Exam Tips

Finals can be overwhelming, so we have compiled some test-taking tips from our awesome TAs!

Preparation Tips

  • Practice There are a lot of practice resources including, the previous lecture and section examples, problems from past quizzes, problems on Practice It. When practicing, feel free to post on Ed or come to office hours to ask questions! We are here to help!
  • Practice Under Test Conditions This can help you get familiar and comfortable with the testing environment. Some conditions you could practice under include: completing problems under time pressure, handwriting code, checking your solutions without the compiler, and using the reference sheet we will provide!
  • Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses When preparing for the exam, take note of your strengths and weaknesses. This can help you judge how to spend your time preparing. Everyone has their own areas of the course that they feel more or less confident in, so use the time to reflect and to practice what you feel less comfortable with.
  • Notice Common Patterns/Problems There are some patterns with data structures that are fairly common. Getting familiar with these patterns can help you prepare for what may come up in an exam! Take some time after solving a problem to think about how it is similar/different from other problems you solved.

Test-Taking Tips

  • Solve Problems in Your Order It is okay to skip a problem and come back to it later on! Use your time wisely! Some people like to tackle problems they find harder first, others like to start off with problems they find easiest. Find out what makes you most comfortable on an exam!
  • Check Your Work To check your work, you can use the examples provided in the problem write-up. Then, you can test your code against edge cases.
  • Leave Extra Space Between Lines of Written Code It can be helpful to leave extra space between lines of written code in case you want to add more code later on; It is also okay to use arrows and clearly identify where code would go!
  • Use the Reference Sheet!
  • Write What You Know If you are stuck, write what you know! For example, if you are stuck on a coding problem, writing header methods or writing a solution to solve part of the problem is a great place to start! This also helps you get context if you come back to the problem!