Unfortunately this varies greatly from professor to professor. It might vary some by subject material as well. Some teachers make their tests entirely from lecture notes and you can get by without reading the book. Some teachers take tests straight out of the book. I had one who created questions based off the little side captions and the summary section of each chapter. Subjects like biology and history, where there is a ton of information, tend to vary by teacher. Subjects like math and statistics are better studied by working through examples of the problems.
Some teachers will tell you what the tests are based off of, but many will not. I suggest going to GradeCalPoly.com and looking up your professor. Some students may have written something about how that teacher creates his tests. After you find out, then you know where to focus your studies.
I'm sorry to hear about your disappointing grade, I definitely know how you feel! It's so frustrating because you studied your ass off and still came up short. It isn't your fault. Many teachers make it hard. Look over the exam questions for the test you just got back. Are those questions from the book? From the teacher's lectures? From supplemental material he told you about? I had one FRL teacher who had us buy a huge expensive book along with a reference guide he had compiled. His tests were solely from the guide and the book was a complete waste of money.
Use the first test to get a feel for what the second test will be like. Then focus your brainpower on that material instead of EVERYTHING. I wish you luck on your next test!
