Exams

Overview

CSAlpha has a total of three exams scheduled for Weeks 4, 7, and 10; these tests are placed strategically throughout the course to test concepts that are usually used together in practice. These concepts are grouped under the overall topic of each exam: basic features of programming, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), and the final exam. The first two exams test concepts that were taught in the previous three weeks, but the final exam is cumulative.

Logistics

• All CSAlpha exams are taken with the Green Pamphlet (GP) software. GP exams require exam files for each test, so the downloads for those files will be made available on this page during the testing period. Each test has a time limit of three hours, and GP will automatically switch to the submit screen when time is up. Submission is done by saving your submission.gp file in a safe location and sending the file via Discord before the testing period is over. Please contact me on Discord or another messaging platform if you encounter problems with using GP, the exam files, or submitting.
• Tests have a time period called the assessment window, which is the window in which you can submit your exam file for credit and feedback. Any submissions before and after this window will not be accepted. The assessment windows are at least 48 hours long, usually ranging from Thursday at 8:00 PM PT to Saturday at 8:00 PM PT. However, please check the time period for specific exams as it may be changed or extended.
• Although these exams have a time limit of three hours, they are designed to be around 1.5 hours long with another 1.5 hours of flexibility. You do not need to use all of your remaining time.
• Exams are individual work; programming partners are not allowed. They mainly consist of coding questions, though written questions may also be included to test core understanding. If you have any clarifying questions about the exam or encounter any issues, privately message me on Discord. Types of questions that can be answered will be limited to clarifying questions that are typically allowed in in-person exams.

Tips and Grading

• Conceptual correctness is more important than style and syntax. Your understanding and execution of the concepts has more weight than missing a semicolon or forgetting a curly brace. However, syntax still matters and will contribute towards your exam grade, especially on the first exam.
• Points are mainly reserved for the concepts that the exam covers. For example, if you forget to initialize a variable in the second exam, you won't be as heavily penalized as in the first exam. You will lose points to some extent, but it won't matter as much. This does not mean you should be careless about it, though.
• Open-book exams still require preparation. You don't want to arrive at the exam just to be flipping through your notes and resources the whole time. Open-book tests allow you to confirm your code and reference some things you may have forgot during the testing period, but they don't replace conceptual understanding.
• Ask questions. If you are unsure what a problem is asking during the exam, don't try to answer it without clarifying. You may end up answering an entirely different question. As for conceptual questions, you should ask these before the assessment window opens, as they are not allowed during the testing period.
• Distribute your time evenly. If you focus all your time and energy into perfecting one answer, you will likely miss out on most of the points on the exam by leaving the other questions blank. Try the easier problems first and then move on to the harder ones.

Policies

Cheating, plagiarizing, or tampering with the exam software or exam files will result in expulsion from the course. GP has more detailed exam policies and information about the honor code, which are listed below:

"By selecting an exam and beginning it, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions:

• You may not work with other students or otherwise collaborate with other people.
• You may not use educational forums such as Stack Overflow to post questions about the exam.
• You may not take the same exam twice.
• You may not use someone else's work or code.
• You may not give or receive unpermitted aid.

All Green Pamphlet tests are open-book examinations. This means that you are free to refer back to your notes and search for online resources. However, copying solutions from the Internet or any other resource is prohibited. All exams are timed and code cannot be compiled or run inside the Green Pamphlet editors, though you are welcome to copy the code into a different editor to test it. This is not recommended because of the time constraint."