Exam Information
There are a total of three exams, each covering 2-3 CMs (EMs are not assessed in exams):
- Exam 1 (CM1-3): 2/14 (Wed) in-class
- Exam 2 (CM4-6): 3/27 (Wed) in-class (updated)
- Exam 3 (CM7-8): 4/17 (Wed) in-class. Although Exam 3 mainly tests concepts from CM7(Combinatorics) and CM8(Probability), the entities that you need to count (or reason probabilistically about) might be objects from earlier modules.
Exams test your mastery of the contents by connecting concepts from multiple CMs together. Expect most questions on every exam to utilize concepts from multiple CMs.
The exams are in-person, paper-based, and closed-book (but open reference sheet; see below).
There will be no separate final exam. Instead, during the final exam slot we will administer the retake of all three exams. You can decide whether or not to retake each exam separately. The retake of each exam will match the original in scope, length*, and difficulty.
*However, we have 75 minutes for the original exams (administered in class meetings), whereas the three retakes combined need to fit in the 180-minute final time block. Therefore, we will design each exam to be 55 minutes long, but the original exams have a bonus problem that takes extra time to answer but can potentially be used to improve the performance (i.e., the number of parts with a Satisfactory or above). This will also serve as an incentive for you to take the original exam seriously.
Exam Day Policies
Reference sheet policy
An official reference sheet will be distributed with everything you should need in the exam. The reference sheet content will be published in advance.
You may also opt to replace the reference sheet with one single-sided double-sided 8.5″x11″ notes sheet. If you choose to replace the official sheet with your own sheet:
- Your sheet can be hand-written, typed, or a mix of the two, but it needs to be human-readable without assistive devices (e.g., magnifying glass).
- You need to submit your sheet along with the exam.
Assumptions, conventions, and clarification policy
Whenever you think a question is ambiguous or some assumption/key information is missing, make your own interpretation or additional assumptions in the spirit of the question and clearly state them on the sheet. We will account for your interpretations/assumptions as long as they are reasonable. If you think a question is completely nonsense and unanswerable, you may simply write BAD QUESTION, along with why you think the question is bad.
We will NOT answer any questions about the exam individually. Any questions we decide to answer will be posted on the projector for everyone to see.
Silent room policy
To minimize distraction to others, once the exam has started, any kind of talking is prohibited, including asking clarification questions verbally.
To ask clarification questions, simply raise your hand. One of the proctors will hand you a small piece of paper, on which you can then state your clarification question and submit to the proctors. If we decide to answer your question, we will post our response on the projector for everyone silently. It is everyone’s responsibility to check the projector periodically for new information.
No new information will be updated on the projector in the final 15 minutes of each exam. For this reason, it is suggested that everyone read through the exam (and raise any potential concerns through the process above) before answering any questions.
