I’ve been working through the IJMB Chemistry Past Questions and Solutions (2017-2024) for the past few weeks. Absolute gold mine for anyone serious about the IJMB Advanced Level program. Seven years of actual exam questions is nothing to sneeze at. Covers all three papers – Physical/Inorganic Chemistry (my personal nemesis), Organic Chemistry (surprisingly enjoyed this), and the Practical exam that keeps everyone up at night.

The solutions are what make this collection worth every naira. Not just answers but detailed, step-by-step explanations. You can tell these were written by lecturers who actually understand the marking scheme. Makes all the difference when you’re trying to grasp complex concepts.

I appreciate how everything’s organized by topic. Atomic Structure, Chemical Bonding, Periodicity, and so on. Makes it easy to target your weak areas. Electrochemistry was my blind spot until I drilled those sections repeatedly. Reaction Kinetics finally clicked after seeing multiple worked examples.

The practical paper guidance deserves special praise. Qualitative analysis procedures that actually make sense. Clear titration methods that improved my technique dramatically. Their tips on organic compound identification saved me countless frustrating hours. The laboratory reporting guidelines fixed issues I didn’t even know I had.

After working through enough papers, patterns emerged. Some question types show up religiously every year. Others carry more marks consistently. Helps you be strategic about where to focus your limited energy. I’m all about working smarter, not harder.

They give extra attention to balanced chemical equations, mechanism drawings, and structural determinations. Rightfully so. These questions separate distinction students from the rest of us mere mortals. My mechanism drawings were embarrassingly bad until I studied their approach.

The supplementary materials are surprisingly useful. Having the exact same periodic table and constants you’ll see in the exam builds confidence. The formulae sheets help you practice under authentic conditions. No surprises come exam day.

Whether you’re gunning for distinction or just trying to shore up weak areas, this collection delivers. It gives you the most accurate picture of what to expect in the actual exam. My tutor recommended it immediately, and now I see why.

Only wish I’d started using it earlier in my preparation. Would have saved me countless hours of frustration trying to figure out what examiners want. This collection tells you exactly that. No guesswork required.