Final Exam Study Tips

As noted on the course syllabus, the final exam for EML2322L will take place during your scheduled lab period the last week of class (or for the Fall & Spring semesters, you also have the option to take it during your pre-scheduled final exam slot).  The final is worth 30% of your course grade and you must score higher than 60% on it to pass the course.  The final is nine pages in length and contains multiple choice, TRUE/FALSE, and free response questions.  If you don’t review for the exam, you will likely not finish it or achieve the required 60%.  Students must provide their own non-graphing scientific calculator for use on the exam; no other aids will be allowed (i.e. no notes, laptops, equation sheets, etc.).



PART 1: QUIZ & HW CONTENT QUESTIONS [~50%]

To prepare for this part of the exam, review the following material and related lecture quiz questions.  A copy of the Tap & drill chart will be provided for reference during the exam and values will be provided on any problems which required the use of data extracted from a table (but you have to know what the parameters are called and how to use them).  No formulas will be provided on the exam.

 

Design Process

·         Design report research:

·         Design process notes:

·         Electric motor notes & robot speed calculations

 

Designing and Drawing (Real Parts)

·         Hub design (mechanical power transmission) notes

·         Tolerances in manufacturing processes

·         Design & Manufacturing Tips

·         Drawing and dimensioning basics HW

 

Manufacturing Processes Learned (or Demonstrated) in Lab

·         Welding notes and Welding Facts

·         CNC notes and CNC Facts

·         Machining speeds and feeds notes

·         Cutting and threading tool identification

·         Milling, turning and fastening review (HW)

·         Turning, milling and drilling processes HW

 

Other Manufacturing Processes

·         Abrasive water jet notes

·         Casting and Forging Facts from class lecture

 

Fasteners:

·         Tap and drill chart

·         understand the tool sequence necessary to produce any size thread

·         Fasteners and threading notes, HW and Fastener Facts:

[there will be many questions on these topics and any necessary tables will be provided on the exam]

·         Milling, turning and fastening review (HW)



PART 2: DFM [~30%]

For this part of the exam you will be given a drawing of a poorly designed part used on a typical robot and asked to redesign the part for improved manufacturability.  Review the following material for this portion of the exam:

·         Motor Mount Design Guide

·         Wheel Hub Design Guide

·         DFM Examples

·         Design and Manufacturing Tips

·         Dimensioning Rules Document

·         DFM Quiz

 


PART 3: MANUFACTURING [~20%]

For this part of the exam you will be given a part description and drawing, and asked to explain the steps (machines and tools) necessary to manufacture the part using manual equipment.  Review the following material for this portion of the exam:

·         Content covered during assigned parts manufacturing

·         To practice for this section, without referencing the provided outlines, write out each step of the manufacturing process to make the assigned parts, including each tool name and size (if applicable)

·         Repeat the previous exercise for two key components of your group’s design project that require the use of the lathe and milling machine, such as the motor hubs and motor mounts



TIPS FOR STUDYING FOR AND TAKING THE FINAL EXAM:

·         Exam instructions (Part 1):  Answer the questions using information presented in the course.  Do not work with others or look at their exams.  Circle all correct answers on multiple choice questions (i.e. each may have more than one correct answer).  Correct TRUE/FALSE questions which are FALSE (as in lecture).  Only clearly written responses showing all equations, work and units will be graded.  Circle final answers when calcs are required.  The exam is 2 hours long.

 

·         Exam instructions (Part 2):  The part shown on the following page functions as a ************* for a 30 pound robot with differential steering and an 80/20 extruded aluminum framework.  The ************* attaches to a ********* with a ******* D-shaped precision ground shaft and ********* female mounting threads.  Perform a design review of the part to improve manufacturability and design intent.  Circle each mistake and write the correction directly on the drawing.  Include a brief explanation next to each correction.  If the same correction applies multiple times, correct each instance.  One point shall be awarded for each corrected mistake and one point shall be deducted for each erroneous “correction”.  There are at least 30 mistakes based on the material covered in class this semester, so any corrected mistakes beyond the required 20 will count as bonus points on your exam grade.

 

·         Exam instructions (Part 3):  Use the info below to complete the manufacturing steps outlined on the following page.  You are NOT required to dimension the part, but you can make any notations on this drawing which help you complete the manufacturing outline on the next page.  Explain the steps used to manufacture the part using manual machines.  List the machines, tools (including sizes) & proper sequence.

 

·         Use your lecture quizzes and homework assignments as study guides because much of the final will cover this content.  If you put honest effort into completing the homework assignments and paid attention when reviewing the lecture quizzes, you should have good study resources; if you didn’t, the class should be easier the second time around J.

 

·         Once you have finished studying for the final, use the Top 100 Concepts taught in the course as a checklist to gauge your preparedness.

