Midterm Exam

The midterm is in the usual lecture room at the usual time: please see Canvas for the day of the exam. Please see the course handbook has more details about how exams are run.

The midterm is 50 minutes long, written by hand on paper, and closed-book: no notes, books, calculators, computers, or other such aids are permitted.

Any kind of question could appear on the midterm, especially questions that ask you read/write C++ code.

Do not bring valuables to the exam! You will be asked to but jackets, backpacks, computers, cell phones, etc. at the front of the room out of your reach.

No bathroom breaks are permitted! This is only a 50 minute exam, and so we expect you to sit in the room for the entire time you are writing the exam. Once you leave the room, your exam is over.

Topics

As indicated in the course notes, topics up to, and including, inheritance will be covered on the midterm exam.

Here is a blueprint of the midterm exam showing the main topics, question types, and marks:

135 midterm blueprint

So, for example, about 63% of the midterm will be questions that ask you to write C++ code, and about 38% will be multiple choice questions. And 31% of the questions are about pointers and dynamic memory, 10% are about testing, and so on.

Study Hints

  • Practice, practice, practice. Writing programs and trying to solve problems is the best way to learn programming.
  • Know your terminology! For instance, look at the “Defined Terms” sections at the end of the textbook chapters.
  • Even though it will not be allowed in the midterm itself, creating a small “cheat sheet” is a good way to study. Write down, in your own words, all the important terms and ideas.
  • Here are a few practice questions. Keep in mind that the exact topics covered in your version of the course might not match precisely to the questions asked here.
  • Here’s a sample midterm (solutions). Keep in mind that the exact topics covered in your version of the course might not match precisely to the questions asked here.