Software Construction & Design 1
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Software Design and
Construction 1
(SOFT2201/COMP9201)
Unit/Exam Review
Dr. Martin McGrane
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Agenda
– Assessment Review
– Exam Preparation & Info
– Exam Sample Questions
– Advice
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Unit of Study Survey – Reminder
– ONLINE survey
– https://student-surveys.sydney.edu.au/students/
https://student-surveys.sydney.edu.au/students/
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Assessment Review
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SOFT2201/COMP9201 Assessment
What (Assessment)* When (due) How Value
Weekly Exercises Weekly (1-12) Online Exercises (Canvas) 10%
Assignment 1 Week 4 Submission on Canvas 5%
Assignment 2 Week 8 Submission on Canvas 15%
Assignment 3 Week 13 Submission on Canvas 20%
Online Final Exam (See exam timetable) Individual exam 50%
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Passing this unit
– To pass this unit you need both two:
– Get at least 50% overall1
– Get at least 40% for your final exam mark2
1 A requirement of all University of Sydney units of study
2 A requirement of all School of CS units of study
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Exam Preparation & Info
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Exam Preparation
– All materials covered (week 1 to week 12)
– Lecture materials
– Tutorial materials
– Weekly exercises
– Three Individual assignments (i.e., A1, A2 and A3)
– Supporting resources (books, other references)
– Note that libraries, such as JavaFX and SimpleJson, are not
examinable.
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Exam Preparation Tools
– Questions can be asked to your tutors during tutorial 12
– Tutorial questions use the exercises as a focus for revision discussion
– Questions can be asked on Ed discussion forum
– Answering and discussing questions about the subject are very helpful to
your own understanding
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Exam Information
– Check your personal exam timetable
– The exam is held on an exam-specific Canvas site, to which you
will be added by exam office.
– Structure is ‘short release take-home exam’
– Third party communication or collaboration apps/websites are not
permitted
– 10 minutes reading time + 2 hours writing time + 15 minutes
upload time
– Exam is not supervised but is timed.
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Exam Information
– The total marks for this exam are 100
– Two types of questions
– Short answer questions
– Extended response scenario-based questions
– Write your answers clearly and concisely
– Answer all questions
– Read the question and answer what it asks you to answer
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Exam Questions
– Duration: 2 hours and 25 minutes (145 minutes). This includes:
– 10 minutes of reading time, but you can start writing whenever you are ready
– you are strongly encouraged to use this time to carefully plan and structure
your response before you start writing.
– 15 minutes of upload time to allow you to upload your files as per your exam
instructions. Do NOT treat this as extra writing time. The upload time must be
used solely to save and upload your files correctly as per the exam
instructions. Manage your time carefully. Check that you have saved and
named your file correctly and uploaded the correct file. If your time runs out
while you are uploading this is not considered a technical issue.
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Exam Questions
– Short answer questions
– Answers should be a short paragraph, or code snippets
– Must use the proper or most accurate terminology
– The marker will not ‘interpret’ your answer.
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Exam Questions
– Scenario-based questions (Extended response)
– Contain several sub-questions
– May include name, briefly explain, design/model, implement
– Based on contextual information
– Answer as instructed
– Clearly and concisely
– If you make any assumptions about the problem beyond what is
specified, make sure to note these in your answer
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Exam Sample Questions
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Exam Questions
– E.g., Describe pattern/principle X and compare it to p/p Y
– X is a design pattern that …
– X is generally useful because …, although it has the drawbacks …
– Y is a design pattern that …
– Y is generally useful because …, although it has the drawbacks …
– X differs from Y because …
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Exam Questions
– E.g., Apply a design pattern to solve problem Y
– I will use X
– X is a design pattern that …
– X is generally useful because …, although it has the drawbacks …
– X is specifically applicable to Y because …
– … implementation … (if asked for)
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Exam Questions
– E.g., Given the following code, state the pattern that has been
used in it. Map the classes in the code to the roles/participants
in the pattern.
– The pattern that has been used in the code is …
– Class X is … (refer to participant name) of pattern …
– Class X is used for/to … (specific roles) in pattern … in the given code
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Exam Questions
– E.g., List all classifier names together with attributes and operations
of the UML class diagram of system S. Identify the relationships
among these classifiers.
– Class X
• Attributes: + variableName : String
• Operations: + methodName (par: Z): double
– Interface Y
• Operations: + methodName (par: Z): double
– Relationship:
• Class X implements interface Y
• Y is dependent on Z
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Advice
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Exam Technique
– Plan how you will allocate time (wisely)
– Use “reading time” to read and understand the question
– Plan time allocation to questions
– Plan the order of answering questions
• E.g. answer easier ones first (quicker ones first?)
– Answer everything (get the “easy marks”)
– Plan your answer, write answers relevant to the questions
– Quality not quantity
– Write clearly and efficiently
– If you are asked to list something, using bullet points is more efficient and easier to read
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Exam Technique
– Upload time
– Use “uploading time” to upload your answer
– Check you are uploading the correct file
– Check the file is uploaded
– Check that you submitted the uploaded file
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Exam Technique
– If you are uncertain about a question during the exam, answer to the best of your
ability. Do not contact the unit coordinator or other teaching staff during the exam.
– Any assumptions or interpretations must be noted together with your answers
– If you encounter technical difficulties during the exam that you cannot fix, email
canvas. .au with your unit of study code, contact number and SID.
You must contact us before your quiz or assignment has closed for submission. We
cannot provide assistance after submission closes.
– If you encounter technical difficulties during the exam that affect your ability to
complete the exam you will need to describe your problems on a Student
Declaration and apply for special consideration.
– Links to these can be found on the exam page
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Good Luck!