How To Prepare For CUET Chemistry Syllabus 2023

Summary: If you choose Chemistry as a domain subject for your course, this article will help you understand the syllabus, exam pattern and some crucial preparation tips.

CUET is a centralized entrance test designed to give students nationwide an equal and consistent chance for UG admissions. More than 200 institutions will participate in CUET 2023, with UG admissions dependent only on candidates' CUET scores.

CUET will include 47 core universities, including DU, BHU, JNU, AU, and many more, among the 200+. CUET would provide a single platform and fair opportunities to candidates nationwide with one centralized exam.

• NTA, the conducting authority of CUET, has announced the syllabus for Chemistry, and it will remain the same as the previous year.
• The syllabus will be completely similar to the NCERT class 12 syllabus.
• Chemistry is an important subject that must be selected as a domain subject in Section II of the CEUT test.
• Many courses need Chemistry as a domain topic to be selected.

This article will detail the syllabus, exam pattern and preparation tips so that you ace your CUET Chemistry exam!

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How To Prepare For CUET Chemistry Syllabus 2023

The paper pattern for chemistry is very simple, with a single section and simple MCQ-based questions.

There will be one Question Paper with 50 questions, 40 of which must be answered as per the CUET exam pattern 2023.

Examination Medium	English, Hindi, Assamese, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu
Total Questions asked	50
Questions needed to be answered	40
Total Marks in Chemistry	200
Marking Scheme	5 marks for each right answer -1 for each wrong answer
Question Type	MCQ
Exam time duration	45-minute

How To Prepare For CUET Chemistry Syllabus 2023

There is a total of 16 units for Chemistry, each with a focus on a specific subject.

The overall CUET syllabus can get overwhelming, but the division of units makes it a bit easier to go through.

