I did hsc chem last year and quite enjoyed mod 7. In terms of memorisation: yes, there is a lot to remember, but a lot of it is logical and will become second nature just because of how much you will use them. I actually found mod 6 harder, but that might have been bc my teacher was rubbish at it and it was quite chaotic.
Theres a fair bit to do with properties of organic compounds. My biggest tip for that is to have a strong (or at least sound) knowledge of basic chemistry and intermolecular forces). This allows you to logically work out the answer to any of these questions by thinking about how forces within or between molecules differ - e.g. A carboxylic acid will typically have a much higher boiling point than a hydrocarbon. Why? The oxygens in the carboxylic acid functional group is very electronegative, allowing it to form hydrogen bonds with neighbouring molecules, whereas this cannot occur in a straight chain hydrocarbon. DO NOT WORRY IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS it should be covered in mod 7, though some might be inferred from yr 11. You are not supposed to know what these molecules are or what they mean before mod 7. That is just an example of why it is useful to have good knowledge basic chemistry, bonding and forces etc.
There is also heaps regarding reactions with organic compounds. It is important to know some key ones which can be more broadly applied to specific situations. Also knowing what reacts with what, how and under which conditions will be helpful when you cover things like making soaps, esters, buffers etc., and probably for polymers too.
Basically my point is while, yes, there is a LOT of content, and a lot to remember, if you have the basics and the essentials down, everything else can fall into place pretty easily. Also make sure to practice questions a LOT, especially exam style questions as soon as you know the content. They reveal weaknesses, but more importantly, make you explain things. In the hsc you have be able to do calculations and equations, but also must be able to explain concepts and ideas really well, and they want to to be clear and show you truly understand what you are talking about; it is all good and well if you can regurgitate information from your textbook onto the exam paper (ew), but to get high marks you really need to show that you actually understand what is happening AND the reasons behind it; why and how does this actually occur based on what we know about fundamental chemisty? This does depend a bit on the question of course, but is true for the vast majority of mid length and longer questions.
P.S. When does the new syllabus start? I thought it was yr 12 2026 but if its actually for this yrs yr 12 then some of the content may have changed... but i would assume most of this will still be relevant anyway i hope. Good luck! Let me know if this is confusing or u have more Q's
