Is Chemistry Harder Than Physics?

Few questions spark more heated debates in college science circles than this one: Is Chemistry harder than Physics? Both subjects are notorious GPA killers, both require long hours of study, and both can leave even the smartest students feeling lost. But the challenges they present are very different.

Chemistry often overwhelms students with memorization—endless reactions, equations, and lab reports—while Physics tends to crush students with math-heavy problem solving and abstract concepts like forces, energy, and motion. To make things even more complicated, online platforms such as ALEKS Chemistry and Pearson MasteringPhysics add a new digital layer of frustration.

According to research from the National Institutes of Health, STEM attrition rates are highest in introductory science courses like Chemistry and Physics, with students citing “course difficulty” and “poor grades” as primary reasons for switching majors. The American Chemical Society reports that General Chemistry has one of the highest withdrawal rates of any undergraduate course, while the American Physical Society notes that Physics courses consistently rank among the most difficult in student surveys across universities.

Understanding what makes each subject challenging—and which one aligns with your strengths—can be the difference between academic success and a career pivot. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down what makes each subject hard, compare them side by side, analyze course-level differences from introductory to advanced classes, examine how different majors prioritize each subject, share real student perspectives, discuss platform-specific challenges, and show you how Finish My Math Class can help you conquer either course with guaranteed high grades.

Why Chemistry Feels Hard

Chemistry has a reputation for overwhelming even the most dedicated students. Unlike Physics, which leans heavily on mathematical problem-solving, Chemistry often demands a combination of memorization, problem sets, and hands-on lab work. Here’s why so many students call it one of the hardest classes they’ve ever taken:

• Endless Memorization: From the periodic table to reaction types to solubility rules, Chemistry requires students to memorize large volumes of information—often without much context until later in the course. The American Chemical Society estimates that General Chemistry students must commit over 200 discrete facts to memory in the first semester alone, with that number doubling in General Chemistry 2.
• Stoichiometry & Equations: Balancing equations and calculating moles are the building blocks of Chemistry, but many students get stuck here before even reaching advanced topics. These foundational skills compound—if you fall behind on stoichiometry in week 3, every subsequent topic (limiting reagents, percent yield, gas laws, equilibrium) becomes exponentially harder.
• Lab Reports: Time-consuming experiments and detailed lab write-ups add another layer of stress. For many students, writing the report takes longer than running the experiment. Labs often require formal scientific writing, data analysis with statistical calculations, error propagation mathematics, and discussions that connect experimental results to theoretical concepts—skills that aren’t emphasized in lecture.
• Online Platforms: Systems like ALEKS Chemistry and Pearson MasteringChemistry can feel like obstacles instead of tools. Adaptive platforms often punish students for small mistakes, forcing them to redo entire problem sets. The answer format requirements (significant figures, scientific notation, proper units) can mark correct work as wrong due to formatting issues.
• Abstract Micro-to-Macro Thinking: Chemistry constantly shifts between microscopic (atoms, molecules, electron configurations, orbital hybridization) and macroscopic (observable reactions, color changes, phase transitions) perspectives. This cognitive jump trips up students who think concretely. You’re expected to visualize invisible particles while explaining visible phenomena—a mental gymnastics feat that doesn’t come naturally to everyone.
• Multiple Representation Systems: Chemistry requires you to think about the same molecule in multiple ways simultaneously—Lewis structures, ball-and-stick models, skeletal formulas, condensed formulas, molecular formulas, and 3D representations. Translating between these representations while solving problems adds significant cognitive load.
• Cumulative Exams Without Clear Review: Many Chemistry courses have cumulative finals that test everything from day one, but lecture moves so fast that there’s rarely time for comprehensive review. You’re expected to retain stoichiometry from September while learning electrochemistry in December.

It’s no surprise that students frequently search for help with Chemistry homework. Between memorization demands, algorithmic problem-solving, lab responsibilities, and platform quirks, the workload can quickly spiral out of control—especially when combined with other difficult courses.

Why Physics Feels Hard

If Chemistry overwhelms with memorization, Physics overwhelms with math. It’s not uncommon for students to walk into an introductory Physics course thinking it’s about rolling balls and falling objects, only to realize it’s essentially a math class in disguise. Here are the main reasons Physics is so intimidating:

• Math-Heavy Content: Physics relies heavily on algebra, trigonometry, and even calculus. Students who aren’t confident with math often hit a wall early in the semester. Research from the American Physical Society shows that math anxiety is the single strongest predictor of Physics course failure, outweighing factors like prior science knowledge or study hours.
• Abstract Concepts: Understanding forces, energy, relativity, or quantum mechanics requires students to think in highly conceptual and often non-intuitive ways. Unlike Chemistry’s tangible reactions you can see and touch, Physics deals with invisible forces, abstract conservation laws, and mathematical relationships that have no physical manifestation. Electric fields, magnetic flux, and gravitational potential energy aren’t things you can observe directly.
• Problem-Solving Over Memorization: Instead of flashcards or memorized pathways, Physics demands the ability to apply formulas to unfamiliar situations—something many students find much more challenging than rote learning. Every problem requires identifying which principles apply, setting up equations correctly, solving multi-step calculations, and checking if your answer makes physical sense. There’s no cookbook approach.
• Demanding Labs: Physics labs often require precise measurements and extensive error analysis. Even small mistakes can make a lab report feel impossible. Unlike Chemistry’s more procedural labs with clear step-by-step instructions, Physics labs require students to design experiments, troubleshoot equipment, collect data systematically, and perform statistical analysis including standard deviation calculations and error propagation through derivatives.
• Cumulative Complexity: Physics concepts build on each other relentlessly. If you don’t master kinematics in week 2, you’ll struggle with energy in week 5, forces in week 8, and momentum in week 11. There’s no “catching up later” because every new topic assumes mastery of previous ones. This creates a compound interest effect where early struggles snowball into complete confusion by midterm.
• Competing Solution Strategies: For many Physics problems, there are multiple valid approaches (force analysis vs energy conservation vs momentum conservation), and choosing the wrong one can turn a 5-minute problem into a 30-minute nightmare. Part of Physics mastery is developing intuition for which approach will be most efficient—something that only comes with extensive practice.
• Unrealistic Word Problems: Physics word problems often involve frictionless surfaces, massless strings, point particles, and other idealizations that make problems feel disconnected from reality. Students struggle to translate these abstract scenarios into mathematical models, especially when the setup doesn’t match their physical intuition.

Plenty of students describe Physics as “applied math.” That’s why many end up looking for ways to get help with Physics homework. When every problem requires multiple steps of algebra or calculus, constant unit conversions, and checking if your answer makes physical sense, it’s easy to feel buried before the course even hits the halfway mark.

Chemistry vs Physics: Side-by-Side Comparison

Now that we’ve broken down each subject individually, let’s look at them side by side. Both are tough, but they challenge students in very different ways:

In short: Chemistry is often harder for students who hate memorization and detailed lab work, while Physics is harder for students who struggle with math and abstract reasoning. The “harder” subject usually depends on the student’s cognitive strengths, learning preferences, and prior preparation in math versus biology.

Course-Level Breakdown: Which Version Is Harder?

The “Chemistry vs Physics” debate gets even more nuanced when you look at specific course levels. A freshman taking General Chemistry and Physics 1 faces a very different challenge than a junior tackling Organic Chemistry and Physics 2. The difficulty curves of these subjects differ significantly. Here’s how the challenge shifts as you progress through the typical science course sequence:

General Chemistry 1 vs Physics 1 (Introductory Level)

For most freshmen, General Chemistry 1 feels harder early in the semester because of the sheer volume of memorization combined with rapid pacing. Students walk in expecting “simple” concepts like atoms and molecules, only to be hit with mole calculations, stoichiometry, limiting reagents, and the periodic table—all within the first few weeks. The math isn’t calculus-level, but the memorization load is immediate and relentless. By week 4, you’re expected to know electron configurations, Lewis structures, molecular geometry, and bonding theories.

Physics 1, on the other hand, tends to start slower and build more gradually. Kinematics and Newton’s Laws feel intuitive at first—balls rolling down ramps, forces on inclined planes, objects in free fall. But once rotational motion, energy conservation, and momentum show up around week 6-8, students who aren’t strong in algebra and trigonometry hit a wall. The difference? Physics 1 requires applying math to constantly changing scenarios, while Gen Chem 1 leans more heavily on memorizing rules and practicing repetitive problem types.

Student survey data suggests that Gen Chem 1 has higher failure rates in the first half of the semester, while Physics 1 has higher failure rates in the second half—reflecting their different difficulty curves. Chemistry hits hard immediately; Physics lulls you into false confidence before crushing you later.

If you’re hitting that wall in Physics 1 and need help working through rotational dynamics, energy problems, or momentum conservation, our team can provide expert support—check out our Physics homework help for targeted assistance.

General Chemistry 2 vs Physics 1 Continued

Interestingly, many students find General Chemistry 2 somewhat easier than Gen Chem 1, not because the material is simpler, but because they’ve adapted to the pace and developed better study systems. Gen Chem 2 typically covers thermodynamics, kinetics, equilibrium, acid-base chemistry, and electrochemistry—topics that are conceptually complex but follow logical patterns. The memorization load actually decreases slightly, and students who survived Gen Chem 1 usually have their study methods figured out.

However, some students hit a new wall in Gen Chem 2 because the material becomes more mathematically intensive. Kinetics problems require understanding rate laws and integrated rate equations. Thermodynamics involves entropy, enthalpy, and Gibbs free energy calculations. Electrochemistry requires cell potential calculations and understanding redox reactions. For students who struggled with the math in Gen Chem 1, Gen Chem 2 doesn’t offer relief.

