ChemTutor Excalibur

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Summary: All Chemistry, No Nonsense
Review: ChemTutor Excalibur takes a difficult and often confusing subject (college level Chemistry) and manages to pare it down to a readable and engrossing form. Using this program helped me greatly in making my way through an AP Chemistry class, and now in college, I find I still have no difficulty conversing with second year Chemistry majors about their labs. While some might say that the graphical interface is lacking, I think that it has everything it needs. In fact, with none of the bells and whistles that most other Chemistry programs have (unnecessary slides, splash screens, and animations), ChemTutor exposes itself, daring its users to find fault with its content, rather than distracting them with its presentation. Personally, I found it to be as close to perfect as such a program can be. In short, if you are really interested in learning Chemistry, not in playing just another computer game, ChemTutor is the program for you.

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Summary: ChemTutor saved my chemistry grades.
Review: ChemTutor helped bring my understanding of chemistry to a much higher level. I didn't fully understand what we were doing in class, so I borrowed my roommate's copy of ChemTutor and did a few lessons on it, and I actually understood what we did the next day in class. I also aced the next test, thanks to studying with ChemTutor. It is a program I would highly recommend to any chemistry students who want a little extra help. It is well written and will help you to understand the subject at a higher level.

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Summary: Good for review, but not a standalone tutorial
Review: This program would be a good supplement to a high school chemistry class. The practice tests would provide a helpful review. But as a stand-alone tutor, this program is inadequate.

I wanted something to help me learn chemistry by self-study. With a name like ChemTutor, I was hoping it would teach me chemistry in a coherent, systematic way like a textbook or a class would do. But the so-called tutorial mode is just a bunch of random questions, like a practice test. To learn a subject it takes more than just answering isolated, individual questions, but that is all this software provides. It should be called ChemReview instead of ChemTutor. If you are looking for a standalone program to teach you chemistry by self-study, this is not it.

Also, from a graphical design point of view, the whole thing looks like it was created in the 1980s. There is only over-sized text and basic diagrams. There are no animations, photos, or multimedia of any kind.

I was disappointed with ChemTutor Excalibur.

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Summary: It's so easy!!
Review: This program is brilliant! I couldn't have done well in my Advanced Chem class without it. Not only does ChemTutor teach you how to do each type of problem, it explains the individual answer for any question you don't understand. Plus, there's no need for a periodic table; ChemTutor already has one! ChemTutor also has quick references to helpful equations. ChemTutor also provides immediate feedback that tells you if you got the question right so that you can make sure you understand each concept before you move on to the next. Overall, ChemTutor Excalibur is an amazing program that really helps you through any problems you may be having with Chemistry.

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Summary: A Fabulous Program
Review: ChemTutor Excalibur is such a brilliant tool for anyone trying to learn chemistry it is almost unfathomable. With it's practice exams, tutorials, and detailed explanations of every problem, its an extremely helpful learning tool. It helped me study and do well on my test, and be satisfied with my performance, it builds confidence in one's abilities as a chemist, while strenghthening your skills in many aspects of chemistry. In ChemTutor Excalibur, a multitude of material is covered, and the explanations help you understand all the aspects of the problems. ChemTutor Excalibur is extraordinary, and I would reccomend it to anyone, who wants to strengthen their chemistry skills and build confidence!
I was struggling in my Chemistry I class, and I was worried about my upcoming test. I used ChemTutor, and was able to get a good grade, and all my qualms were immediately put to rest. ChemTutor is a wonderfully put-together program, and extremely helpful, and I would again, reccomend it to anyone!!! It is the best, and the most helpful learning tool that I have ever used.

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Summary: ChemTutor® Excalibur is an Excellent Stand-alone Tutorial
Review: I teach both Pre-AP Chemistry and Advanced Placement Chemistry at Westtown School in Pennsylvania. ChemTutor® Excalibur is an excellent stand-alone chemistry tutorial software package, and my students use it as an essential part of each of my chemistry courses. In fact, instead of reading a textbook, I have my students work with the interactive tutorials in ChemTutor® Excalibur on their own at home, and it definitely helps them to develop a strong understanding of all aspects of general and inorganic chemistry.

