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Chemistry for the JAMB Exam
JAMB Chemistry is required for medicine, pharmacy, engineering, and science admissions. The examination tests conceptual understanding and calculations including mole calculations, stoichiometry, gas laws, and electrochemistry. Organic chemistry (functional groups, reactions, IUPAC naming) carries significant marks.
Locale-specific study guides
Pass-rate data, regulatory context, and study tips for Chemistry all change by candidate locale. Pick your context:
Common failure modes
These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.
- !Confusing the IUPAC names of organic functional groups — especially carboxylic acids vs esters
- !Mole calculation errors — forgetting to divide by molar mass when converting grams to moles
- !Misidentifying oxidation and reduction in redox reactions
Study tips
- 1Memorize molar masses of the first 20 elements and common compounds (H₂O, CO₂, HCl, NaOH, H₂SO₄).
- 2Practice the three-step mole calculation: (1) write balanced equation, (2) find mole ratios, (3) convert units.
- 3Learn to identify functional groups from structural formulas: -OH (alcohol), -COOH (acid), -COO- (ester), -NH₂ (amine), -CHO (aldehyde).
Sample JAMB Chemistry questions
These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real JAMB questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.
- 1
How many moles of oxygen are needed to completely combust 2 moles of ethane (C₂H₆)?
- A3
- B5
- C7Correct
- D14
Why this answer?
Balanced equation: 2C₂H₆ + 7O₂ → 4CO₂ + 6H₂O. The mole ratio C₂H₆ : O₂ = 2 : 7. For 2 moles of ethane, 7 moles of O₂ are required.
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