Organic Chemistry vs Physics 2 (Intermediate Level)

Ask any pre-med student and they’ll tell you: Organic Chemistry is infamous for a reason. It’s not just memorization anymore—it’s pattern recognition, reaction mechanisms, stereochemistry, spectroscopy, and synthesis problems that require students to think multiple steps ahead. Orgo is less about “knowing the answer” and more about “figuring out the pathway,” which is why even students who aced Gen Chem can struggle here. According to research published in Science, Organic Chemistry has one of the highest failure rates (20-30%) of any undergraduate course nationwide.

The challenge in Orgo isn’t just the volume of material (though there’s plenty to memorize—functional groups, reaction mechanisms, reagents, and stereochemistry rules). The real difficulty is developing “chemical intuition”—the ability to look at a molecule and predict how it will react. This requires spatial reasoning (thinking in 3D), pattern recognition (identifying similar reaction types), and creative problem-solving (designing multi-step syntheses). Many students describe Orgo as requiring a completely different type of thinking than Gen Chem.

Physics 2 (electricity, magnetism, and sometimes optics or thermodynamics) is where Physics shifts from “applied algebra” to “applied calculus.” For engineering majors, this is the course that separates those who can handle upper-level coursework from those who can’t. The abstract nature of electric fields, magnetic forces, electromagnetic induction, and circuits—things you can’t see or touch—makes visualization much harder than Physics 1’s mechanical problems involving visible objects and forces.

Physics 2 also introduces right-hand rules, Gauss’s law, Ampere’s law, and Faraday’s law—mathematical tools that feel arbitrary and difficult to apply correctly. Students must juggle vector calculus, line integrals, surface integrals, and Maxwell’s equations (in advanced versions). The material is highly mathematical and conceptually abstract, making it one of the most feared courses in engineering curricula.

Between the two, most students say Organic Chemistry is harder because it demands creativity, spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, and a type of chemical intuition that’s difficult to develop in a single semester. Physics 2 is more formulaic if you’re strong in calculus—you can often “power through” with mathematical skill even if the concepts don’t fully click. But for students weak in math, Physics 2 is a nightmare that makes Physics 1 look easy in retrospect.

Biochemistry vs Modern Physics (Advanced Level)

At the advanced level, Biochemistry combines the worst of both worlds: the memorization load of Chemistry and the integrative problem-solving complexity of Biology. Students must understand metabolic pathways (glycolysis, citric acid cycle, electron transport chain), enzyme kinetics, protein structure and function, DNA replication and transcription, and cell signaling—all while integrating knowledge from Gen Chem, Orgo, and Biology simultaneously.

The challenge isn’t just memorizing individual facts; it’s understanding how hundreds of interconnected biochemical processes work together. A single enzyme might appear in multiple pathways, and understanding its regulation requires knowledge of allosteric regulation, feedback inhibition, phosphorylation, and more. Students describe Biochem as “drinking from a firehose” because the volume of integrated information is staggering.

Modern Physics (quantum mechanics, special relativity, particle physics, nuclear physics) takes abstraction to the extreme. Concepts like wave-particle duality, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, Schrödinger’s equation, and time dilation require students to abandon classical intuition entirely. The math is also significantly harder—differential equations, complex numbers, linear algebra, and probability theory all play major roles.

Students must accept that particles can exist in superposition (two states at once), that observation fundamentally changes systems, that time is relative, and that causality breaks down at quantum scales—ideas that violate every intuition developed in Physics 1 and 2. Modern Physics isn’t just mathematically hard; it’s philosophically challenging in ways that make students question their understanding of reality itself.

Student Perspectives on Chemistry vs Physics

Every student has a different take on the Chemistry vs Physics debate, shaped by their cognitive strengths, study habits, and prior preparation. Based on patterns observed in academic forums, course evaluation data, and educational research, here are common perspectives that show just how divided opinions can be:

Which Is Harder for Your Major?

The Chemistry vs Physics debate isn’t just academic—it has real consequences depending on your major and career goals. Each field prioritizes one subject over the other, and struggling in the “wrong” course can derail your entire academic plan. Understanding which science is more critical for your path helps you allocate study time and seek help strategically.

Pre-Med & Nursing Students: Chemistry Is Unavoidable

For pre-med students, Chemistry isn’t optional—it’s the foundation of medical science. Medical schools require a full year of General Chemistry with lab (8 semester hours), a full year of Organic Chemistry with lab (8 semester hours), and many schools now require or strongly recommend Biochemistry (3-4 semester hours). That’s 19-20 credit hours of Chemistry courses, making it the most heavily emphasized science in pre-med requirements.

The MCAT reflects this emphasis: Chemistry and Biochemistry comprise approximately 40% of the exam content according to official AAMC data. The Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems section heavily tests general chemistry principles, while the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems section tests organic chemistry and biochemistry extensively. A weak Chemistry GPA (anything below 3.4) can sink an application before it’s even reviewed by admissions committees.

