ACS Exams

General Message/Update

It’s here – the NEW Biochemistry Study Guide

We are excited to announce the newest addition to our study materials – the new biochemistry study guide!  This 164-page guide walks you through problem-solving processes with practice questions that follow for you to refine and test your understanding.  This guide also serves both single-semester and full-year courses as well as aligns to our Biochemistry ACS Exam.  You can click here to purchase a guide.

New tool for norm reduction – customize your exam for your needs

In response to requests from many of you to be able to generate norms for a reduced set of items for your ACS exam, we have developed a tool for this.  Available for 25 general and organic chemistry exams, you can select your test, select which items to remove and observe the change to the norms.  You also can upload your data for a downloadable file with your students’ adjusted norms and course information.  This site can be accessed here.

New exams and norms released in 2025 and 2026:

Through the exhaustive work of our exam committees, we released recently:

• General-Organic-Biochemistry 2025 Condensed (stock code: GB25D)
  • This is the newest version of the one-semester general-organic-biochemistry exam designed for nursing and health science majors.  This 60-item exam has items distributed across the three disciplines based on a typical one-semester course.
• General Chemistry First-Term, 2025 (stock code: GC25F)
  • This is the newest version of the first-semester general chemistry exam.  When you submit answer sheets to us for scoring, the score report available for this exam will also include partial credit scoring.  Users will have the option of using either score.  Additionally, the exam will be released with preliminary modeled norms. 
• Preparatory Chemistry, 2025 (stock code: PC25)
  • This is a new exam for preparatory chemistry (prior to introductory chemistry).  This 50-item exam is designed for a 60-minute testing period.  It is expected that this exam will align to final exam testing needs for a preparatory chemistry course or as a placement exam for general chemistry I.
• Instrumental Analysis, 2025 (stock code: IA25)
  • This is the newest version of the instrumental analysis exam.

We also are excited about our releases expected in 2026:

• Toledo Placement Exam (stock code: TP26)
  • We have made some changes to this test with new, more aligned coverage to expected needs for placement testing:
    • Part I: Arithmetic and algebra (20 items)
    • Part II: Foundational chemistry knowledge (20 items)
    • Part III: Advanced chemistry knowledge (20 items)
  • This test will also have preliminary modeled norms available immediately with norms for:
    • Overall and
    • Subnorming combinations of
      • Parts I & II;
      • Parts I & III; and
      • Parts II & III.
  • Additionally all reports will include subscoring by part, content area and partial credit.  This test will be available for use this spring.

Several new norms have been published in 2026 already. These include:

• General Chemistry 2021
• General Chemistry 2022 Second Term

We expect to complete additional norms following the spring testing season with new or updated preliminary norms available throughout 2026 as well.

Please consider providing student performance data to us for norm calculations!

Study materials available from ACS Exams

If you are preparing to take an ACS final exam, there are resources available from ACS Exams that may help you in your studying and preparation:

• Study Guides:
  • General chemistry: first term/second term both included
  • Organic chemistry: first term/second term both included
  • Biochemistry: set up for single-semester and full-year courses
  • Physical chemistry: includes thermodynamics, kinetics and quantum chemistry

 

• Practice Exams:
  • General chemistry:
    • first term
    • second term
    • full year
  • Organic chemistry:
    • first term
    • second term
    • full year
  • Analytical chemistry

 

• Tutorial Exams:
  • Preparatory chemistry
  • General chemistry:
    • first term
    • second term
    • full year
  • Organic chemistry:
    • first term
    • second term
    • full year

Practice Exams: Each exam has 50 items (analytical has 30 items) providing an opportunity to take a test similar to taking your ACS final exam.

Tutorial Exams: Each exam has 50 items with feedback provided on each question. If you are correct, you will be told so, but you also will be provided with the process to solve the question correctly (so you can compare to how you solved the problem).  If you are incorrect, you will be told so and be provided with possible difficulties you may have had, giving you an opportunity to solve the problem again.

For both types of exams, you receive a report following exam submission.  This summary includes for each question:

• The chapter and content from the ACS study guide
• The performance on the question
• The chapter and question number from the study guide of items that are the same as the question
• The chapter and question number from the study guide of items that are similar or use the same concept as the question

ACS Exams study materials are available year-round with study guides shipped directly to your home or campus and online practice exams available immediately after purchase. You can also bundle the study guide with the practice exam and/or tutorial exam.

Visit here to purchase your practice exam today.  For questions, please contact us at 800-854-1672.

 

Become an ACS Exams Postdoctoral Fellow

The ACS Examinations Institute regularly seeks Postdoctoral Research Associate(s) for a full-time, 12-month position with benefits that can begin on or near August 1st annually.    Applications are evaluated on or before May 1st annually.  Click here for more information and application details.