Exam I rules and question distribution

Exam I Rules and Question Distribution

Exam Time

Exam Rules
By using the following exam rules, it could greatly simplify and flex the exam taking (e.g., more time could be given if needed), and make you feel more comfortable while taking the exam. Therefore, please be honest because we want to avoid using a much stricter method like ProctorU.

The whole exam will be monitored from Zoom. Finish setting up and signing in to the Zoom (at https://und.zoom.us/j/2489867333) 30 minutes before the exam.

Have to use your real name, not nickname, for Zoom, so the instructor can identify the students correctly.

Turn on the webcam and speaker, mute the microphone, and keep them active during the exam. Take one of the following approaches:

If you have a printer and a wired/wireless webcam (or two computers), point the webcam to show you, (exam) paper, desk, computer (if for Zoom), and scanner or phone (if for photoing the answers), like the figure above.

If you have a wired/wireless webcam, point the webcam to show you, (exam) paper, desk, computer (for exam questions), and scanner or phone (if for photoing the answers).

If you have a phone installed with Zoom, point the phone to show you, (exam) paper, desk, computer (for exam questions), and scanner or phone (if for photoing the answers).

If you have a computer webcam, point the webcam to show you, (exam) paper, desk, and scanner or phone (if for reading the exam questions or photoing the answers).

If you do not have anything, 🤐

The .pdf exam will be emailed to your UND email account a few minutes before the exam time.

Start the exam as soon as you receive it. You can either
1. Print the exam and write the answers on the exam, or
2. Read the exam questions from the computer or phone and write the answers on papers.

It is an exam of closed books and notes. During the exam, you are NOT allowed to use the computers, keyboards, mice, and cell phones, other than reading the exam questions or communicating with the instructor. All communications are through Zoom chat. In addition, you can only leave your seat after asking.

At the end of the exam, you can either
1. Scan the exam or papers, or
2. Take pictures of the exam or papers.
Make sure the result files are correct and clear!

Submit the files via either one of the following two methods immediately:
- Upload them to the Blackboard or
- Email them back to the instructor at wenchen@cs.und.edu .
Do not leave until you receive a confirmation from the instructor.

The exam will be highly suspected if fail to follow the above rules.

Question Style

Closed books and closed notes

Calculators are allowed, but NOT with a programming capability. Also, you are allowed to give solutions without the results calculated in case you forget to bring your calculators.

MANY questions are modified from the examples and questions in class slides, homework, exercise, and textbook.

The following data will be supplied in the exam:

formulas used in Chapter I (or Week-3 slides),
algorithms (conversion steps) used for data representation in Week-5 slides,
syntax and descriptions of the assembly instructions or directives used in the exam,
descriptions of MIPS general purpose registers,
function syscall,
decimal-binary-hexadecimal mappings, and

the following values will be given:

2⁰ = 1	2¹ = 2	2² = 4	2³ = 8	2⁴ = 16	2⁵ = 32
2⁶ = 64	2⁷ = 128	2⁸ = 256	2⁹ = 512	2¹⁰ = 1024	2¹¹ = 2048
2¹² = 4096	16⁰ = 1	16¹ = 16	16² = 256	16³ = 4096	16⁴ = 65536

You are NOT likely to do well for the assembly questions if you could NOT (almost) finish implementing the Programming Exercise I before the exam.

You are encouraged to give steps of solution finding.

Video contents will not be covered.

Question types may include: (i) true-or-false, (ii) multiple choices, (iii) matching, (iv) blank filling, (v) question-and-answer, (vi) programming, and (vii) calculation.

Major Question Distribution

The following materials will be covered:
- Class slides of Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 (5.1-5.15, inclusively) (and everything in the slides may be covered),
- Homework I (solutions will be posted on or before Friday, 02/16/2024),
- Programming Exercise I,
- Textbook Chapter I, and
- NO reference links (under the label ☂ References), NO video clips, jokes, idioms, and quotes (they are for refreshing your memory while studying).
Textbook Chapter II is for reference only because it focuses on assembly language concepts instead of programming. If you fully understand the slides and (almost) complete the Programming Exercise I, you should have no problem taking the exam.

Introduction (Week 1): 10% – 20%

Computer Abstractions and Technology (Weeks 2, 3, Chapter I, and Homework I): 35% – 50%
- Computer components overview — straightforward
- Performance, power, and benchmark — calculation

MIPS Assembly Programming (Weeks 4 & 5 and Programming Exercise I): 35% – 50%
- MIPS simulators, processors, and architecture
- Data representations
  - Various data representations
  - Converting one representation to another
  - Two’s-complement representation
- Assembly programming
  - Code ⇒ output
  - Descriptions ⇒ code
  - Incomplete-code ⇒ complete-code

Recommendations
To prepare the exam:

Study the slides of Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 (5.1-5.15, inclusively) very carefully and one by one.
Practice the Homework I and check the solutions posted on or before Friday.
Try to (almost) finish your Programming Exercise I before the exam.