VCE Chemistry: the exam, Units 3 and 4, and practice questions with answers

Each daily paper has 8 original questions worth 25 to 35 marks. The Year 12 Chemistry paper fits in its electrode potential, spectroscopy and NMR, and organic pathway questions; skip K_p, rate equations, Born-Haber cycles, transition metals and buffers. The Year 11 Chemistry paper fits in its stoichiometry, enthalpy, equilibrium, redox, rates, organic naming and alcohol questions; skip Hess's law cycles, and treat bonding and periodicity as Unit 1 review.

The VCE Chemistry exam

You get the VCE Data Book and may bring one scientific calculator; no notes are allowed. Every outcome in Units 3 and 4 can be examined, along with the key science skills. That is the VCAA's exam specification for the study design from 2024. The study design calls the data book part of the course, not just an exam aid, so use it all year. In 2026 the exam is on Tuesday 10 November, 9:00 to 11:45 am, and results come out on Thursday 10 December.

VCE Chemistry Units 3 and 4

School-assessed Coursework is worth 20% of the study score in Unit 3 and 30% in Unit 4, which includes the investigation. The VCAA moderates SAC marks against your school group's exam results, keeping your rank in the group.

VCE Chemistry practice questions with answers

We wrote these for this page. Use the specific heat of water as 4.18 J g⁻¹ °C⁻¹ and F = 96 500 C mol⁻¹.

1. Calorimetry. Burning 0.50 g of ethanol (M = 46.07 g/mol) raises the temperature of 200 g of water by 15.6 °C. Find the molar heat of combustion this experiment gives. Answer: q = mcΔT = 200 × 4.18 × 15.6 = 13.0 kJ. n = 0.50 ÷ 46.07 = 0.0109 mol, so the result is 13.0 ÷ 0.0109 ≈ 1.20 × 10³ kJ/mol. It is lower than the data book value because some heat escapes to the surroundings.

2. Faraday's laws. A current of 2.50 A runs through copper(II) sulfate solution for 30.0 minutes. What mass of copper is deposited (M = 63.5 g/mol)? Answer: Q = It = 2.50 × 1800 = 4500 C, so n(e⁻) = 4500 ÷ 96 500 = 0.0466 mol. Cu²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Cu needs 2 electrons per atom, so n(Cu) = 0.0233 mol and m = 1.48 g.

3. Reaction quotient. For H₂(g) + I₂(g) ⇌ 2HI(g), K_c = 49 at a certain temperature. A mixture holds 0.20 M H₂, 0.20 M I₂ and 0.80 M HI. Which way will it shift? Answer: Q = 0.80² ÷ (0.20 × 0.20) = 16. Q is less than K_c, so the forward reaction is favoured: more HI forms until Q reaches 49.

4. Making an ester. Name the ester formed from ethanol and propanoic acid, and the type of reaction. Answer: ethyl propanoate, CH₃CH₂COOCH₂CH₃, made in a condensation (esterification) reaction that also gives water, with a concentrated sulfuric acid catalyst. The alcohol gives the first part of the name, the acid the second.

Spot the functional group family in our Organic Chemistry course, then press Mark.

5. Proton NMR. Predict the high-resolution ¹H NMR spectrum of 1-chloropropane, CH₃CH₂CH₂Cl. Answer: it has three hydrogen environments, so three peaks with areas in the ratio 3:2:2. Each signal splits into one more line than the count of H atoms on adjacent carbons: the methyl end (two adjacent) gives a triplet, the middle carbon (five adjacent) a sextet, and the carbon bonded to chlorine (two adjacent) a triplet, furthest downfield because chlorine withdraws electron density.

Use the daily papers as a VCE Chemistry trial

1. Sit today's Year 12 Chemistry paper to the suggested time, 35 to 45 minutes, with the VCE Data Book.
2. Skip the K_p, rate equation, Born-Haber, transition metal and buffer questions.
3. For Unit 3 energy and equilibrium, sit the Year 11 Chemistry paper too.
4. Mark both and sort each lost mark by area of study; use VCAA past exams for full-length timing.

Common VCE Chemistry mistakes

• Forgetting the electron ratio in Faraday's law questions: Cu²⁺ needs 2 electrons per atom, Ag⁺ needs 1.
• Comparing Q and K the wrong way round. Q smaller than K means the forward reaction is favoured.
• Using the mass of fuel instead of water in q = mcΔT.
• Naming esters backwards. The alcohol part comes first: ethyl propanoate, not propyl ethanoate.
• Counting the hydrogens on the carbon itself when you apply the n + 1 rule. Count only the neighbours.

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