Nursing programs also require at least General Chemistry (some require only one semester, others require the full year), with BSN programs and RN-to-BSN programs often adding Biochemistry or Pharmacology (which is essentially applied Chemistry focused on drug mechanisms). According to nursing education research, students who struggle in Chemistry often face significant challenges in pharmacology courses later in their programs, as understanding drug interactions, metabolism, and dosing requires solid chemical reasoning.

Physics, on the other hand, is usually limited to one or two semesters of “Physics for Life Sciences” or “Conceptual Physics”—an algebra-based, less math-intensive version designed for non-engineers. While Physics is still tested on the MCAT (comprising about 15-20% of exam content), it’s far less emphasized than Chemistry. Many pre-med advisors tell students, “If you’re going to struggle in one science, make it Physics, not Chemistry”—because medical schools care much more about your Chemistry performance.

For pre-med and nursing students, Chemistry is the make-or-break subject. You can compensate for a B in Physics, but a C in Organic Chemistry is often a death sentence for medical school applications.

Engineering & Physics Majors: Physics Is the Foundation

Engineering students live and breathe Physics throughout their entire degree program. Mechanical engineers apply statics, dynamics, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics daily. Electrical engineers work with circuits, electromagnetics, and wave propagation. Civil engineers use Physics to analyze forces, stresses, and materials. Aerospace engineers need fluency in fluid dynamics, orbital mechanics, and propulsion. Chemical engineers need both Chemistry and Physics, but their work relies heavily on physical principles like heat transfer, fluid flow, and reactor design.

If you can’t master Physics 1 and 2, the rest of an engineering degree becomes nearly impossible. These courses aren’t just requirements—they’re the language in which all upper-level engineering courses are taught. Thermodynamics assumes you understand energy from Physics. Circuits assumes you understand electromagnetism from Physics 2. Mechanics of materials assumes you understand forces and stresses from Physics 1.

Chemistry, by contrast, is usually just one or two semesters of General Chemistry—and it’s often seen as a “checkbox” requirement rather than a core skill for most engineering disciplines. Mechanical, electrical, civil, and aerospace engineers rarely use chemistry beyond understanding basic concepts like corrosion, material properties, or combustion. Chemical engineers are the major exception; they need both deep Chemistry knowledge (thermodynamics, kinetics, reactor design) and strong Physics fundamentals (fluid mechanics, heat transfer).

The American Society for Engineering Education reports that accredited engineering programs require an average of 3-4 semesters of Physics (including Modern Physics for some disciplines) compared to just 1-2 semesters of Chemistry. This reflects the discipline’s centrality to engineering practice. For mechanical, electrical, civil, and aerospace engineering tracks, Physics is non-negotiable and Chemistry is secondary.

Engineering students who struggle in Physics should seek help immediately rather than waiting for midterms to reveal the problem. Unlike some subjects where you can recover from a bad start, Physics builds so cumulatively that falling behind in week 3 often means struggling for the entire semester.

Biology, Environmental Science, and Other STEM Fields

Biology majors typically need significantly more Chemistry than Physics—and the Chemistry requirements go deeper. The typical biology major takes General Chemistry 1 & 2, Organic Chemistry 1 & 2, and Biochemistry—that’s 5 semesters of Chemistry. Some programs also require Analytical Chemistry or Physical Chemistry. Physics, if required at all, is usually one or two semesters of the “conceptual” algebra-based version rather than the calculus-based version engineers take.

This pattern holds for environmental science, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, and pre-dental students. Chemistry is woven throughout the curriculum because biological systems are fundamentally chemical systems—photosynthesis is chemistry, cellular respiration is chemistry, protein folding is chemistry, DNA replication is chemistry. You can’t understand biology deeply without understanding chemistry deeply.

Environmental Science programs vary more widely, but most require at least General Chemistry 1 & 2 to understand pollution chemistry, soil chemistry, water quality analysis, and atmospheric chemistry. Some programs add Organic Chemistry or Environmental Chemistry as well. Physics is less central unless the program has a heavy engineering component (like environmental engineering) or atmospheric science focus requiring understanding of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics.

For these majors, Chemistry tends to be harder simply because it’s more deeply required and more closely connected to their future coursework. You can often “get by” with a lighter Physics load—taking the easier algebra-based version, earning a B- and moving on—and still complete your degree successfully. But Chemistry proficiency is expected across multiple semesters, and weak Chemistry preparation directly impacts your ability to succeed in upper-level biology courses like Cell Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Physiology.

Platform Wars: ALEKS Chemistry vs MasteringPhysics

It’s not just the subject matter that makes these courses hard—it’s also the platforms they’re taught on. Both Chemistry and Physics have shifted heavily to adaptive learning systems and online homework platforms that are supposedly designed to “personalize” your learning experience and provide immediate feedback. In reality, many students find these platforms add more frustration than help, creating technical barriers that have nothing to do with understanding the underlying science.