Unit	Subject	Topics
1	Solid State	Classification of solids based on different binding forces: molecular, ionic covalent, and metallic solids, amorphous and crystalline solids(elementary idea), unit cell in two-dimensional and three-dimensional lattices, calculation of density of unit cell, packing in solids, packing efficiency, voids, several atoms per unit cell in a cubic unit cell, point defects, electrical and magnetic properties, Band theory of metals, conductors, semiconductors and insulators and n and p-type semiconductors.
2	Solutions	Types of solutions, expression of concentration of solutions of solids in liquids, the solubility of gases in liquids, solid solutions, colligative properties – the relative lowering of vapour pressure, Raoult’s law, the elevation of B.P., depression of freezing point, osmotic pressure, determination of molecular masses using colligative properties, abnormal molecular mass, Vant Hoff factor.
3	Electrochemistry	Redox reactions; conductance in electrolytic solutions, specific and molar conductivity variations of conductivity with concentration, Kohlrausch’s Law, electrolysis and laws of electrolysis (elementary idea), dry cell – electrolytic cells and Galvanic cells; lead accumulator, EMF of a cell, standard electrode potential, Nernst equation and its application to chemical cells. Relation between Gibbs energy change and EMF of a cell, fuel cells; corrosion
4	Chemical Kinetics	Rate of a reaction (average and instantaneous), factors affecting rates of reaction: concentration, temperature, catalyst; order and molecularity of a reaction; rate law and specific rate constant, integrated rate equations, and half-life (only for zero and first-order reactions); the concept of collision theory (elementary idea, no mathematical treatment). Activation energy, Arrhenius equation.
5	Surface Chemistry	Adsorption – physisorption and chemisorption; factors affecting adsorption of gases on solids; catalysis: homogenous and heterogeneous, activity and selectivity: enzyme catalysis; colloidal state: the distinction between true solutions, colloids, and suspensions; lyophilic, lyophobic multimolecular and macromolecular colloids; properties of colloids; Tyndall effect, Brownian movement, electrophoresis, coagulation; emulsions – types of emulsions.
6	General Principles and Processes of Isolation of Elements	Principles and methods of extraction – concentration, oxidation, reduction, electrolytic method, and refining; occurrence and principles of extraction of aluminium, copper, zinc, and iron.
7	p-Block elements	Group 15 elements: General introduction, electronic configuration, occurrence, oxidation states, trends in physical and chemical properties; nitrogen – preparation, properties, and uses; compounds of nitrogen: preparation and properties of ammonia and nitric acid, oxides of nitrogen ( structure only); Phosphorous-allotropic forms; compounds of phosphorous: preparation and properties of phosphine, halides (PCl3, PCl5) and oxoacids (elementary idea only).  Group 16 elements: General introduction, electronic configuration, oxidation states, occurrence, trends in physical and chemical properties; dioxygen: preparation, properties, and uses; classification of oxides; ozone. Sulphur – allotropic forms; compounds of sulphur: preparation, properties, and uses of sulphur dioxide; sulphuric acid: industrial process of manufacture, properties and uses, oxoacids of sulphur (structures only).  Group 17 elements: General introduction, electronic configuration, oxidation states, occurrence, trends in physical and chemical properties; compounds of halogens: preparation, properties and uses of chlorine and hydrochloric acid, interhalogen compounds, oxoacids of halogens(structures only).  Group 18 elements: General introduction, electronic configuration, occurrence, trends in physical and chemical properties, and uses.
8	d and f Block Elements	General introduction, electronic configuration, occurrence and characteristics of transition metals, general trends in properties of the first-row transition metals – metallic character, ionization enthalpy, oxidation states, ionic radii, colour, catalytic property, magnetic properties, interstitial compounds, alloy formation. Preparation and properties of K2Cr2O7 and KMnO4. Lanthanoids – electronic configuration, oxidation states, chemical reactivity, and lanthanoid contraction and its consequences. Actinoids –Electronic configuration, oxidation states, and comparison with lanthanoids
9	Coordination Compounds	Coordination compounds: Introduction, ligands, coordination number, colour, magnetic properties and shapes, IUPAC nomenclature of mononuclear coordination compounds, bonding, Werner’s theory VBT, CFT; isomerism (structural and stereo) importance of coordination compounds (in qualitative analysis, extraction of metals and biological systems).
10	Haloalkanes and Haloarenes	Haloalkanes: Nomenclature, nature of C-X bond, physical and chemical properties, mechanism of substitution reactions. Optical rotation.  Haloarenes: Nature of C-X bond, substitution reactions (directive influence of halogen for monosubstituted compounds only). Uses and environmental effects of–dichloromethane, trichloromethane, tetrachloromethane, iodoform, freons, DDT
11	Alcohols, Phenols, and Ethers	Alcohols: Nomenclature, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties (of primary alcohols only); identification of primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohols; mechanism of dehydration, uses, with special reference to methanol and ethanol.  Phenols: Nomenclature, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties, acidic nature of phenol, electrophilic substitution reactions, uses of phenols.  Ethers: Nomenclature, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties, uses.
12	Aldehydes, Ketones, and Carboxylic Acids	Aldehydes and Ketones: Nomenclature, nature of carbonyl group, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties, mechanism of nucleophilic addition, the reactivity of alpha hydrogen in aldehydes; uses.  Carboxylic Acids: Nomenclature, acidic nature, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties; uses.
13	Organic Compounds Containing Nitrogen	Amines: Nomenclature, classification, structure, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties, uses, and identification of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines.  Cyanides and Isocyanides – will be mentioned at relevant places in context.  Diazonium salts: Preparation, chemical reactions, and importance in synthetic organic chemistry.
14	Biomolecules	Carbohydrates – Classification (aldoses and ketoses), monosaccharide (glucose and fructose), D-L configuration, oligosaccharides (sucrose, lactose, maltose), polysaccharides (starch, cellulose, glycogen): importance.  Proteins - Elementary idea of a-amino acids, peptide bonds, polypeptides, proteins, primary structure, secondary structure, tertiary structure and quaternary structure (qualitative idea only), denaturation of proteins; enzymes.  Hormones – Elementary idea (excluding structure).  Vitamins – Classification and functions.  Nucleic Acids: DNA and RNA
15	Polymers	Classification – Natural and synthetic methods of polymerization (addition and condensation), copolymerization. Some important polymers: are natural and synthetic, like polythene, nylon, polyesters, bakelite, and rubber. Biodegradable and non-biodegradable polymers
16	Chemistry in Everyday Life	Chemicals in medicines – analgesics, tranquillizers, antiseptics, disinfectants, antimicrobials, antifertility drugs, antibiotics, antacids, and antihistamines.  Chemicals in food– preservatives, artificial sweetening agents, elementary idea of antioxidants.  Cleansing agents – soaps and detergents, cleansing action

How To Prepare For CUET Chemistry Syllabus 2023

Chemistry can be a bit overwhelming in terms of the syllabus, as there are many things you need to prepare for.

