How Tests Are Administered

The tests are 75 minutes in length (final exam 135 minutes), and WebAssign will time you automatically from the moment you download the test. So bring a watch with you and pay careful attention to the time you start the test.

Bring whatever you like to the test (books, notes, calculator, scrap paper, etc.). There are no restricted web sites. (Use of the row operations tool is essential for the first and second tests, and the matrix tool is optional for the first test and very helpful for the final exam.)

Make a note of your score on the test (the grade of your final submission) before you leave the test room. You will not be able to see your test after your time has expired.

Test Instructions

Please print the instructions (PDF version) and bring them with you to the test. At the time of the test we don't give much verbal instructions so as not to bother students already working on the test.

Test Dates

The computers that are used for tests in Harrelson Hall are Macintosh laptops in HA G108. At DE Proctoring the computers are Windows desktop computers.

You will want some time to get accustomed to your computer and to get logged into the NCSU Unity computing environment. If you're taking the test in Harrelson and you prefer a mouse to a trackpad, you may bring a USB mouse with you to the test.

And finally, parking at NCSU is always problematic. There is very little parking available unless you have an NCSU parking sticker. Consult http://www.ncsu.edu/transportation for more information. But don't be late to the test because you assumed parking would be easy.

Whereas you are allowed up to 50 submissions on WebAssign homework, you are allowed only 3 submissions on the tests. (This means that you can submit each question up to 3 times.) These submissions must be used BEFORE time expires for the test. Make sure you know when your deadline is for finishing the test, and make sure your watch is accurate. (When you go to your list of current WebAssignments, you can see the WebAssign timestamp inserted at the bottom of the page. Check your watch against this. But remember to do it immediately when the page is downloaded so the time check will be accurate.)

WebAssign does not warn you when time is running out. If you wait too late to attempt your submission, your submission will be rejected,

The tests are just like the homework

All assignments, tests, and final exam are done using WebAssign. The homework assignments may be done at home or anywhere you choose. The tests and final exam will be on the NCSU campus at designated times. (You will have numerous times to choose from.) On homework assignments you are allowed up to 50 submissions for each question, and on tests and the final exam each question can be submitted up to 3 times.

The three tests and the final exam will be given in Harrelson Hall (home of the math dept. at NCSU). Students are expected to take tests and the final exam on the NCSU campus. The format of the tests will be similar to the WebAssignments used for homework except that you will have limited time (usually 75 minutes) and you will be limited to 3 submissions for each question.

The final exam will have the same format as the tests, will be 135 minutes in length, and will cover the entire course with special emphasis on the final week or two which was not covered on Test #3.

Many of the questions on the tests and exam will be very similar to problems you have encountered previously in the WebAssignments.

Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities that require special arrangements for assignments or tests should contact me as early as possible in the semester to discuss such arrangements. NCSU has established policies on disabilities.

You should always bring your calculator to tests. All tests are "open book and open notes", so you may also bring along any notes or other printed material that might be useful to you.

Where do test questions come from?

There is great similarity between lots of problems that appear on tests and the homework problems that you have already encountered. One of the most sophisticated features of WebAssign is its ability to "randomize" questions, i.e. to create different versions of the question by varying the numbers or other features that appear in the question. So each of you gets your own "personalized" homework assignment that is different from the assignment of any other student in the class.

Many of the questions used on tests are recycled homework questions, i.e. identical to homework questions you've already seen but having different numbers appearing in the question. Sometimes you won't even recognize this.

Other test questions, however, might not ring a bell with you because they include wording that you haven't seen before. And occasionally I'll have a student complain that I've thrown them a curve ball on the test because of some questions that were "new" and "unlike" any homework problem.

The truth is that virtually every test is a mix of new and recycled problems. Sometimes you won't recognize a new problem as new because there is little to distinguish it from problems you've already done. And sometimes you won't recognize a recycled problem as recycled because there may be some randomized wording as well as numbering in the problem.

The reason I'm telling you all this is to simply lead up to this advice: Don't worry about this too much. Instead just be prepared. Bring your printouts of homework with you to the test (if you wish), but don't rely on the printouts as a total crutch. When you encounter a problem on the test that you don't immediately see how to do, ask yourself, "Have I done this problem before?" If so, then browse through your homework to see if you can locate a clue as to how you did it. But don't waste a large amount of time looking for it in your homework if it's not certain that you will find something relevant. Instead, ask yourself what you have done in the homework that is relevant to this one, i.e. what techniques do I know that I can apply here. Familiarity with the homework is of great important. But it's not the whole ball game.

Are the tests long?

Almost every time I give a test, there are some students who finish the test in half the allotted time, and others who complain that there is insufficient time allowed for the test. The reason is pretty obvious. If you can zip right through the test without making mistakes and without having to spend a lot of time figuring out how to do a problem, you'll have time to spare. But if you get stuck and spend half an hour on a single problem, you're not going to finish the test.

The best advice I can give is to prepare well ahead of time and organize your notes well before the test. Many students waste large amounts of time on tests thumbing through their notes trying to find something related to a test question. You don't have that luxury on the test. There simply isn't enough time for that. So before you spend a lot of time on any question, scan your test to see if there are other problems that you can do quickly.

But my most important advice is to not get "burned" by the fact that the test allows use of notes. You simply won't have time to rely on your notes for every question. You need to be just as well prepared ahead of time as you would be if notes weren't allowed at all.

Bring your own wireless laptop to HA G108

If you have a wireless equipped laptop and know how to use it with the NCSU Nomad wireless network, you may bring your own laptop to the test room in Harrelson and use it for your test. However, you will not be able to access the test with your laptop until you connect to the NCSU wireless network succesfully and give us your IP number by visiting the web site whatismyip.com. So expect that additional startup step if you plan to take the test with your own laptop. Distance Education students in MA 114 601 cannot use their own laptops at the DE Proctoring Service.