ALEKS Chemistry: The Adaptive Trap

ALEKS Chemistry (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) is notorious among students for its “pie chart” learning system and unpredictable Knowledge Checks. The platform constantly assesses your knowledge and adjusts what you see next based on an adaptive algorithm. Sounds great in theory, but here’s the problem: if you get one foundational topic wrong, ALEKS assumes you don’t understand anything related to it, even if the connection is tangential. Suddenly your pie chart shrinks from 80% to 60%, and you’re forced to relearn topics you thought you’d mastered weeks ago.

Students also complain bitterly about ALEKS’s rigid answer format requirements. A slight difference in significant figures (entering 3.5 instead of 3.50), a misplaced decimal, writing “0.5” instead of “1/2”, or using “g/mol” instead of “g·mol⁻¹” can mark your entire answer wrong—even if your chemical reasoning, setup, and calculations were perfect. This makes Chemistry feel even harder because you’re not just battling the content; you’re battling the system’s pickiness about formatting and notation that professors never emphasized in lecture.

The Knowledge Checks—ALEKS’s surprise assessments that appear without warning—are particularly dreaded. They can appear after 10 problems or after 50, with no way to predict when. If you perform poorly on a Knowledge Check (say, because you’re tired, rushed, or happened to get questions on your weakest topics), ALEKS can reset large portions of your progress immediately. Students report losing 20-30% of their pie chart completion due to a single bad Knowledge Check, forcing them to redo material they’d already mastered. This creates enormous anxiety and makes students feel like they’re on a treadmill—working constantly but never making real progress.

MasteringPhysics: The Problem-Solving Maze

Pearson’s MasteringPhysics takes a different but equally frustrating approach. It gives you multi-part problems where each step builds on the previous one, creating what students call “cascade failures.” Miss part (a) because you used the wrong sign convention or forgot to convert units, and you’ll automatically miss parts (b), (c), and (d) too—even if you understood the later concepts perfectly and would have solved them correctly given the right starting point. This design means one early mistake can destroy your entire problem score, turning a 10-point problem into a 2-point problem instantly.

Another major frustration: MasteringPhysics penalizes you for “too many attempts.” Most problems allow 5-6 attempts before you lose all points, but here’s the catch: if you make a small error (wrong sign, unit conversion mistake, algebraic slip) and try to correct it, each correction counts as a new attempt. Try a problem three times, realize your error, and you’ve already used up half your attempts. Students report extreme anxiety about clicking “submit” because they can’t afford to waste attempts on minor mistakes.

The “hints” system, which is supposed to help struggling students, often makes things worse. The hints are frequently generic (“Consider conservation of energy” or “Draw a free-body diagram”) without providing specific guidance on which form of the equation to use, how to handle multiple forces, or which approach will actually work for this particular problem. Sometimes hints are so vague they’re useless; other times they’re so specific they essentially give away the answer, but only for students who already understand the problem well enough to interpret them.

In short: ALEKS makes Chemistry feel harder by punishing formatting errors, resetting progress unpredictably through Knowledge Checks, and creating anxiety about maintaining pie chart completion, while MasteringPhysics makes Physics feel harder by compounding mistakes across multi-part problems, limiting attempts in ways that punish trial-and-error learning, and using hint systems that often confuse rather than clarify. Both systems add a significant layer of frustration that has nothing to do with whether you actually understand the underlying scientific principles.

How Chemistry and Physics Impact Your GPA

Beyond just being difficult courses, Chemistry and Physics have outsized impacts on your GPA compared to other classes. Understanding this reality helps you make strategic decisions about when to take these courses, how much time to dedicate to them, and when to seek help before it’s too late.

The GPA Reality

National data shows that General Chemistry and Physics courses have some of the lowest average GPAs of any undergraduate courses. Typical grade distributions show:

• General Chemistry 1: Average GPA of 2.3-2.6 across universities
• Organic Chemistry: Average GPA of 2.1-2.5, with some competitive programs averaging below 2.0
• Physics 1: Average GPA of 2.4-2.7 for algebra-based, 2.1-2.5 for calculus-based
• Physics 2: Average GPA of 2.2-2.5, often the lowest of intro physics sequence

Compare this to typical humanities courses (average GPAs of 3.0-3.4) or even other STEM courses like Calculus (average GPAs of 2.5-2.8). Chemistry and Physics are systematically graded harder, often with strict curves that limit A’s to the top 15-20% of students regardless of absolute performance.

This creates a problem: a single C in Chemistry or Physics can drop your overall GPA by 0.1-0.2 points if you’re taking a typical 15-credit course load. For students aiming for competitive programs (medical school, engineering grad programs, law school), this can be devastating. A 3.7 GPA looks completely different from a 3.5 GPA on applications, even though the difference might be one bad grade in one chemistry course.

