Curriculum
What Your Student Actually Learns
Every lecture topic, the textbooks behind them, and — just as important — the hours each level asks for every week. Compare the three levels below, then open one to see its full session-by-session syllabus.
Every level runs the same three modules in the same order. What changes between levels is depth, difficulty, and the exam the problems are pitched at — not the topics.
Compare weekly time commitment by level
Level 2
Local PrepBuild a rock-solid foundation and excel at the USNCO Local Exam
Weekly commitment
4–5hrs/week
Modules, in order
Who it's for
Goal
What this level asks of you
Level 2 is our local-prep track, and it sits at “AP plus.” We move harder and faster than a strong AP Chemistry program, and we go into advanced topics that sit beyond the AP syllabus entirely. That’s the point — the USNCO Local Exam rewards depth AP alone doesn’t reach. It also means the class only works if the week around it works.
Your weekly rhythm
- 1.Before class — do the pre-reading listed at the top of that week’s lecture note.
- 2.Live class with Dr. Chen — on time. (Recording students: watch promptly, don’t let them stack up.)
- 3.Before the staff session — complete and submit your homework.
- 4.Staff session — worked explanations of those problems, plus extensions beyond the live class.
- 5.After both — corrections and review, while it’s fresh.
Where the hours go
| Live class with Dr. Chen | 1.5 hrs |
| Homework | 1–1.5 hrs |
| Staff session | 1 hr |
| Corrections and review | 0.5–1 hr |
| Total each week | 4–5 hrs |
Pre-reading sits on top of this in the weeks it’s assigned.
Live schedule
Learning objectives
Session-by-session syllabus
Every lecture in this level, module by module — open one to see its sessions.
Structures & Properties
late Aug – mid OctBuilds the structural vocabulary — atoms, bonds, geometry, IMFs — at AP-plus depth.
Chemical Principles
mid Oct – mid DecThermochemistry through equilibrium, worked at Local-Exam depth and pace.
Orgo, Lab & Descriptive
early Jan – late FebElectrochemistry, thermodynamics, and first organic — the topics that decide Local scores.
Get ready for Level 2
Optional but strongly recommended preparation that comes before this level and feeds into it — not part of the level itself.
Level 1: Chemistry Foundations
~1 school year · self-paced
The year before Level 2 — at school or by self-study
One year of solid chemistry, from a school course or self-study with our recommended Level 1 textbook. The textbook card has the reading sequence and supplementary video resources.
Why it helps: Level 2 is not a zero-prerequisite course — it moves harder and faster than AP from the first week. This foundation is what that first week assumes.
Level 3
Nat'l PrepAdvance beyond AP and compete at the national level
Weekly commitment
5–7hrs/week
Modules, in order
Who it's for
Goal
What this level asks of you
This is more than Level 2 asks, and deliberately so — HL material rewards time spent wrestling with problems far more than time spent listening. The live class points the way; the problem sets are where the level is actually earned.
Your weekly rhythm
- 1.Before class — do the pre-reading listed at the top of that week’s lecture note.
- 2.Live class with Dr. Chen — on time. (Recording students: watch promptly, don’t let them stack up.)
- 3.Before the staff session — complete and submit your homework.
- 4.Staff session — worked explanations of those problems, plus extensions beyond the live class.
- 5.After both — corrections and review, while it’s fresh.
Where the hours go
| Live class with Dr. Chen | 1.5 hrs |
| Homework | 2–3 hrs |
| Staff session | 1 hr |
| Corrections and review | 1–1.5 hrs |
| Total each week | 5–7 hrs |
Pre-reading sits on top of this in the weeks it’s assigned.
Live schedule
Learning objectives
Session-by-session syllabus
Every lecture in this level, module by module — open one to see its sessions.
Structures & Properties
late Aug – mid OctThe same themes past AP: orbital nodes, MO theory, coordination compounds, crystal field theory.
Chemical Principles
mid Oct – mid DecThe same principles at National depth, as they appear in Part I and Part II.
Orgo, Lab & Descriptive
early Jan – late FebA three-stage organic sequence, plus the descriptive and lab chemistry USNCO actually tests.
After Module 3, Level 3 and Level 4 converge on the Nat'l Exam Bootcamp before the National Exam.
Get ready for Level 3
Optional but strongly recommended preparation that comes before this level and feeds into it — not part of the level itself.
Summer Orgo Intensive
7–8 hrs/day · 5 days
Late July, before the fall term
Ten two-hour lectures across five days, covering roughly the first third of college organic chemistry: structure and bonding, stereochemistry, alkanes through alkynes, alcohols and ethers, substitution and elimination. An in-class quiz closes each session, and a comprehensive final exam closes the week.
| Live sessions with Dr. Chen | 2 × 2 hrs |
| Post-session problem sets | 2 × 45–60 min |
| Concept review + practice packets | 2 × 45–60 min |
Why it helps: Module 3 is where organic chemistry arrives at every level. Doing this week first means arriving in the fall with the foundation already built, rather than meeting it for the first time in January.
Local Problem Solving
~4.5 hrs/day · 5 days
Early August, immediately before the fall term
Five two-hour sessions working real and mock USNCO Local Exam problems, with a daily topic summary and full explanations of every problem. Pitched at the calculation-heavy and concept-driven objectives that dominate the Local Exam.
| Live session with Dr. Chen | 2 hrs |
| Post-session topic practice | 30–45 min |
| Pre-class full practice | 110 min |
Why it helps: Builds the timing and accuracy the 60-question multiple-choice format demands, so Level 3 can start from problem-solving fluency instead of building it.
