How do you study for an exam if the professor who is taking this.......

[Farhan_MechE]

How do you study for an exam if the professor who is taking this course is completely new & recently joined the university.As a result you can't find out his exam formats by looking at his past exams.

People who have faced similar situation how do you revise for you exam? Since time is limited,it is not possible to study everything. How do you figure out what topics & questions have higher possibilities to come in the final exam & what topics to skip only using class lectures as no past exam of the professor is available? Please share your experiences who have gone through this.Thanks in advance.

 

[.Scott]

Ask the prof. He isn't the enemy.

 

[berkeman]

How do you study for an exam if the professor who is taking this course is completely new & recently joined the university.As a result you can't find out his exam formats by looking at his past exams.

People who have faced similar situation how do you revise for you exam? Since time is limited,it is not possible to study everything. How do you figure out what topics & questions have higher possibilities to come in the final exam & what topics to skip only using class lectures as no past exam of the professor is available? Please share your experiences who have gone through this.Thanks in advance.

LOL. Study the actual material? Re-do the hardest 10 homework questions you've had this term? Do the last/hardest 2 problems at the end of each chapter in your textbook?

Why do feel a need to try to shortcut understanding the material by obtaining previous exams? What is the course and textbook?

Oh, and Welcome to PF.

 

[symbolipoint]

You did not give many specifics. Beware of a course in which the professor does not finish covering the whole course! You are still academically responsible for the topics and skills in the next course for which the current course is prerequisite.

Let me edit and say that better.
You are still responsible for the topic and skills in your current course which would be prerequisites to the next course.

another EDIT: My response 'though important, is not really on-topic.

 

[vela]

I don't recall looking at past exams when I was in college. It isn't really necessary, and it's just a crutch that promote poor learning habits.

The approach you want to take to studying is not that of "how do I get an A on the exam?" Instead, learn the material as if you will have to teach it to others. It's about getting a good understanding of the material so that you can do well regardless of what shows up on the exam. If you do it right, what might otherwise seems like an overwhelming amount of material will feel manageable because you see how it all fits together.

 

[Orodruin]

The availability of old exams is not a given*. There may be many reasons that they are not available and they should not form a necessary part of a sustainable study strategy. They should at most be considered a diagnostic tool to test your own understanding.

* In Sweden, old exams are generally considered public documents for reasons of transparency and universities are generally government authorities, meaning they have to make old exams available to anyone requesting them. Even students’ solutions are public. Still, a course can be new, there can be course developments, and lecturers change. In other places, old exams may not even be public.

Since time is limited,it is not possible to study everything.

Your job as a student is to satisfy all the course requirements so this is not really sustainable. Particularly when you arrive at later courses where your current course is a prerequisite. The by far most important aspect is to work with the material throughout the course and not leave it to the last week before the exam. This is where it becomes impossible - or at least much harder - to panic study material intended to be worked through during a full semester.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

How do you study for an exam if the professor who is taking this course is completely new & recently joined the university.As a result you can't find out his exam formats by looking at his past exams.

People who have faced similar situation how do you revise for you exam? Since time is limited,it is not possible to study everything. How do you figure out what topics & questions have higher possibilities to come in the final exam & what topics to skip only using class lectures as no past exam of the professor is available? Please share your experiences who have gone through this.Thanks in advance.

Assume everything is important. Do as many problems possible, ie., understand the examples in class, problems assigned from homework, and extra problems not on hw.

I never had an instructor that reused test, so there was no looking at past exams. This is what worked for me.

 

[symbolipoint]

@Farhan_MechE,

Syllabus? If professor provided one, use it! Syllabus is a possible advantage. Maybe the next suggestion is slightly advanced, but you could try to identify the course objectives using both the course syllabus and your textbook; and work to be able to satisfy those objectives. This should certainly cover what to expect on tests/examinations.