Test rules

• The tests are closed note and closed book
• You are not allowed to use a calculator, cell phone, smart watch, or other electronic device during the tests.
• No talking during the tests.
• When you arrive in the classroom, go to your assigned seat.
  • (You will be notified of your seat assignment through Gradescope. The details will be announced in Canvas before the test.)
• We recommend that you arrive in the classroom a few minutes early.
• If you do not know your seat number, we will look it up for you, but not until we have handed out all the tests. Please do not ask us to tell you your seat number until we have completed handing out the tests.
• Do not start writing on the test until told to do so.
• When the test period ends, we will tell you to stop writing. Please do so.
• Please remember to bring a writing implement. We recommend you have a backup writing emplement just in case: pens can run out of ink, pencils can break or become too dull to write legibly, etc.
• Questions are allowed but not encouraged. If you feel like you must ask a question, the procedure is as follows:
  1. Raise your hand.
  2. One of the proctors will go the one of the ends of the row in which you are sitting and gesture to you to go that end of the row.
  3. Go to the end of the row and ask your question.
  Note that the response to your question may very well be "You should know that" or "Please read the question more carefully."
• If you think that a question on the test is ambiguous, rather than ask a question, we recommend that you do the following on your answer sheet:
  1. List the different interpretations of the question
  2. State which interpretation you are using
  3. Give an answer consistent with that interpretation.
  To the extent that we can, we will try to grade your answer consistent with your interpretation. However, if your interpretation trivializes the question, you may lose points.
• Your answers should be clear, concise, complete, and correct. This means you will lose points if your answer is ambiguous or vague, unnecessarily verbose, missing important information, or wrong.

Test format

The test booklet will consist of some answer pages at the front and the test questions at the back.

• When you start the test:
  • Detach the answer pages from the question pages
  • Write your Gradescope Student ID in the designated spot on the front of the answer pages. This means that you should know your GradeScope Student ID. You can find your GradeScope student ID by:
    1. Clicking on the triple line icon at the upper left of your gradescope home page.
    2. Clicking on "Edit Account."
    3. Examining the entry for "Student ID."
    If you want to change your GradeScope Student ID to something easier to remember than the default ID that GradeScope assigned you, you can do that in the same place.
  • Write your name in the designated spot on each page of the answer pages.
• When you take the test:
  • Write the answer to each question in the appropriate spot on the answer pages.
  • Do not write anything you want us to read on the back of any answer page. We only scan the front side of the answer pages.
• When you turn in the test:
  • Turn in all answer pages and make sure your name is written on all answer pages.
  • You will receive one additional point if all answer pages are turned in and your name is on all answer pages.
  • Please do not try to restaple your answer pages, since we will just need to remove the staples as we scan them.

The tests will consist of questions with written answers. Many of the questions will be short-answer fill-in the blank questions. Some of the questions may require longer answers.

The tests will be graded manually. Partial credit will be given when it is appropriate to do so.

We recommend that you read each question carefully and completely before you answer it.

There may be one or two questions may give you the option of either answering the question or checking a box and receiving a fixed number of points. For these questions:

• If you check the box, you will receive the indicated number of points and we will not grade your answer.
• If you do not check the box, we will grade your answer. Depending on your answer, this could result in fewer points than if you had checked the box.
• Sometimes, such questions will briefly describe the grading criteria and may specifically list conditions that your answer needs to satisfy. For example, you might be asked to give an algorithm that solves a certain problem within a certain asymptotic time bound (e.g., O(n)) and told that your answer will receive a zero if your algorithm is not correct or if it does not meet the time bound. In this example our recommendation would be as follows:
  • If you can describe an algorithm for the problem that is correct and solves the problem in O(n) time, we recommend you do that.
  • However, if the best algorithm you can think of does not meet the required time bound (for example, if the best algorithm you can come up with is an O(n^2) algorithm), our recommendation would be that you check the box.