Exam Guidelines

Basic Structure: 

  1. There will be a midterm and a non-cumulative final exam in this course.
  2. Each exam will be worth 100 points (20% of your total course grade).
  3. Exams will consist of both objective and short essay questions.
    1. You will have a limited range of choices on the exams.
    2. For instance, I may offer you six essay questions of which you would choose five to answer.
  4. Expect to write for the whole exam period and to leave with a cramp in your hand!

Some General Advice:

  1. Study with someone else; the ability to explain material to another person is one of the best ways to master it yourself.
  2. Write as if your mother will be reading your answer:
    1. Really, write as if your audience is not you, your classmates or your professor (all of whom should be very familiar with the material). 
    2. Ask yourself if someone as smart as you but without benefit of having read the text or attended class can understand what is at issue, the positions under consideration regarding the issue, the reasoning behind those positions, etc.
  3. Be sure to define all specialized terms.
  4. Be explicit regarding the relationship of ideas to one another – on an exam, if it isn’t written down and comprehendible, it simply doesn’t count!
  5. Be sure to address all aspects of multi-part questions.