Exam Hacks

Here we provide general hacks for exams (not for learning, of course one learns also here and there once one prepares for exam, but one should be aware of the fact that the main goal is to ace the exam not to learn! cf. our remark Learning for an exam vs. Learning to understand)

One should be aware that exams (regardless of subject) rarely tell whether you are smart or dumb. They only tell you whether you prepared correctly or not.

All the recommendations below should be done early in the semester, so that if you follow lectures, you already know what to follow.

• Try to guess what will be the exam questions based on the topics the professor discusses and likes. (Paul Graham Method)
• Always start with the old exams. You start with these before the semester so that you know what is important and what is not. (e.g., is the professor asking questions from guest lectures?). But be careful, always learn only from the past exams of the professor that will teach the course when you take it. Exams from other professors can be used for practice once you have nothing better to do in your life.
• Always learn with correct solutions.
• Make sure you know the format of the exam: is it closed- or open-book? How long is it? Is it on a computer or on paper? Is it a take-home exam or an in-person exam? Knowing these will help you 1) guess what can be asked and 2) prepare effectively.
• Develop a strategy to complete the exam based on the format. For example, if the exam has several parts, decide in advance the order in which you will complete them for maximum efficiency.