This page provides historical information and notes covering the technical examination syllabi and recommended textbooks from the 1990s until current. This allows you to compare the current syllabus of your exam to the past syllabi. The first two digits of an exam code indicate the year of the syllabus. For example, the “16” in “16-CIV-A1” is for the year 2016.
As examination candidates, you have three tools to triangulate what you need to study for your exam.
- Past technical examinations – these are usually the most informative in identifying the 80% of topics you need to pass.
- Textbooks – not just those on the recommended list but typical to university courses in the subject area. Many exams cover two courses and therefore will require two textbooks.
- Syllabus – help you identify which if any chapters at the end of the textbooks you don’t have to get into.
A change in the text of a syllabus does not mean there will be a change in the questions asked. It is, in fact, often a change to better align the syllabus with the questions. Also, the syllabi are constructed by committees and sometimes changes are made to the text with no apparent purpose or effect other than to be a change. The people preparing your exam are not the same as those reviewing the syllabi.
