1.Talk to the professor or TA ahead of time. Your professor and/or TA is going to be writing the exam ... so of course they know what's going to be on it. Heading to a study session or visiting your professor during office hours will give you the opportunity to ask questions about what is going to be on the test and how best you can study for it.

考前与教授或TA进行交流。教授或TA作为期末考试的命题人......因此，势必知道考试的内容是什么。通过参加学习研讨会或在办公时间拜访教授，你可以直接就命题范围和如何高效备考进行提问。

2.Know for certain what material will be covered. Some professors have finals that cover all of the material from the semester; others may only test on, say, the material covered since the last exam. Know what you'll be tested on so you can focus your studying efforts more effectively.

了解考试范围。有些教授，划定的考试范围涵盖本学期讲过的所有内容，有些教授则只测试上次考试以来讲授的内容。因此，了解出题范围能使你更有针对性、更加高效地复习。

3. Look at other exams you've had in the class so far. Chances are that your professor has an exam style, just like you have a test-taking style. Look at previous exams that you've taken in the class to see what material your professor often thinks is important enough to test on and what formats¹ he or she likes to use -- and then plan your study approach accordingly.

回顾其他课堂测试。正如你有自己的答题风格一样，教授也有自己的出题风格。因此，你需要重温之前的试卷，找出教授认为值得测试的重点以及他或她的常考题型，接下来有针对性的制定你的复习计划。

4. Create or join a study group. True, study groups often start off with lots of chatting, but a good group can quickly get down to business, focus, and cover a lot of material. studying with peers² is also a great way to break up the material: each person can make a study guide for certain chapters, for example, so that the group can quickly create a comprehensive study guide together. Additionally, study groups can help provide some much-needed laughter breaks when you're studying late into the night.

创建或加入学习小组。诚然，学习小组常以闲聊开始，但是，好的学习小组能够迅速投入复习、锁定复习重点、确定考试范围。与同伴一同学习也是快速分解学习材料的好方法：例如，每位成员都可为某些章节制定学习指南，以便该小组成员能够快速获得一份全面学习指南。此外，在你学至深夜时，学习小组能够带来些许恰到好处的欢乐，缓解你的疲惫。

5. Ask other students who have taken the class before what to expect. Chances are someone in your residence hall, fraternity/sorority, group of friends, or somewhere has taken your class before. Ask around to find out what the course final is often like and what you'll need to do to be as prepared as possible.

向选修这门课的前辈咨询考试情况。你可能会在宿舍、兄弟会/姐妹会、朋友群或某个地方，遇到与你选修内容相同的前辈。所以，你得四处打听，了解这门课的最终考查形式是什么，以及怎么做才能做到全力备考。