There is much more to ChemTutor® Excalibur than just its practice tests, although that is certainly one of its valuable features. ChemTutor® Excalibur uses a unique approach to teaching chemistry: It teaches all of the concepts and quantitative aspects of chemistry by way of example in an easy-to-understand, step-by-step approach that students really like and appreciate. The tutorials for each of the subject areas give students an opportunity to apply each concept and calculational procedure that is related to each of those subject areas. This aspect of the tutorials is very important. Students don't learn chemistry by just reading about it; they need to apply chemistry before they can truly understand it.

If a student doesn't have any idea how to approach any one of the problems in one of the tutorials in ChemTutor® Excalibur, there is a LEARN button that they can click on, which brings up a screen that explains the concept associated with that problem and that also explains, in general, how to approach that type of problem. Then the student can try to solve the practice problem. If they are still having difficulty, there is also an EXPLANATION button that they can click on. This brings up a screen that shows and explains, in detail, how to solve that specific problem.

ChemTutor® Excalibur really is an awesome software package, and it definitely helps me to do a better job of teaching chemistry. Another one of its benefits is that it does a great job of helping students prepare for the SAT II Subject Test in Chemistry and the College Board AP Chemistry Exam. Every chemistry student on the planet should have this software.

Kurt M. Wicks
Westtown School
[e-mail]

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Summary: Textbooks Beware!
Review: I have progressed quickly through loads of material in my Chemistry class, using only ChemTutor Excalibur. The "Learn" function effectively replaces your standard Chemistry textbook, and is all a student needs to learn either basic or advanced chemistry. Many students, including myself, have found the information on ChemTutor easier to grasp than its textbook equivalent.

ChemTutor is also wonderful for test preparation. It's the only tool I need to study! The textbook, the quiz preparation, and the sample term exams are all included in a single CD-ROM!

I wholeheartedly recommend ChemTutor Excalibur for the fastidious chemistry student, and for the teacher who wishes to do away with heavy textbooks. It's a lifesaver!

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Summary: My experience with ChemTutor Excalibur
Review: ChemTutor Excalibur is very helpful because it gives you a wide variety of problems for a section and really promotes greater understanding of the material. I find that the learn button especially helpful, because it explains how to solve the problem in detail. The practice exam also greatly improves your skills because it provides an easy way to review cumulative material and makes sure you do not forget the basics. In conclusion, ChemTutor Excalibur has made me a more confident chem student and has broadened my understanding of the subject.

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Summary: ChemTutor saved my grades! By Read C and Sungkyu H
Review: This review is not the story of one, but two students were struggling in an advanced Chemistry Course. Neither of them had any idea what was going on in the class, and when they took tests, they got scores ranging from D to 'Other.' The teacher suggested that they start using ChemTutor Excalibur to study. Reluctantly, the students gave the program a try, in hopes of salvaging their poor grades. Almost immediatley, after using ChemTutor every night a couple nights before each test, their scores jumped into the B range. Their teacher was very impressed. The students were very happy.
We have used ChemTutor extensivley this semester, and whenever we spend some time with it before a test, our scores always turn out good. ChemTutor is pretty awesome.

A True Story by Read Connolly & Sungkyu Hahn

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Summary: Extremely useful for any high school Chem student...
Review: First year Chemistry is a subject that you absolutely have to study for. You can't fake your way through it and expect to pull an A average. Therefore, I have found this an indispensable tool for the course. It is a good feeling going into a chemistry test and knowing that you have already taken several practice tests on that specific area. It is even more helpful when the end of the year comes and you want a good way to refresh your knowledge of everything you have done for your final, to make sure that you still have all your knowledge down. This is an excellent program, and I would recommend it to any chemistry student.