• 60 questions

General Chemistry Practice Test

First-year college chemistry in seven topics, from the atom to kinetics, with the working after every answer.

Light has a frequency of 5.00 × 10¹⁴ Hz. What is its wavelength? (c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s)

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with any school, college or exam body. Bank checked October 7, 2026.

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All 60 questions

The atom 12

  • A photon has a frequency of 6.00 × 10¹⁴ Hz. What is its energy? (h = 6.626 × 10⁻³⁴ J·s) MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 3 notes (wave-particle duality of light); Planck constant from NIST CODATA
  • A photon with 5.0 eV of energy strikes a metal whose work function is 2.3 eV. What is the greatest kinetic energy the ejected electron can have? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 3 notes (wave-particle duality of light)
  • An electron (mass 9.109 × 10⁻³¹ kg) moves at 2.00 × 10⁶ m/s. What is its de Broglie wavelength? (h = 6.626 × 10⁻³⁴ J·s) MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 4 notes (wave-particle duality of matter); Planck constant and electron mass from NIST CODATA
  • An electron in a hydrogen atom falls from n = 3 to n = 2. How much energy does the emitted photon carry? (R_H = 2.18 × 10⁻¹⁸ J) MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 5 notes (hydrogen atom energy levels); Rydberg energy from NIST CODATA
  • How many orbitals are in the n = 3 shell of a hydrogen atom? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 6 notes (hydrogen atom wavefunctions)
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The atom, continued

  • In a cathode ray tube, the rays bend toward the positively charged plate. What does this show about the particles in the rays? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 2 notes (atomic structure)
  • In a hydrogen atom the n = 1 level has an energy of −2.18 × 10⁻¹⁸ J. What is the energy of the n = 2 level? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 5 notes (hydrogen atom energy levels); Rydberg energy from NIST CODATA
  • Light has a frequency of 5.00 × 10¹⁴ Hz. What is its wavelength? (c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s) MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 3 notes (wave-particle duality of light); speed of light from NIST CODATA
  • Light shines on a metal at a frequency below the metal's threshold frequency, and no electrons come off. The light is then made ten times brighter. What happens? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 3 notes (wave-particle duality of light)
  • Nitrogen has three electrons in its 2p subshell. How are they arranged in the ground state? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 7 notes (multi-electron atoms)
  • Which is the ground-state electron configuration of chromium (Z = 24)? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 7 notes (multi-electron atoms); configuration from the PubChem periodic table
  • Which result led to the idea that an atom's positive charge and nearly all of its mass sit in a tiny nucleus? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 2 notes (atomic structure)

Bonding and structure 12

  • How many valence electrons go into the Lewis structure of the carbonate ion, CO₃²⁻? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 10 notes (Lewis structures)
  • How many σ and π bonds make up a triple bond? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 14 notes (valence bond theory and hybridization)
  • In molecular orbital theory, He₂ would have two electrons in a bonding orbital and two in an antibonding orbital. What is its bond order? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 13 notes (molecular orbital theory)
  • In which molecule does the central atom have fewer than eight valence electrons around it? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 11 notes (breakdown of the octet rule)
  • What is the formal charge on nitrogen in the ammonium ion, NH₄⁺? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 10 notes (Lewis structures)
  • What is the hybridization of each carbon atom in ethene, C₂H₄? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 14 notes (valence bond theory and hybridization)
  • What shape does VSEPR theory predict for methane, CH₄? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 12 notes (VSEPR theory)
  • Which element has the highest electronegativity? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 9 notes (ionic and covalent bonds); values from the PubChem periodic table
  • Which of these atoms has the largest atomic radius? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 9 notes (ionic and covalent bonds); radii from the PubChem periodic table
  • Which of these elements has the highest first ionization energy? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 8 notes (the periodic table and periodic trends); values from the PubChem periodic table
  • Which pair of elements forms the bond with the most ionic character? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 9 notes (ionic and covalent bonds); values from the PubChem periodic table
  • Why is a water molecule bent and not linear? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 12 notes (VSEPR theory)

Thermodynamics 6

  • A reaction has an equilibrium constant K greater than 1. What must be true of ΔG°? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 18 notes (chemical equilibrium)
  • A reaction has ΔH = +50.0 kJ/mol and ΔS = +125 J/(K·mol). Above what temperature is it spontaneous? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 17 notes (thermodynamics and temperature)
  • A reaction has ΔH = −40.0 kJ/mol and ΔS = −100 J/(K·mol). What is ΔG at 300 K? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 16 notes (Gibbs free energy and entropy)
  • In a reaction, breaking the reactants' bonds takes 2,000 kJ and forming the products' bonds releases 2,500 kJ. What is ΔH for the reaction? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 15 notes (bond and reaction enthalpies)
  • Which change increases the entropy of the system? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 16 notes (Gibbs free energy and entropy)
  • Which statement about breaking a chemical bond is true? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 15 notes (bond and reaction enthalpies)

Chemical equilibrium 5

  • A salt MX dissolves as MX(s) ⇌ M⁺(aq) + X⁻(aq), with Ksp = 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁰. What is its molar solubility in pure water? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 20 notes (solubility and acid-base equilibrium)
  • An exothermic reaction at equilibrium is heated. What happens to its equilibrium constant? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 19 notes (Le Châtelier's principle)
  • For a reaction mixture, the reaction quotient Q is smaller than K. What happens? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 18 notes (chemical equilibrium)
  • More of a reactant is added to a mixture at equilibrium, at constant temperature. What happens? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 19 notes (Le Châtelier's principle)
  • PCl₃(g) + Cl₂(g) ⇌ PCl₅(g) is at equilibrium. The volume of the container is cut in half at constant temperature. Which way does the reaction shift? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 19 notes (Le Châtelier's principle)

