SCH3U practice exam: Grade 11 Chemistry questions and exam rules

Each daily paper has 8 original questions worth 25 to 35 marks. The Grade 11 Chemistry (SCH3U) paper covers moles, electron configuration, periodic trends and bonding; its enthalpy, rates, equilibrium, redox and organic chemistry questions belong to SCH4U. The Grade 10 Science: Chemistry paper adds concentration and titration, which fit the solutions strand.

How the SCH3U exam counts in 2026-27

In Grade 11 science in Ontario, your final mark is now 65% classroom work, a 25% written exam, and 10% attendance and participation, with the exam written in your board's exam period. The prerequisite for SCH3U is Grade 10 academic science. These figures come from the Ministry of Education's September 2026 update to Growing Success.

What's on the SCH3U exam: the strands

• Matter, chemical trends and chemical bonding: periodic trends, ionic and covalent bonds, and electronegativity.
• Chemical reactions: types of reaction and balancing equations.
• Quantities in chemical reactions: the mole, stoichiometry and percent yield.
• Solutions and solubility: concentration, dilution and acids and bases.
• Gases and atmospheric chemistry: the gas laws.
• Scientific investigation skills and career exploration run through every unit.

SCH3U practice exam questions with answers

We wrote these for this page, one from each main strand.

1. Periodic trends. How do atomic radius and first ionization energy change across period 3 from sodium to argon, and why? Answer: the radius decreases and the ionization energy increases. The nuclear charge rises while the electrons stay in the same shell, so they are pulled closer and held more tightly.

2. Bonding. Using electronegativities Na = 0.9, H = 2.1 and Cl = 3.0, classify the bonds in NaCl and HCl. Answer: NaCl has a difference of 2.1, so it is ionic. HCl has a difference of 0.9, so it is polar covalent, with chlorine slightly negative. Try a bond type question from our Chemical Bonding course, then press Mark.

3. Percent yield. Heating 10.0 g of CaCO₃ gives 4.90 g of CaO (CaCO₃ → CaO + CO₂). What is the percent yield? Answer: 10.0 g ÷ 100.09 g/mol = 0.0999 mol of CaCO₃, which makes 0.0999 mol of CaO, or 0.0999 × 56.08 = 5.60 g in theory. Percent yield = 4.90 ÷ 5.60 × 100 = 87.5%. The Stoichiometry Calculator checks the theoretical yield.

4. Dilution. You have 50.0 mL of 2.00 mol/L HCl and need a 0.500 mol/L solution. What final volume should you make it up to? Answer: C₁V₁ = C₂V₂, so V₂ = 2.00 × 50.0 ÷ 0.500 = 200 mL, which means adding 150 mL of water. The Dilution Calculator works these out.

5. Gases. How many moles of oxygen fill a 5.00 L container at 25 °C and 101.3 kPa? Use R = 8.314 kPa L/(mol K). Answer: n = PV ÷ RT = (101.3 × 5.00) ÷ (8.314 × 298.15) = 0.204 mol. Convert the temperature to kelvin first. The Gas Laws Calculator handles each gas law.

Use the daily papers as practice exams

1. Alternate the SCH3U and Grade 10 chemistry papers, and work to the suggested time.
2. Skip enthalpy, rates, equilibrium, redox and organic chemistry: they belong to SCH4U.
3. Show each mole step, with units in every line.
4. Mark each paper and note which strand each lost mark belongs to.

Common SCH3U mistakes

• Reversing a periodic trend: radius shrinks across a period and grows down a group.
• Calling every bond with a non-metal covalent without checking electronegativity.
• Using the actual yield as the theoretical yield.
• Forgetting to convert °C to K in the gas laws.
• Changing subscripts to balance an equation.

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