 

·         Read the problems carefully.  Do not rely on the same quiz or homework questions being carried over onto the final.  Questions will be modified to assess your understanding, not just your memory.  Many of the multiple choice quiz and homework questions will be asked in a free response format on the final.

 

·         Write clearly.  There are a lot of exams to grade and I can’t waste time trying to decipher messy writing.  If you study and understand the material, you should have no problem finishing the exam writing at a comfortable and legible pace.

 

·         Pay attention to units and clearly show your work on problems requiring calculations.  Be comfortable converting between feet & meters, inches & millimeters, Newtons & pounds, pounds & kilograms and horsepower & lb-ft/s.  Zero credit will be issued for incorrect answers due to unit conversion errors or failure to show work.  Here is a summary of the calculation-style questions which will be on the final (compiled from your quizzes and homeworks).

 

·         There will be no partial credit for quiz and homework content questions.  If you don’t know the answer to a question based on the material taught in class, don’t waste time on it.

 

Good luck and the course TAs and I are happy to answer any questions you have as you prepare for the exam, as long as you have reread the pertinent material from the class notes!

FEEDBACK FROM LAST SEMESTER’S STUDENTS:


The final exam was very thorough, but fair. It was a different format than most other tests at UF, but it was different in a good way, and identical to the format explained in the study guide. I paid close attention to the study guide details, and virtually *everything* listed was on the exam, so thank you for being so forthright. I think the best way to study for the exam was to go through all the documents listed in the final exam tips and take notes on them. Then review the notes, homeworks, and quizzes.

The format of the multiple choice questions (where there may be more than one correct answer) makes that portion of the exam considerably more difficult and stressful. That being said, it is not necessarily a bad format, since it reduces the chance of lucky guesses and requires that students are confident in their knowledge when taking the exam. However, it does make the exam more difficult to prepare for, since a general knowledge of each topic is not sufficient for success.

 

Two major things that I didn't realize about the final and definitely hurt me a lot were the formats for the multiple choice and true/false question. This may be my own fault for missing when or where it was stated, but I was not under the impression that multiple choice questions would have multiple possible answers nor was I under the impression that true/false questions would need to be corrected. I assumed the reason this was the case on quizzes was to further our understanding of the material, whereas on the final it would have made sense, in my opinion, for things to be a bit less difficult. The misunderstanding definitely affected how much time I put into studying for each part of the exam, and it led to a lot of second guessing myself over a concern that I was remembering very specific information slightly wrong.  [Instructor’s Comment: the Final Exam Tips clearly explained the format of the exam, and it was identical to the format of the quizzes we took each week in lecture.]

 

I felt that the exam was extremely comprehensive. There was so much information to remember that I could not possibly get a perfect score on this exam. It was also very difficult, but that was expected.

 

Even with plenty of studying, I found it much more difficult than it should have been. Some of the calculations were not emphasized on (or I didn’t pay enough attention to) the final exam review. The multiple choice questions that prompted us to select all answers that apply are unfair because they can easily be missed even though we understood the topic.  And there had been barely any practice on the DFM and manufacturing question. It was a new type of question that we were not accustomed to. [Instructor’s Comment: All calculation questions came from the quizzes and homeworks, and were emphasized on the study tips. On the multiple choice, remembering a few answers or buzzwords is not the same as understanding a topic. And the DFM Tips and Examples documents and all the project drawings you created and proofed should have been ample practice to excel on the DFM and manufacturing portions of the project, if you actively participated.  If you did not, participate, then you’re right: there’s no way to prepare for them a few days before the final exam.]

 

The final was very challenging, yet completely fair. The questions were straightforward if you studied properly. I struggled with the time allocation, although I should have prepared better to answer the questions quicker. The DFM Examples and Tips documents were invaluable for studying. This final was hard due to its comprehensive nature, but was a fair review of the course and more importantly, of valuable knowledge for industry; no changes to the exam are necessary.

 

I think the final exam was very fair yet challenging. I would say the area I felt least prepared for was the calculation questions. I believe adding a little more emphasis on them throughout the semester and a good reminder to be prepared for all calculations appearing on the homeworks and quizzes would definitely help in preparation for that portion of the exam. In hindsight I should have paid more attention to understanding each equation and how to apply it, rather than just memorizing it.

 

The final exam was truly comprehensive. I thought there was a lot of information to study for and I felt I may have gotten a few questions wrong just because I forgot a small detail about different topics here and there. The exam was extremely fair and the level of difficulty was expected based on the material presented throughout the course and in the study tips.

 

The exam was exactly what I expected it to be. Unlike for some classes, where exam formats are ambiguous at best, this exam had clearly defined study suggestions and a very accurate and comprehensive list of expected knowledge. The exam was extremely thorough and tough, but very fair.