Acids and bases 6

  • A buffer holds equal concentrations of a weak acid (pKa = 4.74) and its conjugate base. What is its pH? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 22 notes (salt solutions and buffers)
  • A weak acid HA has Ka = 1.0 × 10⁻⁵. What is the pH of a 0.10 M solution of HA? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 21 notes (acid-base equilibrium)
  • A weak acid is titrated with a strong base. What is the pH at the equivalence point? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 24 notes (acid-base titrations, part II, and redox reactions)
  • How many milliliters of 0.125 M NaOH are needed to reach the equivalence point with 25.0 mL of 0.100 M HCl? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 23 notes (acid-base titrations, part I)
  • In the Brønsted–Lowry definition, what is an acid? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 20 notes (solubility and acid-base equilibrium)
  • What is the pH of 0.010 M HCl, a strong acid? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 21 notes (acid-base equilibrium)

Redox and transition metals 9

  • A cell reaction transfers 2 moles of electrons and has E° = 1.00 V. What is ΔG°? (F = 96,485 C/mol) MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 26 notes (cell potential and free energy); Faraday constant from NIST CODATA
  • An octahedral complex has six d electrons and weak-field ligands, so it is high spin. How many unpaired electrons does it have? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 28 notes (crystal field theory, part I)
  • The half-reaction X²⁺ + 2e⁻ → X has E° = +0.50 V, and Y²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Y has E° = −0.30 V. What is E° for the cell in which X²⁺ is reduced and Y is oxidized? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 26 notes (cell potential and free energy)
  • In a coordination complex, what does a ligand do? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 27 notes (transition metals)
  • In a galvanic cell, at which electrode does oxidation take place? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 25 notes (oxidation-reduction and electrochemical cells)
  • In a redox reaction, what happens to the reducing agent? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 25 notes (oxidation-reduction and electrochemical cells)
  • In an octahedral crystal field, how do the five d orbitals split? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 28 notes (crystal field theory, part I)
  • Iron has the ground-state configuration [Ar] 3d⁶ 4s². How many d electrons does Fe³⁺ have? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 27 notes (transition metals); configuration from the PubChem periodic table
  • What is the oxidation number of manganese in the permanganate ion, MnO₄⁻? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 24 notes (acid-base titrations, part II, and redox reactions)

Kinetics 10

  • A first-order reaction has k = 0.0231 s⁻¹. What is its half-life? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 30 notes (rate laws)
  • A radioactive isotope has a half-life of 10 days. How much of an 80 mg sample is left after 30 days? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 31 notes (nuclear chemistry and elementary steps)
  • A reaction has Ea = 50.0 kJ/mol. By about what factor does its rate constant grow when the temperature rises from 300 K to 310 K? (R = 8.314 J/(K·mol)) MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 33 notes (kinetics and temperature); gas constant from NIST CODATA
  • A reaction takes place in two steps: a slow first step, then a fast second step. Which step sets the overall rate? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 32 notes (reaction mechanisms)
  • A species is made in the first step of a mechanism and used up in the second, so it is missing from the overall equation. What is it called? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 32 notes (reaction mechanisms)
  • For a first-order reaction, what happens to the half-life when the starting concentration is doubled? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 30 notes (rate laws)
  • How does a catalyst speed up a reaction? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 34 notes (catalysts)
  • Two reactions have the same pre-exponential factor A and run at the same temperature. Which has the larger rate constant? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 33 notes (kinetics and temperature)
  • What is the rate law for the elementary step A + B → C? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 31 notes (nuclear chemistry and elementary steps)
  • When the concentration of A is doubled and everything else is held fixed, a reaction goes four times as fast. What is the order of the reaction in A? MIT OpenCourseWare 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science, lecture 30 notes (rate laws)

How this list was compiled: Our own questions. The topic list is the five units and 35 lectures of MIT OpenCourseWare's 5.111SC Principles of Chemical Science (fall 2014), https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/5-111sc-principles-of-chemical-science-fall-2014/pages/syllabus/, read 2026-10-07. Each concept was checked in that course's lecture notes, element data in the PubChem periodic table, https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/periodic-table/, and constants in the NIST CODATA values, https://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Constants/, all read 2026-10-07. Every calculated answer was worked out a second time from the numbers in the question. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This general chemistry practice test with answers is unofficial: 60 original questions on first-year college chemistry, each explained or worked step by step. It is tied to no exam, so no exam length or pass mark is implied.

Read the full guide

Before a unit test

Each question carries its topic, so you can drill the one unit you are studying, or leave the topics mixed for a review of the whole course.

The course it follows

The seven topics follow the five units of Principles of Chemical Science, a first-year course published by MIT OpenCourseWare, read October 7, 2026. The course has no lecture on gas laws or mole arithmetic, so this bank has none either.

How the answers are checked

Each concept was checked in that course's lecture notes, element data in the PubChem periodic table, and constants in the NIST values. Every calculated answer was worked out a second time from the numbers in the question.

  • Carry the units through every step. A ΔS in joules beside a ΔH in kilojoules is the classic slip.
  • Write the formula before the numbers: E = hν, ΔG = ΔH − TΔS, pH = −log[H₃O⁺].

Questions and answers

Is there a general chemistry practice test with answers PDF?

Yes. After a round, the questions print as a paper test, and one tick adds the answer key with the working. Choose Save as PDF in the print window and you have the file.

What topics are on a general chemistry test?

Each college sets its own. The course this page follows covers atomic structure, bonding, thermodynamics, equilibrium, acids and bases, redox reactions, transition metals and kinetics. Your own test may add other chapters, so check your syllabus.

Do I need a calculator for this chemistry practice test?

For the calculation questions, yes: one with logarithms, square roots and powers of ten. Every constant you need, such as h, c, R or F, is printed in the question.

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