Aug 3–7, 2026
Local Problem Solving 2026: what the class said
Five days, five real Local Exams under the real 110-minute clock, and a deep review of every most-missed problem. At the end of the week, every student was asked to review the week itself — honestly, with criticism counting more than praise. Here is the whole result.
- 10
- hours of live problem solving over 5 days
- 5
- real Local Exams sat under the 110-minute limit
- 5
- twelve-problem topic packets
- 7/7
- finished the final paper within the time limit
“How likely would you recommend this intensive to a friend preparing for the Local Exam?”
No response came in below 7. Based on 7 of the 8 live students who completed the end-of-week reflection.
Distribution of 7 responses on a 0 to 10 scale: 0 students rated 0; 0 students rated 1; 0 students rated 2; 0 students rated 3; 0 students rated 4; 0 students rated 5; 0 students rated 6; 1 student rated 7; 1 student rated 8; 3 students rated 9; 2 students rated 10.
Every student finished the final paper within the 110-minute limit — four with time to spare. Five of seven called the pace about right, and nobody rated the pace, difficulty, or workload extreme.
What helped most
Each student picked up to three.
- Deep review of the most-missed problems7/7
- Extending and summarising those problems4/7
- Sitting the exam under the real time limit3/7
- Connections between related problems2/7
- Reviewing packet problems in the next class2/7
- The 12-problem topic packet for homework1/7
What was still shaky at the end
Select all that apply — one week sharpens problem solving; it does not close every content gap, and saying so is the point of asking.
- Descriptive / Laboratory6/7
- Equilibrium4/7
- Atomic Structure / Periodicity3/7
- Redox / Electrochemistry3/7
- Bonding / Molecular Structure3/7
- Organic / Biochemistry3/7
In their own words
What they could do that they couldn't a week earlier
Quotes are from the end-of-week reflection, lightly trimmed for length. Students are identified by grade and state only.
I can sit a test and finish it in 50 minutes.
A specific thing I can do now that I couldn't a week ago is having a little bit of extra time to review my answers before submitting the test. Every second of time in the exam is extremely valuable.
Links between problems they now see
A lot of the acid–base problems have a lot to do with ICE tables, so a good understanding of how to create ICE tables can help a lot with acid–base equilibria. The pH curves for a titration and the half-equivalence point/molar mass connections were something I did not know before the class.
How the week felt
The rhythm of the in-class exam and out-of-class short homework was really quick, and I struggled to finish questions at first. By the end of the week, I could complete those questions on time.
I really like the pace of the class, especially doing a timed paper and then reviewing it afterward. It gives me a chance to see which parts I'm weaker at and learn from my mistakes.
The moment it clicked
My most memorable moment was when I realized I could count coordination-complex isomers just like how I learned to count isomers in the Summer Orgo class.
Acting on it
What changes for the next cohort
The point of asking for criticism is to use it. Every item below comes straight from what this class wrote.
- 1
A short topic primer opens each day
Several students wanted a baseline summary of the day's topic before diving into its most-missed problems.
- 2
Mini quizzes move out of live time
Doing quizzes offline or mid-class frees live minutes for the deep explanations students rated most valuable.
- 3
The week closes with a never-seen mock
Students who had already practiced on past Locals wanted a clean final measure of the week's gain.
What they asked for next
Where they want help next
Asked what would help most between the intensive and the Local Exam.
- Organic chemistry5/7
- More full-length timed Local Exams4/7
- More 12-problem topic packets4/7
- Descriptive chemistry and lab practice4/7
- Level 3 classes this fall4/7
- Calculation speed drills4/7
- Written walkthroughs of every problem3/7
Missed the week? The full recording is available.
Everything this class worked through — 10 hours of live problem solving over 5 days, 5 real Local Exams sat under the 110-minute limit, 5 twelve-problem topic packets, 7/7 finished the final paper within the time limit — the same materials they reviewed above, at your own pace.
About these numbers
The end-of-course reflection drew 7 responses — 7 of the 8 live students. Every figure on this page is shown with its denominator. Responses were submitted through a Google Form; the survey asked for criticism explicitly, and completing it was not tied to how positive the answers were. Quotes are used only with the student's consent, trimmed for length and normalized for spelling with wording unchanged, and students are identified by grade and state only.