ShortSyllabus

Sample

A finished short syllabus, as it prints.

This sample is the sort of document the free generator produces from a full source pack — and the skeleton a Premium chemist would then annotate with examiner judgement.

Short syllabus

Organic Chemistry I

End-of-year written paper (3 hours) + mechanism spotter

A short syllabus for Organic Chemistry I, aimed at End-of-year written paper (3 hours) + mechanism spotter. Must-know topics carry the paper. Likely topics are covered at outline-plus-example depth. Optional items are listed so you can ignore them without guilt.

Topic map

  • 12%

    Bonding, structure & acid–base in organic systems

    must

    Every mechanism question starts here. Formal charge and pKa beats memorising names.

  • 16%

    Substitution & elimination (SN1/SN2/E1/E2)

    must

    Highest yield. Stereochemistry, solvent, and substrate decide the pathway.

  • 10%

    Addition to alkenes & alkynes

    must

    Regiochemistry and stereochemical outcomes are the usual marks.

  • 18%

    Carbonyls: addition, condensation, acyl substitution

    must

    Aldol, Claisen, and Grignard clusters dominate finals.

  • 12%

    Aromaticity & electrophilic aromatic substitution

    must

    Directing effects and multi-step synthesis planning.

  • 14%

    Spectroscopy (IR, 1H/13C NMR, MS)

    likely

    Structure elucidation from a mixed data set is almost guaranteed.

  • 8%

    Oxidation, reduction & protecting groups

    likely

    Reagent choice in multi-step synthesis, not isolated reactions.

  • 6%

    Pericyclic reactions & frontier orbitals

    optional

    Often a single short question. Learn Woodward–Hoffmann at outline level unless your paper loves it.

  • 4%

    Bio-organic / named industrial processes

    optional

    Skip deep industrial flowcharts unless past papers show them.

Study guideline

  • Week 1

    Map the short syllabus. Close definition gaps. First pass on every must-know topic at outline depth.

    12 hrs · active notes, not re-reading

  • Week 2

    Must-know topics to working fluency. Begin question clusters on the two heaviest weights.

    Past-paper fragments after each block

  • Week 3

    Likely topics + mixed practice. Build the skip list into your notes so you stop leaking time.

    Timed 25–40 minute sets

  • Week 4

    Full syllabus compression onto one sheet per major head. Weak-topic repair only.

    Teach-back or study partner quiz

  • Final 10 days

    Exam conditions. Sleep, recall, and the clusters — not new chapters.

    One mixed paper, then error log only

Working principles

  • — Study in the order of weight, not the order of the textbook.
  • — Every topic should end in a question you can answer aloud in three minutes.
  • — If a chapter never appears in your supplied past papers, it belongs on the skip list until the must-knows are fluent.
  • — Leave white space in the week of the paper. Compression beats coverage.

Sources in this sample

  • CHEM101-lectures.pdf
  • past-papers-2019-2025.pdf
  • clayden-toc.txt
  • Pasted source pack
  • Focus note: Mechanisms and spectroscopy; synthesis only as far as last year’s paper
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