with Virginia Tech. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
Exams are time-pressured, multi-step problem solving where stoichiometry fluency is assumed within weeks, in a room heavy with engineering students who must pass it to stay on sequence. The parallel lab adds steady pre-lab and report deadlines that quietly collide with exam weeks for the unprepared.
What you'll cover
- • Stoichiometry and the mole
- • Atomic structure and periodicity
- • Chemical bonding
- • Thermochemistry
- • Gases and properties of matter
- • Lab technique and analysis (CHEM 1045)
The CHEM 1035 study guide
How to study for Virginia Tech CHEM 1035, step by step.
- 1
Drill stoichiometry to automaticity immediately
Mole conversions and reaction stoichiometry are embedded in everything after week three. Run daily drills until they're thought-free. Slowness here bleeds points across every exam.
- 2
Solve problems cold every day
Following lecture while practicing little is the standard setup for an exam-one shock. Work problems with solutions closed daily and redo misses the next day.
- 3
Make units do the navigation
Write units on every quantity and force them to cancel. Dimensional analysis turns multi-step chains from memory tests into guided paths and catches errors before the grader does.
- 4
Run the 1045 lab on its own calendar
Do pre-labs before lab day and draft reports right after the session. The lab's deadlines are individually light and collectively brutal when they stack onto exam weeks.
- 5
Train for speed before each exam
Run timed, mixed, no-notes problem sets in the final week of prep. The exams measure speed and accuracy together, and homework builds neither under pressure.
Today
Today's CHEM 1035 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for CHEM 1035. 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 1035 at Virginia Tech hard?
It's a genuine gateway: time-pressured multi-step exams in an engineering-heavy room, plus a parallel lab workload. Early stoichiometry fluency and daily problem practice are what reliably separate comfortable students from struggling ones.
How do I qualify for CHEM 1035?
Incoming students need a qualifying VT ALEKS placement score, AP/IB chemistry credit, or qualifying math coursework. Check the chemistry department's current cutoffs, since thresholds are set per year.
Do I take CHEM 1045 with CHEM 1035?
Most degree plans pair the 1-credit 1045 lab with the 1035 lecture, registered separately. Treat the lab's weekly pre-labs and reports as a real parallel workload, not an afterthought.