But, if you strictly divide the CUET syllabus by several units, it can become easier. The important thing in Chemistry is to practice and remember stuff.

You have no other option but to leave certain things to your memory. Chemical formulae, methods of preparations, etc., are all that you have to remember.

Again, if you revise the topics multiple times, the preparation will become easier.

Important Things to Remember

1. Analysing the CUET 2022 Chemistry paper, organic chemistry had the most weightage, followed by Inorganic chemistry. Focus most of your time on practising Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, as the rest of the topics are easy. Last year, 28 questions came from Organic chemistry and 10 from Inorganic.
2. Write down every important formula from Organic and Inorganic chemistry. Most of the complicated formulae and reactions will be in these topics, so ensure you have proper notes.
3. The syllabus will be from the NCERT class 12 textbook. Make sure to read the complete textbook thoroughly. If you are prepared with the NCERT textbook, you will be mostly done with your Chemistry preparation.

Check: CUET application form

Have enough time 

If you have chosen chemistry as your domain subject, having enough time for chemistry is crucial.

The time you require to complete preparing for this subject is on par with mathematics.

If you have mathematics and chemistry as your domain subjects, leaving more time for preparation becomes even more crucial. 

Check: CUET Mocks 2023

Know the syllabus 

Knowing the syllabus is the basic step in starting your preparation.

While the syllabus is huge, it is neatly divided into units and subtopics, making it easier to go through all the topics that will appear in the exam.

Understanding the syllabus to score the highest possible marks is essential because it is pointless to stray too far from the subjects and waste time. 

Check: CUET Central University of Kerala Exam Pattern 2023

Understand the basics 

Whatever you have learned in class 11 and class 12 is essential to nail the basics of chemistry.

Your NCERT book is an amazing guide to the basics of the subject; it is important to get that right first.

Basic concepts like oxidation, reduction, elements table, atomic structure, etc., are crucial to jump on more complicated topics. 

Check: CUET Rajiv Gandhi University Exam Pattern 2023

Start learning the topics in the syllabus and keep notes

For chemistry, it is extremely important to keep writing notes for important chemical formulae, reactions, and things you need to remember and keep revising. Go through each unit linearly and complete everything that feels easy. After you finish the easier topics, jump to the ones you feel are difficult.

If you think something is taking a very long time, skip it for now and complete the maximum syllabus possible. 

Take help from coaching 

Chemistry is not exactly a very friendly subject. It can get pretty overwhelming for a lot of students. If you struggle with this subject, you can join a good coaching class to get help. You also get helpful learning materials to make the whole process earlier.

If you can’t join coaching classes, you can use the internet as your support. Free content is available on the internet (mainly YouTube) that can help you understand difficult topics. 

Check: How To Prepare For CUET Sociology 2023

Practice with mock tests and previous year's question papers 

Pick up the previous year's question papers and review them to get a sense of the questions that will be asked in the exam. Analyze numerous papers and try to uncover a pattern that will allow you to predict the questions that may appear. Don't be too sure that the pattern will repeat exactly, but it is an excellent way to predict the overall pattern of the question paper.

Practice as many mock tests as you can. Mock tests will let you analyze your strengths and weaknesses in the topics. You can focus more on your areas of weakness. 

Revise, Revise and Revise 

For chemistry, it is important to revise the topics repeatedly, especially the difficult ones. Since the subject is highly technical and leaves a lot to remember, keeping things fresh in mind is crucial.

Check: How To Prepare For CUET Sanskrit

Study material for CUET Chemistry

• Organic Chemistry, Arihant Publications
• Class XII NCERT Chemistry Textbook
• CUET Guide and Practice Work Book, Sanjay Kumar
• ABC Chemistry, S.P. Jauhar
• A Textbook of Physical Chemistry, Dr R.K. Gupta
• A Textbook of Inorganic Chemistry, Dr O.P. Tandon
• A Textbook of Organic Chemistry, Dr O.P. Tandon

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Conclusion

Analysing the previous year's CUET Chemistry paper, the difficulty was easy to moderate.

The trend might continue for 2023 as well, but you never know.

The best thing is to complete the syllabus focusing on Inorganic and Organic Chemistry.

Even a difficult question paper will feel like a cakewalk if you are thorough with the syllabus and practised enough.

The important thing to remember is that you have to give yourself enough time, complete each unit in the syllabus and practice a lot!

Check: CUET 2023 Exam Pattern For Apex University