Level 4
Camp PrepReach for High Honors, Study Camp, and international competition
Weekly commitment
7.5–10hrs/week
Modules, in order
Who it's for
Goal
What this level asks of you
Level 4 works at National Part II and IChO depth, where problems are long, multi-step, and unfamiliar by design. Most of the hours are yours rather than mine: the live class opens the door, and the problem sets are what carry you through it. Students who cannot protect this time reliably are better served by consolidating at Level 3 first.
Your weekly rhythm
- 1.Before class — do the pre-reading listed at the top of that week’s lecture note.
- 2.Live class with Dr. Chen — on time. (Recording students: watch promptly, don’t let them stack up.)
- 3.Before the staff session — complete and submit your homework.
- 4.Staff session — worked explanations of those problems, plus extensions beyond the live class.
- 5.After both — corrections and review, while it’s fresh.
Where the hours go
| Live class with Dr. Chen | 1.5 hrs |
| Homework | 3–5 hrs |
| Staff session(tentative) | 1.5 hrs |
| Corrections and review | 1.5–2 hrs |
| Total each week | 7.5–10 hrs |
Pre-reading sits on top of this in the weeks it’s assigned.
Live schedule
Learning objectives
Session-by-session syllabus
Every lecture in this level, module by module — open one to see its sessions.
Structures & Properties
late Aug – mid OctStructure as a free-response skill — reaction writing and explanation questions at Part II depth.
Chemical Principles
mid Oct – mid DecPrinciples become pure problem solving — every session is integrated IChO-level practice.
Orgo, Lab & Descriptive
early Jan – late FebA systematic tour of reaction chemistry, from substitution through enolates and SNAr.
After Module 3, Level 3 and Level 4 converge on the Nat'l Exam Bootcamp before the National Exam.
Get ready for Level 4
Optional but strongly recommended preparation that comes before this level and feeds into it — not part of the level itself.
Summer Orgo Intensive
7–8 hrs/day · 5 days
Late July, before the fall term
Ten two-hour lectures across five days, covering roughly the first third of college organic chemistry: structure and bonding, stereochemistry, alkanes through alkynes, alcohols and ethers, substitution and elimination. An in-class quiz closes each session, and a comprehensive final exam closes the week.
| Live sessions with Dr. Chen | 2 × 2 hrs |
| Post-session problem sets | 2 × 45–60 min |
| Concept review + practice packets | 2 × 45–60 min |
Why it helps: Module 3 is where organic chemistry arrives at every level. Doing this week first means arriving in the fall with the foundation already built, rather than meeting it for the first time in January.
Nat'l Problem Solving
~4.5 hrs/day · 5 days
Early August, immediately before the fall term
Five two-hour sessions on real and mock National Part I problems — the multiple-choice section where breadth, speed, and accuracy under timing decide the result. Daily topic summaries target the highest-impact learning objectives.
| Live session with Dr. Chen | 2 hrs |
| Post-session topic practice | 45–60 min |
| Pre-class full practice | 90 min |
Why it helps: Level 4 assumes you can already move quickly through Part I material. This week is where that speed gets built, before the level starts asking for Part II depth.
After the modules
The final push before Nationals
The three modules finish in late February. What follows isn’t another level — it’s the stretch that turns a year of material into an exam result.
Nat'l Exam Bootcamp
CapstoneMid-March to early April, after Module 3
Five high-quality mock exams with deep analysis, detailed explanations, topic summaries, and challenge extensions — covering the hardest learning objectives across National Parts I, II, and III.
Why it helps: The three modules end in late February. This is the final push between finishing the syllabus and sitting the National Exam.
Who it’s for
Students finishing Level 3 or Level 4 who are sitting the National Exam.
Format
2 hrs/session · 10 sessions over 3 weeks
Dates and pricing on Programs →Progression
Each level roughly doubles the work of the one below it
Levels are not interchangeable difficulty settings for the same course. Each one assumes the level below is already solid, and each one asks for more of the week. Skipping ahead usually costs more time than it saves.
Level 2
Local Prep4–5hrs/week
Where most students start — taken alongside AP Chemistry, and pitched one step above it.
Level 3
Nat'l Prep5–7hrs/week
Homework roughly doubles
Weekly homework goes from 1–1.5 hours to 2–3, review from 0.5–1 to 1–1.5, and the weekly total from 4–5 hours to 5–7. The live class stays 1.5 hours — the growth is all in the work you do on your own.
Level 4
Camp Prep7.5–10hrs/week
Homework doubles again
Weekly homework goes from 2–3 hours to 3–5, review from 1–1.5 to 1.5–2, and the weekly total from 5–7 hours to 7.5–10 — roughly double what Level 2 asks. This is the jump families underestimate most often.
Hours cover the live class, homework, the staff problem-solving session, and corrections. Students who put these hours in get dramatically more out of the course than students who only show up — that gap is the single biggest predictor of how the year goes.
Session order and emphasis may be fine-tuned during the year based on class progress and the latest USNCO exams. Exact class dates are published to enrolled families in the student dashboard. Can't make the live times? Every session is recorded — recording enrollment includes 1-year access to recordings, lecture notes, problem sets, and solutions.