OSAT Chemistry (104) Practice Tests

Competencies 0001–0005 make up about 39% of the test. They ask you to understand the structure of the atom; understand the properties of substances and the patterns in those properties; understand the formation and characteristics of chemical compounds, and more.

• Competency 0001: Understand the structure of the atom. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics (i.e., mass, charge, location) of various subatomic particles; Demonstrate knowledge of isotopes' masses and their relationship to the atomic masses of elements; Demonstrate knowledge of electron configurations under various models and representations (e.g., Bohr diagram, subshell list, Lewis dot diagram, orbital diagram); Apply knowledge of nuclear stability, nuclear processes, and radiation; Apply knowledge of electron transitions, atomic spectra, and the photoelectric effect; Apply knowledge of the electromagnetic spectrum, wave characteristics, and wave-particle duality; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices to atomic structure; Apply knowledge of crosscutting concepts to atomic structure.
• Competency 0002: Understand the properties of substances and the patterns in those properties. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of physical and chemical properties and their roles in the identification of substances; Apply knowledge of attractive and repulsive forces at the atomic scale to the properties of substances; Apply knowledge of the structure of the periodic table, including overall organization and subsets like periods, groups, and others (e.g., lanthanides, metals, nonmetals), as well as the roots of these subsets in atomic structure; Demonstrate knowledge of periodic trends in elements (e.g., atomic radius, electron affinity, ionization energy) and explanations for those trends; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices to periodicity; Apply knowledge of crosscutting concepts to periodicity.
• Competency 0003: Understand the formation and characteristics of chemical compounds. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of various types of chemical bonds; Demonstrate knowledge of mass percent data and empirical or molecular formulas of compounds; Apply knowledge of atomic structure to the formation of chemical bonds, including predictions of an element's bonding behavior; Demonstrate knowledge of simple bonding models (e.g., Lewis structures, electron density diagrams, structural formulas); Apply knowledge of the valence-shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory connected to predictions of molecular geometry and polarity; Demonstrate knowledge of chemical formulas and names for inorganic and simple organic compounds, according to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) nomenclature guidelines; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices to chemical bonding; Apply knowledge of crosscutting concepts to chemical bonding.
• Competency 0004: Understand the compositions and characteristics of elements, compounds, and mixtures. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of the compositions of elements, compounds, and mixtures; Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of various classes of mixture (e.g., solutions, homogeneous, heterogeneous); Apply knowledge of concentration units and calculations (e.g., molarity, parts per million, pH); Demonstrate knowledge of factors affecting solubility; Apply knowledge of the properties of mixtures, including colligative properties; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices to elements, compounds, and mixtures; Apply knowledge of crosscutting concepts to elements, compounds, and mixtures.
• Competency 0005: Understand the formation and properties of various states of matter. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of various types of intermolecular forces; Demonstrate knowledge of the placement and motion of particles in various states of matter; Apply knowledge of how intermolecular forces affect properties (e.g., vapor pressure, melting point, boiling point) and phase changes of pure substances; Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of various types of solids (i.e., ionic, molecular, network, metallic); Apply knowledge of the kinetic molecular theory of gases; Analyze the behavior of gases using mathematical relationships between bulk properties (e.g., the ideal gas law, Dalton's law of partial pressures, van der Waals equation for real gases); Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices to states of matter; Apply knowledge of crosscutting concepts to states of matter.

Competencies 0006–0009 make up about 29% of the test. They ask you to understand the characteristics of chemical reactions; understand the use of mass and particle number relationships to describe chemical reactions; understand the kinetics of chemical reactions, and more.

• Competency 0006: Understand the characteristics of chemical reactions. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of common types of chemical reactions (i.e., synthesis, decomposition, single replacement, double replacement, and combustion) and predict the products of these reactions based on reactants or observations; Apply knowledge of the use of various chemical equations (e.g., skeletal, net ionic, word) to represent chemical reactions; Demonstrate knowledge of common acid-base reactions, including neutralization; Demonstrate knowledge of oxidation-reduction reactions; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices to chemical reactions; Apply knowledge of crosscutting concepts to chemical reactions.
• Competency 0007: Understand the use of mass and particle number relationships to describe chemical reactions. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of the use of balanced chemical equations to represent chemical reactions; Apply knowledge of the mole, Avogadro's number, and their relationships to particle mass and number; Apply knowledge of stoichiometry to predict relationships between reactant(s) and/or product(s) (e.g., gram to gram, mole to mole, mole to liter); Demonstrate knowledge of common experimental techniques (e.g., titration, gravimetric analysis) for determining amounts of reactants and products; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices to stoichiometry; Apply knowledge of crosscutting concepts to stoichiometry.
• Competency 0008: Understand the kinetics of chemical reactions. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of collision theory and its connections to qualitative factors affecting reaction rates (e.g., concentration, temperature, surface area, catalyst); Analyze data (i.e., concentration, time, and rate) to represent the kinetics of chemical reactions through rate laws; Demonstrate knowledge of the relationship between reaction mechanisms and descriptions of rate; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices to kinetics; Apply knowledge of crosscutting concepts to kinetics.
• Competency 0009: Understand the role of equilibrium in chemical reactions. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of dynamic equilibrium in physical and chemical systems, including the relationship between reaction rates and concentrations; Demonstrate knowledge of the Law of Mass Action and describe chemical reactions based on the values of their equilibrium constants and reaction quotients; Apply knowledge of Le Chatelier's principle and factors that can change equilibrium concentrations (e.g., temperature, pressure, amounts of reactants or products, presence of a common ion); Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices to equilibrium; Apply knowledge of crosscutting concepts to equilibrium.

Competencies 0010–0011 make up about 17% of the test. They ask you to understand energy changes in physical, chemical, and nuclear processes; understand the thermodynamics of physical and chemical processes.

• Competency 0010: Understand energy changes in physical, chemical, and nuclear processes. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of temperature as a measure of average kinetic energy, including with Maxwell-Boltzmann diagrams; Apply knowledge of specific heat capacity; temperature change; and thermal equilibrium, including its application to calorimetry; Apply knowledge of the connection between phase change and energy transfer, including with heating curves and phase diagrams; Demonstrate knowledge of the varying energies of chemical bonds formed and broken during a chemical reaction, including through the use of models (e.g., potential energy diagrams, enthalpy diagrams, Born-Haber Cycle); Demonstrate knowledge of the energy released during nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and radioactive decay; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices to energy changes; Apply knowledge of crosscutting concepts to energy changes.
• Competency 0011: Understand the thermodynamics of physical and chemical processes. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of the laws of thermodynamics; Apply knowledge of enthalpy to the calculation of enthalpy change values (e.g., Hess's Law, standard-reduction potentials); Analyze chemical systems using the relationship between entropy, enthalpy, temperature, and Gibbs free energy, including predictions of spontaneity; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices to thermodynamics; Apply knowledge of crosscutting concepts to thermodynamics.

Competency 0012 makes up about 15% of the test. They ask you to analyze a lesson plan and student work sample for a laboratory investigation related to a performance expectation in the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science, then describe differentiated strategies that address student needs. Constructed-response assignment.

• Competency 0012: Analyze a lesson plan and student work sample for a laboratory investigation related to a performance expectation in the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science, then describe differentiated strategies that address student needs. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of standards-based learning goals for chemistry content; Apply knowledge of safe chemical storage, disposal, and/or laboratory investigation practices; Analyze student work samples from a chemistry lesson, citing specific evidence to identify strengths and needs; Describe differentiated instructional strategies based on identified strengths and needs; Describe the potential impacts of student work analysis on future instruction for specific students, for specific units of study, and for a teacher's general instructional practice.