Study guide
How to figure out what's on your exam
You can't study everything equally, and you don't have to. Your class has already given you most of the clues to what's likely on the exam. They're spread across the syllabus, the study guide, the slides and your old quizzes. This page shows how to read each clue, rank your topics, and spend your hours on the top of the list.
Why your class materials point to the exam
An approach to course design called constructive alignment (Biggs, 1996) says a course's teaching and exams should be built to match the learning objectives it states. When a course is built that way, the objectives in your syllabus are clues to what the exam will ask.
Instructors differ, and some write exams their own way. Treat the clues as a way to rank topics, not as a promise of what will be asked.
The clues, strongest first
This order is our suggestion. Your class may differ.
1. The study guide or review sheet
Where to find it: With the course materials, or handed out in the last class or two before the exam.
What it tells you: The instructor's own list of what to know. A topic on it goes near the top of your list. If there's no study guide, the clues below matter more.
2. Practice questions and practice exams
Where to find it: Practice exams, review problems, sample questions, or the questions worked in a review session.
What it tells you: Which topics the instructor chose to practice, and the kind of questions they write. Practice the ones that look hardest first.
3. Your returned quizzes and homework
Where to find it: Your graded quizzes, homework and earlier exams in this class.
What it tells you: What has been tested before, and how. A topic from a quiz can come back on a cumulative final. The questions you got wrong are the ones to practice first.
4. The learning objectives
Where to find it: In the syllabus, and often at the start of each unit, module or slide deck ("By the end of this unit, you should be able to...").
What it tells you: What the course says you should be able to do. The verbs help too: "explain", "calculate" and "compare" each point to a different kind of question.
5. What the instructor stressed in class
Where to find it: Your notes: anything repeated, written out in full, or introduced with "know this".
What it tells you: What the instructor thinks matters. Write these down when you hear them, because they're easy to forget by exam week.
6. How much class time a topic got
Where to find it: The number of lectures, slides or pages spent on each topic.
What it tells you: A rough sign of weight. A topic that took three lectures probably matters more than one that took five minutes. It's a weaker clue than the ones above.
7. The reading assigned for this exam
Where to find it: The schedule in the syllabus, or the exam announcement.
What it tells you: Which chapters or sections are in scope, and which aren't. A section that wasn't assigned is a good candidate for the bottom of your list.
8. The exam's format
Where to find it: The syllabus or the exam announcement. If neither says, ask.
What it tells you: Multiple choice, problems, short answers or essays. This changes how you study more than what you study: problems need practice working them, and essays need practice explaining.
Turn the clues into a ranked list
- List every topic. Use the slide headings, the study guide or the schedule in the syllabus.
- Make a column for each clue you have. Four is plenty.
- Tick each topic once for every clue that points to it.
- Sort by ticks, most first. On a tie, put the topic with the stronger clue first, using the order above.
- Mark the top few Must know and the last few Skip if short on time. Check the Skips against the study guide one more time before you drop them.
This way of scoring is our own method, not a research finding. It's quick, and it makes you look at every clue once.
A worked example
Example class: intro economics, Exam 2. A made-up class with 8 topics and 4 clues.
| Topic | Study guide | Practice questions | Objectives | Stressed in class | Clues | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supply and demand shifts | 4 | Must knowStudy guide + practice questions + objectives + stressed in class | ||||
| Elasticity | 4 | Must knowStudy guide + practice questions + objectives + stressed in class | ||||
| Price ceilings and floors | No | 3 | Must knowStudy guide + practice questions + objectives | |||
| Consumer and producer surplus | No | No | 2 | MediumStudy guide + objectives | ||
| Taxes and who pays them | No | No | 2 | MediumPractice questions + stressed in class | ||
| Opportunity cost | No | No | 2 | MediumObjectives + stressed in class | ||
| Gains from trade | No | No | No | 1 | Skip if short on timeObjectives | |
| The history of rent control (one slide) | No | No | No | No | 0 | Skip if short on timeNo clues point to it |
The result: 3 Must know, 3 Medium and 2 Skip if short on time. Every row says why it landed where it did. Before dropping the two Skips, check them against the study guide once more.
Fair game, and off-limits
Fair game
- Everything your instructor gave your class.
- Your own graded work.
- What was said in class.
- Asking your instructor what to focus on.
Off-limits
- Leaked or stolen exams.
- Answer banks.
- Other students' graded work.
- Anything your syllabus says not to share or upload.
If your course doesn't allow uploading its materials to outside apps or AI tools, follow that.
Read our academic integrity pageStudy the top of the list first
A large research review rated practice testing and spaced practice as the two most useful study techniques. Rereading and highlighting were rated low. So for each Must know topic, test yourself on it and come back to it on a later day, instead of rereading your notes.
Several finals at once? Start with the finals plan.
If this exam is your final, see what score you need first.
Doing this for every class, every exam
Doing this by hand takes a while for each exam. Class Speedrun does it from your files: drop in the files your course lets you use, like your syllabus, study guide, slides and past quizzes, and it ranks every topic by how likely it is to be on your exam, with the reason for each. It can be wrong, so check your Skip list against your study guide. Free for one class.
Rank my exam's topicsQuestions
Can you really predict exam questions?
Not the exact questions. What you can do is rank topics by how many clues from your class point to them, which tells you where to spend your hours first. It's a ranking, not a certainty, so leave some time for the topics lower down too.
What if there's no study guide?
Lean on the next clues: practice problems, the learning objectives in the syllabus, and what the instructor stressed in class. You can also ask your instructor what to focus on. That's fair game, and it's a clue in itself.
Is it OK to use old exams?
Yes, if your instructor posted them or you got them back yourself. No, if they were leaked or stolen, came from an answer bank, or are someone else's graded work. If your course doesn't allow uploading its materials to outside apps or AI tools, follow that.
Read our academic integrity pageWhat if my instructor says everything is fair game?
Rank anyway. Your time is still limited, and the objectives and practice questions still show what's central to the course. Study the top of the list first, then work down as far as your days allow.
How far ahead should I start?
Early enough to come back to each Must know topic on a later day, instead of seeing it once. With several finals, the finals plan shows how to spread them over the days you have.
Read how to study for finalsSources
- Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32(3), 347-364. doi.org/10.1007/BF00138871 (opens in a new tab)
- Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58. Summary from the Association for Psychological Science: www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/which-study-strategies-make-the-grade.html (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed: . By the Class Speedrun team.