Strategic Timing Considerations

Because these courses are so GPA-threatening, strategic students think carefully about when to take them:

• Don’t overload: Never take General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics in the same semester. The combined workload (30+ hours per week) makes it nearly impossible to excel in all three.
• Summer courses: Some students take Chemistry or Physics over summer to focus exclusively on it. However, the compressed timeline (14 weeks compressed to 6-8 weeks) can make the pace overwhelming. Only consider this if you’re strong in the subject.
• Freshman fall risk: Many students struggle in General Chemistry taken freshman fall because they’re still adjusting to college workload and study expectations. Consider taking it spring semester if your degree plan allows.
• Sequential planning: If you need both Chemistry and Physics, consider: Gen Chem 1 (Fall freshman) → Gen Chem 2 (Spring freshman) → Physics 1 (Fall sophomore) → Physics 2 (Spring sophomore). This spreads out the difficulty and prevents overwhelming any single semester.

When to Seek Help

Here’s a critical insight: students who seek help after the first exam (when they’re at a C or D) have a much harder time recovering than students who seek help after the first quiz (when they’re at a B- and worried). Chemistry and Physics move too fast to wait for crisis intervention.

Red flags that you need help immediately:

• Scoring below 70% on the first quiz or exam
• Spending more than 15 hours per week on the course and still not understanding material
• Consistently getting homework wrong even after consulting solutions
• Feeling completely lost in lecture with no idea what’s happening
• Avoiding office hours because you don’t even know what questions to ask

Don’t wait until you’re failing. The students who succeed in Chemistry and Physics are often those who got help early, built strong foundations, and prevented small gaps from becoming insurmountable deficits.

Study Strategies: How to Succeed in Each Subject

Since Chemistry and Physics challenge students in different ways, your study strategies should be tailored to each subject’s specific demands. Here’s what actually works, based on education research, cognitive science, and student success data:

How to Study for Chemistry

• Spaced Repetition for Memorization: Use Anki or Quizlet to drill periodic table trends, reaction types, nomenclature, functional groups, and key concepts. Research consistently shows spaced repetition is 2-3x more effective than cramming for long-term retention. Create cards immediately after each lecture and review them daily in 10-minute sessions rather than marathon 2-hour sessions once per week.
• Daily Practice Problems: Chemistry is learned by doing, not by reading or watching. Work through 10-15 practice problems every day, not just before exams. Focus on stoichiometry, gas laws, equilibrium, and acid-base problems early—they’re foundational for everything else and appear on every exam. Don’t just check if your answer matches the solution manual; make sure you understand why that approach works.
• Understand “Why,” Not Just “How”: Don’t just memorize that “acids donate protons” or “equilibrium shifts to relieve stress.” Understand why acids behave that way (electron density, stability of conjugate base) and why equilibrium shifts (Le Chatelier’s principle as a consequence of reaction quotient vs equilibrium constant). Conceptual understanding helps you apply knowledge to unfamiliar problems rather than relying on pattern matching, which fails on tricky exam questions.
• Lab Prep and Post-Lab Review: Read the lab manual before you show up—not just skimming, but actually reading and understanding the procedure, expected results, and underlying chemistry. This saves enormous time in lab and reduces errors. Immediately after lab, start your write-up while the procedure is fresh in your mind. Waiting until the night before it’s due means you’ve forgotten critical details.
• Form Study Groups Early: Chemistry benefits enormously from collaborative learning. Teaching concepts to peers reinforces your own understanding and reveals gaps you didn’t know existed. But make sure your study group actually studies—set agendas, work problems together, and quiz each other rather than just socializing.
• Master Nomenclature Early: Chemical nomenclature (naming compounds) is a language you must become fluent in. You can’t understand reaction chemistry if you don’t instantly recognize what “sodium bicarbonate” or “ethyl acetate” means. Drill nomenclature in weeks 1-2 until it’s automatic, because everything else builds on this foundation.

How to Study for Physics

• Master the Math First: If you’re shaky on algebra, trigonometry, or calculus, fix that before Physics gets hard, not after you’re already failing. Physics assumes math fluency—you can’t “get by” without it. Review trig identities, vector operations, derivatives, and integrals before classes even start. Consider taking a math refresher course if your skills are rusty.
• Problem-Solving Framework: Don’t just “do problems”—develop a systematic framework: (1) Read carefully and identify given information, (2) Determine which physical principles apply, (3) Draw diagrams (free-body diagrams, circuit diagrams, etc.), (4) Set up equations symbolically before inserting numbers, (5) Solve algebraically, (6) Insert numerical values with units, (7) Check if your answer makes physical sense. This framework prevents careless errors and builds problem-solving intuition.
• Draw Diagrams for Everything: Free-body diagrams, circuit diagrams, vector diagrams, and energy diagrams are essential. Physics is inherently visual—if you can’t draw the problem accurately, you probably can’t solve it correctly. Invest time in making clear, accurate, labeled diagrams before writing any equations. Good diagrams often reveal the solution path immediately.
• Conceptual Understanding Before Formulas: Don’t jump to formula hunting. Physics exams often ask “why” and “what if” questions that can’t be answered by plugging numbers into equations. Understand the concepts behind formulas first: why does F=ma work? what does energy conservation actually mean? when can momentum be conserved? This conceptual foundation lets you solve novel problems that don’t match practice examples.
• Work Every Textbook Example: Don’t jump straight into homework. Work through every worked example in the textbook chapter first, covering up the solution and trying it yourself. Textbook examples are carefully chosen to demonstrate core problem-solving strategies. Only after mastering textbook examples should you attempt homework.
• Attend Office Hours Strategically: Don’t just go to office hours when you’re stuck. Go after you’ve attempted homework and have specific questions about your approach. “I don’t understand chapter 5” is too vague to get useful help. “I set up this problem using energy conservation but my answer doesn’t match—can you check my approach?” leads to productive conversations.

