[Vomis58]

I just can't figure out why I can never do well in the class. I get the concepts well enough, I feel like I understand them all quite easily.

I studied for about 30 hours for my mid terms, when I took it I felt really good about it and I thought I probably got an A. I was confident in my answers but I double checked all of them and they all checked out.

When I got the test back I got a 68%. Why am I so f&#^$*@ stupid? This is how most tests work for me, I am confident about the score and when I get it back it is a D or an F. Am I just too stupid for chemistry?

[Arkcon]

Well, you've never posted to this board an assigned problem that you couldn't figure out and needed help with, or one you got wrong and couldn't see why..  So there's really no way for us to tell you what your real problem is.  

*[EDIT}*

You've said you've just started school after a military stint last April, and you found mathematics daunting.   Maybe you need more preparation across all subjects.  The sciences aren't really like studying for literary subjects.  You can't lock yourself in a room and study, study, study facts until they've been burned into your skull, then breeze the next exam, then forget it all, because topics build over time.  Time spent practicing problems would have been well spent (I can't be sure if you did that or not.)

Let's see an exam question you thought you nailed, but didn't.

[Vomis58]

I don't know what is wrong with me but I can never remember anything. I mean I can remember 8.314 and .08206 after seeing them once or twice, I have the molar mass of many common elements memorized but I just forget how to do problems. As in I will study it for a couple hours, do practice problems and then the next day I will not know how to solve any of the problems even with assistance from the book.

[fledarmus]

Chemistry, like most sciences, is mostly just a thought process, a way of looking at the universe. Although we use math and a few other even more esoteric symbolic languages to explain our thoughts, it is the science behind the math that is truly important. You can only get so far just substituting numbers for variables in the equations without a real grasp of what the equations are saying and what principles you are applying. PV=nRT is just a shorthand way of describing decades of work on properties of gases, and without an understanding of those properties, just memorizing the equation and knowing the value of R is pretty meaningless.

[vmelkon]

I agree with the above. Textbooks explain the derivation for an equation. Learn the logic behind them. Also, you have to be a good test taker. You need some memory otherwise you will fail. That was my problem as well.

[rekk334]

Some of these replies sound so discouraging.  You're not too stupid I say do whatever the hell you want and don't give up on it.  Keep learning from your mistakes.

[LimitingRX]

Review your test after you receive it. Go to your professor and make corrections on it, so you know what you need to work on.

Try to understand the problem. Most of the time you will be given a problem where you cannot find the answer immediately. You will have to work with the information that was given to you to transform it into what you need to solve the answer.

The first thing I do after reading the question is to write down what the questions asks for, which is usually a variable, and write down the information that was given to you. If it's not a simple plug-in question, ask yourself "What other variables do I need to be able to solve this question?"

Try not to study for too long in one sitting. If possible, tackle one concept or chapter at a time, and then take a break. Make a note of homework problems that were difficult, and try to find similar problems in the book for you to do. If you know there is a test on chapters 1-5 in 1 week from now, spend a day (1-3 hours or however much time you need) per chapter, and use the last 2 days as "light" reviews to keep the information fresh in your mind.

Make a note of problems that you found difficult or did not get the correct answer, and try to find similar problems in your book. Create your own practice test using these problems. It's important to try out new problems once you think you truly understand a concept.

Another important thing is to try to not just memorize what is given to you. There will be times where memorizing things will be easier without trying to figure out the "why" (perhaps because you won't truly understand it until later chapters).

Always try to stay positive. If you did not do well on a test, don't call yourself stupid. Tell yourself that maybe you were a little overconfident, but you'll make changes, so that it doesn't happen again. Do not let anybody tell you that you cannot do something, but most importantly, don't let yourself tell you that.