As a professor I mostly agree with you except that professors when writing exams take into account how the kind of exams they create will impact student incentives. I might tell you that X will be on the exam because I believe my students receive a high marginal benefit from studying X, and this is, hopefully, useful information if you intend to maximize what you learn.
As a professor I mostly agree with you except that professors when writing exams take into account how the kind of exams they create will impact student incentives. I might tell you that X will be on the exam because I believe my students receive a high marginal benefit from studying X, and this is, hopefully, useful information if you intend to maximize what you learn.