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10 ways to find out whats going to be on the final

1 by Chegg Professors' Guide Tags: finals, Professors' Guide, study tips

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The most common question we hear around this time of year is, So, whats going to be on the final? And its no wonder. In many cases, students are in the dark about what the prof is likely to spring on them in that all-important last assessment of what theyve learned in the courseor havent. Luckily its not all that hard to guess what lurks in the mind of your instructor. Especially if you follow our ten time-tested tips: #1 Figure out the scope. Different professors have different strategies in setting up the final: Some like to cover all parts of the course equally, others weight the test on the material since the midterm, and still others treat the end-ofcourse test as just a third or fourth exam, covering only a small portion of the material. Figure out how your prof is thinking about the finaland then be sure to study accordingly. #2 Figure out the format. Some profs focus the final on short-answers, for example, multiple choice, short IDs, and paragraph-long essays in response to prompts. Others are more adventurous, asking for essays, sometimes as long as an hour (or more). And still others offer a hybrid exam with elements of all. Be sure to figure out in advance what format your exam will beand budget your study time in accordance with the point-value of the different parts.

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#3 Focus on the main stuff. One indication of whats going to be emphasized on the test is the sheer amount of time the professor spent on some topic or issue in lecture. It stands to reason that if the professor spent four lectures on some issue and only half a lecture on some other issuethe first is likely to be on the final, and the second, less so. Most professors except in the most specialized upper-division coursestest on the meat and potatoes material: the most central issues that they hope students will have learned, though many havent. #4 Figure out if your professors is a synthecist or an atomist. Some professors like to ask questions that require you to synthesize broad swatches of material that is, to draw connections and to analyze relations between different topics or issues or authors covered in the course. Others look at problems and issues individuallyas if each one were an atom standing alone. Find out how your prof sees the topics and prepare accordingly.
5-Star Tip. Look at how the series of lectures was constructed. If the prof devoted a single lecture to each topic, then its possible the test will examine the topics individually. But if the prof spent two weeks exploring the development of some issue, or its relation to some issue previously treated in the course, its possible that the final will have a similar, comparative or developmental focus.

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#5 Dust off the syllabus. In some courses the professor has given out a quite detailed and elaborate syllabus, often listing the course goals, methodology, and sometimes even a class-by-class schedule of readings and lecture topics. In many such cases, the professor has tipped his or her hat right from the outsetabout what the key topics of interest are going to be. Worth a look. #6 Mine the study questions. In many cases, professors hand out study guides or practice exams to help the students focus their study on the questions likely to be asked. Dont just look over these important anticipations of the actual final, take the time to do them writing them out is always best under test conditions. This way, you can not only make precise your answers, but see what its like to do the work in a finite period of time under somewhat stressful conditions. Sometimes, if youre lucky, youll get these actual questions on the test; and even if you dont, you might get variants (that is, basically the same question with some minor changes) on your test.
5-Star Tip. Pay particular attention to any tips the prof offers as he or she hands out the study questions. Many times profs feel obligated to make a few comments as they hand out the sheet. And often, important clues slip out about what questions are really going to be on the test, what to focus your study on, or what is probably not going to be on the test.

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#7 Get last years version. If youre even minimally social, you probably have some friends who have taken this very course in the recent past. And theyll probably remember what the prof asked on the final. Milk your friends; theyll be happy to tell and no one has sworn them to secrecy.
Reality Check. Before using this tip, make sure your friend has taken the course with the exact same professor as you. Professors have significant latitude in how they teach even the same course and what they put on the final. So info about some other prof might not only be unuseful, it may be misleading.

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#8 Take the gifts. Some nice professors and also ones who know they havent taught so well and the whole class will do badly on the finaloffer review sessions either in the evening or weekend or during the regular class time. Be sure to attend, and take careful notes at, these tip-offs about whats going to be on the final. Not only do profs sometimes go over the course in the process, locating those topics that are most likely to appear on the testthey also sometimes do actual questions (or ones quite similar) to the test theyve prepared that very morning. #9 Look back to the graded work. Not only previous tests, but also smaller and seemingly-less-important previous graded work, such as quizzes, homeworks, problem sets, and even ungraded diagnostic exercises can provide additional information about what the prof thinks most important and what could, therefore, appear on the test. After all, when the prof makes up the homeworks or quizzes, he or she is locating the most important things you need to know albeit in smaller bitesize pieces. #10 Ask. Youd be amazed how many professors and TAs are willing to offer you glimpses of what will be on the final if you only take the time to ask. Go to an office hour and, instead of asking boldly about what will be on the test, ask whether youre studying in the right way. Point to a couple of questions or problems youve been preparing and ask politely and cordiallywhether your finals-prep is on the right track. And then, sit quietly and listen very carefully to what the prof answers (sometimes its useful to take notes). Often the more time you give them to answer, the more theyll give up suggestions that you can incorporate into your preparation. And then you wont be left wondering so much about what will be on the exam, after all. Write us with questions or blog ideas at jeremy@professorsguide.com. And follow us on Twitter @professorsguide. Wed love to hear from you really. 2013 Professors Guide LLC. All rights reserved.

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ONE COMMENT
Val
MAY 07, 2013 @ 14:58:29 REPLY

Excellent. Very helpful. Thanks!

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