CS367: Introduction to Data Structures
EXAMS - Lecs 1 & 2, Spring 2012

Exams:

There are three exams worth a total of 55% of your final grade.

No notes, textbooks, calculators (or other electronic devices), or help from neighbors are allowed during the exams.

• Midterm 1 (17%): Thursday, March 8th, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, B10 Ingraham
• Midterm 2 (17%): Tuesday, April 17th, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, B10 Ingraham
• Final (21%): Tuesday, May 15th, 7:25 pm to 9:25 pm, 105 Psychology

Both midterm exams cover primarily new material. Midterm exams cover the lecture topics up to and including the last lecture before the exam unless otherwise noted by your instructor. The final has a cumulative component though more emphasis is on the topics covered since midterm 2. You are responsible for:

• lectures, including topics covered in lecture that are not in the on-line readings
• on-line readings, including topics covered in the on-line readings that are not covered in lecture
• assignments

Format:

The exams consist of two parts each having multiple questions and are expected to have an average score of 75%. The midterm exams are designed for a 90 minute exam period and the final exam is for a 120 minute exam period.

The first part of the exam requires you to fill in your answers on an standard answer sheet using a number #2 pencil. Bring several #2 pencils and a sharpener to the exam. Don't expect to be able to use a pencil sharpener in the exam room. The last part of the exam requires answers to be written in the exam booklet.

Exam Grading

You have one week after a graded exam is returned to request a re-grading of your exam if you believe there was an error in the grading.

Part I: The first part of an exam is graded automatically and partial credit is not given.  Only the answers that are marked on your answer sheet count.  Answers marked in your exam booklet do not count. For the midterms, students are provided with a printed report showing the exam key and their answers for any questions they've gotten wrong. The KEYS column on this report lists the correct answers, whereas the YOURS column lists your incorrect answers. If nothing is listed in the YOURS column, then you've answered all of the questions correctly.

Part II: The written part of the exam is graded by us and partial credit is given. Your exam booklet is returned to you with marks given in the written parts. The answers to the written part may be covered in lecture. Contact your instructor if you have a question about the grading. We might photocopy the written parts to ensure that students cannot make changes and benefit from a re-grade (such attempts are academic misconduct).

No solution is provided for the final and no individual error reports are provided (a policy of the Testing and Evaluation Service). If you have a question concerning your final exam, you must contact your instructor during the first week of class in the following semester. All exams will be destroyed during the second week of class in the subsequent semester.

Study Tips

• Prioritize your studying. First focus on your lecture notes and the on-line readings, then review the assignments.
• Study by re-organizing your notes. Successful studying requires you to be actively thinking about the material. One of the most effective ways to study is to re-organize and rewrite notes succinctly in terms that you understand.
• Avoid getting bogged down on specific points. If you can't figure something out, move on to other material and wait to ask your instructor or TA for clarification.
• You'll need to do some memorizing. Memorizing is a practical way to learn the definitions of terminology and concepts. A good way to memorize information is through repeated exposure to the material.
• Form a study group. Often it is easier and more motivating to work with others when studying for an exam. You can distribute the work by having each group member come up with a few questions on a topic and then going over the solutions collectively. If you run into a concept that causes confusion often others in the group will feel similarly while some will have explanations. Working together will help you learn things by providing multiple perspectives and insights into the material. You might want to email the class lists (compsci367-1-s12@lists.wisc.edu and compsci367-2-s12@lists.wisc.edu) to form a study group. Note that you may only send email to these lists from your UW account.
• Finally, avoid cramming! We all know this, but often we find ourselves waiting until it is too late. This habit is worth breaking! Research has shown that studying in half hour to hour intervals followed by half hour breaks is far more effective than non-stop cramming.