 

It would've helped if the quizzes had more exam preparation for the DFM and manufacturing portions of the final, as that would help give us a better feeling of what to expect when studying for the exam. In hindsight, the study tips outlined what we needed to know, so I guess I should have paid more attention to them.

 

Compared to other exams, this one was longer and more comprehensive, but I feel it did a good job covering the relevant information that we really need to know and use after taking this class.

 

Probably one of the hardest exams I've taken in UF, mainly because of the amount of material involved.

 

Exam was well described beforehand.

 

The exam followed the study materials really well and I felt that it covered the entirety of the course extremely well. This was a very refreshing aspect as two of the four previous exams that week failed greatly to encompass the material stated in the study guides. The exam was not easy, but it was fair and extremely comprehensive.  Thank you for a challenging and rewarding semester!!

 

I felt the exam was very comprehensive and I was well prepared for it through class assignments, lab time, and the review tips. The content truly covered *all* aspects of the course and was very challenging, but fair.

 

I found the final exam pretty challenging. I definitely felt pressed for time, and I was not even able to fully answer some of the questions because I ran out of time. I don't think the exam was necessarily unfair, but a little more time definitely would have been very helpful.

 

I think the exam was fair. It was a very comprehensive exam, but if you studied, understood the homeworks, and paid attention while reviewing the quizzes in lecture, it wasn't too bad. The exam was really long but we were given adequate time to complete it.

 

The exam was as comprehensive as I thought it would be, but it was much more short answer or fill in the blank than I originally thought. The only thing I would say is to emphasize the short answer part and make it clear that there are not many multiple choice and true/false questions.

SUGGESTIONS FROM LAST SEMESTER’S STUDENTS ON HOW THEY COULD HAVE BETTER PREPARED:

I mostly studied the homeworks and quizzes, and reviewed and took notes from the suggested documents. I looked at the parts we made in lab and the DFM Examples to figure out how I would do the part manufacturing and re-design questions. As a slow reader, all of this takes a lot of time, but it prepared me well for the exam.

 

I should have reread the study material several times to become more confident in my knowledge and less likely to be fooled into choosing options that seem reasonable but are actually false. You aren’t joking when you say you know how to write challenging multiple choice questions!

 

I could have focused on better understanding the information in the M/C and T/F portions of the test as well as gone over the DFM documents more so I would have been confident enough to call out more errors rather than fearing the point deductions that would follow if I was incorrect.

 

I believe my shortcomings came from not taking the time to correct my mistakes on homeworks with a TA, and then reviewing them more thoroughly. I underestimated its importance. I paid strong attention to the quizzes and much of the lecture notes but did not look at the assigned part outlines that thoroughly.

 

The exam was not what I was expecting. I focused too much on topics that barely appeared on the exam and didn't focus enough on some things that appeared on multiple occasions.  Looking back, every item covered on the Study Tips was important for success on the exam, so thank you for being so upfront; I just wish I would have listened better :)!

 

I think I studied too much with my group and didn’t know the material as well as I thought I did. Specifically, I could have prepared much better for the exam by practicing more calculation type questions, reasoning through the quiz questions more thoroughly, and writing out how to make the assigned parts on my own.  In hindsight, studying too much with my group gave me a false sense of preparedness.

 

The calculations were worth a surprising amount of points and I was not prepared for those questions. I definitely should've put more of an emphasis on them by memorizing the formulas, working similar problems on my own (instead of just reading through the answered questions), and knowing how to convert between the different units noted in the Study Tips. If I had done a few practice problems without having the formulas and conversion factors in front of me, I would have been much more prepared for this part of the exam.

 

I could have definitely put more time into studying and I should have started earlier. More notecards would have helped. I should have spent more time understanding the calcs and the DFM rules instead of just thinking I could remember the ones on the example drawings. I could have worked with the lathes and mills for a better understanding of the manufacturing portion of the exam.

 

I would have made more flash cards to include the *explanations* of the answers found in the lecture quizzes and homeworks. Simply reading over the lecture notes again was not sufficient for many questions such as the nut and bolt question regarding when coarse or fine threads are stronger. I remember reading it but I guess I did not fully comprehend it.

 

If I had started studying earlier and done it more gradually leading up to the exam, I think I could have avoided a lot of the confusion that likely cost me a lot of points on an already challenging exam.  When you suggested we start studying two weeks before the exam because of the amount of information covered during the semester, you weren’t kidding!

 

I should have taken your advice and invested more time going over the documents corresponding to the homework and quiz questions instead of simply trying to memorize the answers. I should have also reviewed the DFM documents in more detail. To be frank, spending a little more time preparing would have allowed me to waste less time worrying if I will have to retake the class.

 

I should have studied more, spent less time on the multiple choice questions on the exam, and more on the calculations and free response. I should have made sure I understood the why behind each answer, as opposed to just trying to memorize each answer; for example, why each type of thread is correct for each type of material.