Time Management: Weekly Study Hours Comparison

One of the most frequently asked questions is: “How much time should I actually spend on Chemistry vs Physics per week?” The answer matters for planning your semester workload and deciding whether to take both sciences simultaneously.

Chemistry Time Breakdown (15-20 hours per week)

• Lecture time: 3-4 hours (typical for 3-4 credit course)
• Lab time: 3-4 hours (including pre-lab prep and post-lab cleanup)
• Homework/problem sets: 4-6 hours (varies by professor, ALEKS can add 2-3 hours)
• Lab report writing: 2-4 hours per week (some weeks none, some weeks 8 hours if reports are due)
• Memorization/flashcards: 3-5 hours (daily practice, cumulative review)
• Exam preparation: Add 10-15 hours the week before midterms/finals

Total: 15-23 hours per week average, with spikes to 25-30 hours during lab report weeks and exam weeks.

Physics Time Breakdown (14-18 hours per week)

• Lecture time: 3-4 hours (typical for 3-4 credit course)
• Lab time: 2-3 hours (Physics labs are usually shorter than Chemistry labs)
• Homework/problem sets: 5-8 hours (fewer problems but each takes longer to solve)
• Textbook example problems: 2-3 hours (essential for learning problem-solving strategies)
• Conceptual review/drawing diagrams: 2-3 hours
• Exam preparation: Add 12-18 hours the week before midterms/finals (practice exams are critical)

Total: 14-21 hours per week average, with spikes to 25-35 hours during exam weeks.

Key Insights

Chemistry demands more consistent daily time (memorization can’t be crammed), while Physics demands intense focused problem-solving sessions that can’t be rushed. Chemistry workload is more spread out but relentless; Physics workload is more spiky but requires deep concentration.

If you’re taking both simultaneously, budget 30+ hours per week just for these two classes—which is why most advisors recommend against it unless absolutely necessary for your degree timeline. Remember, this is on top of your other courses, work obligations, and personal commitments.

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How Finish My Math Class Can Help

Whether you’re battling through Chemistry, Physics, or both at the same time, you don’t have to face these challenges alone. Finish My Math Class (FMMC) specializes in helping students succeed in the toughest science courses, no matter the platform, format, or difficulty level. We’ve helped thousands of students turn failing grades into A’s and B’s—and we can do the same for you.

Our Services

• Comprehensive Homework Help: Don’t waste hours stuck on problem sets when you could be learning effectively. Our experts handle everything from balancing chemical equations to deriving physics formulas to analyzing complex reaction mechanisms. We work with all major platforms including ALEKS, MasteringChemistry, MasteringPhysics, WebAssign, WileyPLUS, Pearson MyLab, and Canvas-integrated systems. Learn more on our Do My Chemistry Homework and Do My Physics Homework pages.
• Exam Preparation and Support: From stoichiometry to kinematics, from molecular structures to electromagnetic induction, we help students achieve top grades on midterms and finals. Our experts don’t just solve problems—they teach you the underlying concepts and problem-solving strategies so you actually understand the material. We can work through practice exams with you, identify your weak areas, and provide targeted review materials.
• Platform-Specific Expertise: Struggling with adaptive learning systems and online homework platforms? Our team has extensive experience with the quirks, formatting requirements, and frustrating features of both Pearson MasteringPhysics and ALEKS Chemistry—two platforms that are infamous for frustrating students with technical requirements that have nothing to do with actually understanding science. We know how to navigate ALEKS’s Knowledge Checks, pie chart system, and strict formatting rules. We understand MasteringPhysics’s multi-part cascade problems, limited attempts, and confusing hint systems.
• Full-Course Coverage: Need more than occasional help? We can handle your entire class from start to finish—including homework assignments, lab reports, quizzes, and even proctored exams (where permitted by your institution). This is especially valuable for students juggling multiple difficult courses simultaneously, working adults returning to school with limited time, student-athletes with demanding practice schedules, or anyone dealing with personal circumstances that make dedicating 20+ hours per week to science courses impossible.
• Lab Report Assistance: Chemistry and Physics lab reports can consume 5-8 hours per week, and they require skills (formal scientific writing, data analysis, error calculations, literature searches) that often aren’t taught explicitly in courses. Our team can help you write clear, well-organized lab reports that meet all requirements, or we can handle the entire report for you while explaining the process so you learn proper scientific writing techniques.
• Grade Guarantee: With our A/B Guarantee, you’re never taking a financial risk. If we don’t deliver at least a B grade in your course, you get your money back—no questions asked, no complicated conditions. We’ve maintained a 98% success rate across thousands of courses since 2015, so we’re confident we can deliver results.

