Comp Questions

**6nz1** · 03-26-2009, 01:35 PM

Hello everyone, I really need some of the past comprehensive (Qual) exams from Cornell's exam bank...I am about to write my comps and our Micro prof is from Cornell and it seems she sets questions from her past material...can anyone send me these (they should be downloadable for Cornell students...I can send past comps from my university in response ... I WANT TO MAKE THIS CLEAR this is just for having extra RELEVANT material to study from...thanks for any help!

**asquare** · 03-26-2009, 01:48 PM

IMO, seeking out material that your instructor doesn't want you to have in order to prepare for an exam is perilously close to cheating. You should be focusing on knowing the material, not trying to game the system by getting copies of old exams that may be the basis for questions on your exam.

**celtic_tiger_econ** · 03-26-2009, 02:30 PM

6nz1, while some might admire you if this plan worked out, you won't get too many on this forum to help you considering your first post garnered the attention of asquare, it would be best to find out who is already attending Cornell, form a relationship with them and then ask if you could see the comps, but you should only do that after you've given them a shot on your own...?

**hubrishedge** · 03-26-2009, 02:35 PM

All the Cornell students get a packet a couple inches thick of all our past micro exams. The number of questions in this thing is staggering. Solving all these questions takes a month or two. Your time would be much better spent just studying :-).

**changuey** · 03-26-2009, 02:38 PM

I do hate it when professors don't make up their own questions. I know they have other things to do, but it is unfair for students who aren't as tricky/informed as people like 6nz1.

**calchas** · 03-26-2009, 06:59 PM

I completely disagree with the above... Practice questions are practice questions, period! There's absolutely NOTHING wrong in seeking out past exams from the current teacher ..

The only violation would be if such material has been explicitly made confidential by the examiner, in which case both the person sharing the exam and the one asking for it are breaking the law ...

But there's no cheating in solving past exams from an instructor for practice and exam preparation! It's the instructor's responsibility to write appropriate exams ..

**6nz1** · 03-26-2009, 08:15 PM

sorry to anyone who took this the wrong way, I just wanted extra material to study from (I certainly was not aware that someone would consider this underhanded) but since some have taken it that way then please disregard my request, I'll have to make due in my studying with the past exams I have from my own school!

**6nz1** · 03-26-2009, 08:52 PM

Im not really sure why people took this in a negative way...I am simply looking for past material to study from since I expect the questions to be relevant...its not like I'm going to get the exact same exam or that there are answers to the exams provided anyway...Our graduate adviser told us on the first day to use whatever past exams we could for his class...they give us the last 5 years worth of our own comps, I just wanted more to study from but as usual you are attacked for trying to go beyond in your studying...and my instructor never said that they did not want us to have extra material!

**asquare** · 03-26-2009, 09:02 PM

Well, the way you phrased the request made it sound like you were trying something underhanded or sneaky. If the instructor wants you to have the material, then just ask her. If you feel like she'd say no or be upset that you were trying to get the material, well, then, you should consider if getting it is really the right thing to do.

"Going beyond in your studying" is great when it means learning more, trying to understand more deeply, seeking to improve your knowledge. It's not so great if it means looking for short cuts. It sounded to me like you were after the latter not the former. If not, well, then, best of luck.