How to Study for Engineering Exams
Now that we’re a couple weeks into a new semester it’s time to start thinking about prepping for your engineering exams. I know it seems early, but those exams are right around the corner. These are the suggestions I always give my engineering students when they ask what they can do to study for an upcoming, problem-based exam.
Review Engineering Notes
Y’all know how important good engineering notes are; we’ve talked about it here. What I recommend throughout the semester is that you rewrite the notes each week. This gives you the chance to fill in what you may have missed and to get any questions answered that you may have from class. If you do this step you’ll have organized notes that’ll be easy to review before exam day.
One thing students like to do is try to guess what content what will be covered on the exam. There will be topics that they assume won’t be on the exam so they skip over them. You should never make these assumptions. If the material was covered in class, it’s fair game for an exam. It doesn’t matter if it was covered in the homework or not. Even if certain topics weren’t in an assignment, always review all the material from class. Plus, as you probably are aware, some professors like to put this kind of material on their tests. I’m not sure why they do it but they do so beware!
Know the Homework Problems
If an instructor assigns you certain homework problems, it’s because they want you to learn that material and they think the problems emphasize the topics they want. If they feel like the material is important enough for homework then it’s probably important enough for an exam.
This means that you should completely understand how to work the homework problems on your own. Keep in mind though that after you look at the same problem a couple of times, you’ll start to memorize the steps to solve it. You don’t want to memorize the solution; you want to understand why the solution is the way it is. If you have any doubts about how the problem was solved go ask the instructor or teaching assistant for help.
If you’re really struggling you may want to hire a tutor or consider using online tutorial courses like the ones on my other site. This will help you learn the tricky material that you’re getting stuck on and give you confidence in your problem solving abilities.
Work Other Problems
This step is my most suggested one but unfortunately, it’s the one most students don’t do.
Once you have the homework problems down and you’ve reviewed your notes you should work new, unassigned problems from the book that cover the exam topics. This is the best way to really test your knowledge. This will challenge you and help you find areas that need improvement.
Now is this a time-consuming step? Yes! Is it worth the time? Yes! Taking the time to study correctly and thoroughly beats failing a class and having to repeat it any day.
Most textbooks make it pretty easy to pick out new problems to work too. The problems are usually separated out by section so that you can easily find problems related to your test material. Usually you can find the solutions online if you get stuck or your instructor might be willing to help you out.
Solving these problems successfully will help you master the material and apply concepts to different scenarios. This is exactly what you need on exam day! You need to be able to take what you’ve learned and apply it in different ways. Your instructor wants to see that you can do this so that’s why the exam problems aren’t always just like the ones on the homework.
Calculators, Equation Sheets, Etc.
When doing practice problems and preparing for an exam, you should always use the items you’ll have during the exam. For example, if you can’t use graphing calculators on the exam, don’t study with one. Study with the one you’ll have in the class on exam day. Same goes for equations sheets, notes, books and any other software you may be using. You want to simulate the exam environment as much as you can. This will help you get familiar with exam materials ahead of time.
I provide my classes equation sheets at the beginning of the semester so they can use it on homework. That way they aren’t searching for things during the test. If you’re creating your own equation sheet for the exam you should create it early enough so you have some time to work through problems with it.
Go to Bed!
I know it’s tempting but pulling an all-nighter to study is a bad idea. Get plenty of sleep so you’re not worn out when you get to class. I’ve actually had students fall asleep during exams – you definitely don’t want to do that! So, relax and go to bed at a decent time. Sleep really will help you perform better.
You’ll Do Great
If you follow these suggestions and don’t procrastinate, you have a much greater chance of doing well on your engineering exams. Good studying takes time and effort but it’s worth it in the long run. Set the goal to get an A on your exam and then make it happen. Happy studying!