What Makes Us Different

Unlike AI bots, automated answer generators, or copy-paste “solution manuals,” our human experts understand the nuance and depth of science courses. We can:

• Solve complex, multi-step chemistry problems requiring conceptual understanding, not just formula lookup
• Walk through physics derivations and proofs step-by-step, explaining the reasoning behind each step
• Explain why certain approaches work and others don’t, building your problem-solving intuition
• Handle online platforms in real time, navigating their quirks and requirements efficiently
• Adapt to your professor’s specific teaching style, notation preferences, and grading criteria
• Provide detailed explanations so you actually learn the material, not just get correct answers
• Identify conceptual gaps in your understanding and address them systematically

We’ve helped students at hundreds of universities across every imaginable Chemistry and Physics course—from community college General Chemistry to Ivy League Physical Chemistry, from algebra-based Physics for life sciences to advanced Electrodynamics for physics majors. No matter what level you’re at or what specific challenges you’re facing, we have experts who can help.

Getting Started

If you’re struggling in Chemistry or Physics, don’t wait until you’re failing to seek help. Early intervention is key—students who get help after the first quiz typically succeed at much higher rates than students who wait until after the first midterm when they’re already deeply behind. Contact us today to discuss your specific situation, and let’s create a support plan that will get you to the grades you need while actually learning the material.

Conclusion: Which Is Harder?

So, is Chemistry harder than Physics? After examining every angle—memorization demands, mathematical requirements, lab work, platform frustrations, major-specific needs, course-level progressions, study strategies, time commitments, and GPA impacts—the truth is that it depends entirely on the individual student. Chemistry can feel absolutely crushing for those who dislike memorization, struggle with detailed lab work, or have difficulty juggling multiple simultaneous concepts. Physics overwhelms students who struggle with math, abstract reasoning, or applying principles to novel problems they’ve never seen before. Both subjects are tough in their own ways—and both are absolutely essential for STEM majors pursuing their chosen careers.

The key insight that should guide you is this: difficulty is not absolute; it’s relative to your cognitive strengths and learning preferences. A student who excels at visual-spatial reasoning, mathematical thinking, and abstract conceptualization might find Physics challenging but manageable while Chemistry feels like endless overwhelming memorization. Conversely, a student with strong memory skills, attention to detail, and pattern recognition abilities might ace Chemistry while struggling mightily with Physics problem-solving. Understanding your own learning profile—what you’re naturally good at, what you struggle with, and how you learn best—is more important than listening to generic claims about which subject is “objectively harder.”

Neither subject is going anywhere. Pre-med students must master Chemistry to understand drug mechanisms, metabolic processes, and disease pathways. Engineering students must master Physics to design structures, circuits, and systems that work reliably. Biology majors need Chemistry to understand cellular processes. Physics majors need advanced mathematics to describe natural phenomena. These requirements exist because the knowledge is genuinely essential for professional practice, not just arbitrary academic hurdles.

The good news is that you don’t have to face these daunting challenges alone. With strategic study approaches, proper time management, effective use of resources, and when necessary, expert support from Finish My Math Class, you can conquer Chemistry problem sets, ace Physics exams, master platform requirements, write excellent lab reports, and free up valuable time for the rest of your academic journey and personal life. And with our A/B Guarantee, there’s no financial risk—just results and the peace of mind that comes from having expert support when you need it most.

Don’t just take our word for it. Check out our extensive student testimonials to see how we’ve helped thousands of students master Chemistry, Physics, and other demanding courses while maintaining their GPAs, meeting their career goals, and reducing their stress levels. When you’re ready to turn a tough class into a win, we’re here to make it happen—whether you’re struggling with ALEKS Chemistry’s adaptive system, drowning in Physics problem sets, or just need someone to explain why your approach isn’t working and show you a better way forward, our team of experienced experts is ready to provide the support you need to succeed.

Remember: struggling in these courses doesn’t mean you’re not smart enough or not working hard enough. These are genuinely difficult classes that challenge even the brightest, most dedicated students. The difference between students who succeed and students who fail often isn’t raw ability—it’s knowing when to ask for help, having access to the right resources, and being strategic about how you approach these challenges. You’ve got this, and we’re here to help make it happen.