Here is some useful advice from the CSC 108H/A08H web site, still very relevant for CSC 148H/A48H.
Studying for the midterm and final exam
Here is the process we recommend that you follow in order to prepare for the midterm and final exam (especially the exam). It is an ordered list, so don't skip steps. Throughout this process, come get help when you need it: office hours, the bulletin board, and email.
- Read the most recent test (midterm or exam, as appropriate), below. This will give you a good idea of what CSC148H tests are like. Read it thoroughly, but don't try it yet. And don't look at the solutions yet. Why? To get an idea of what to expect, and a target to aim at when studying.
- Do all the closed labs and/or tutorials again. Focus on the ones you had the most trouble with. To save time here, don't do the ones you thought were easy --although those should take you a half hour or less. Why? To get practice with the details, with a computer to help you find the errors.
- Review your assignments. Figure out which labs/tutorials apply to which assignments, and make sure you understand the assignment solutions, if they are posted.
- Take the most recent test. Pretend it's the real thing: give yourself the real amount of time to do it, and don't look at the solution. Don't be discouraged if you get stuck often. Get help, ask us questions.
- When you're done, go back and check your answers against the solution. Find the questions you knew how to do, and identify the topics you're good at. Don't spend time studying what you're good at.
- Identify the topics you have trouble with. Now that you've seen the solutions, try the questions again (without looking at the solutions).
- Find similar questions on previous tests and do them; ask for help whenever you need it.
This year's midterm
Old midterms
You should neither relax nor panic on reading these tests.
The first two tests are from the 2004 winter offering, and the material covered has changed somewhat since last year. Besides, the author of these tests is convinced that one was too easy, while the other might have been a little hard.
The next three range from a little older to quite a bit older, and during the period of time covered the content of the course has changed really quite a bit. Still, the coding-related questions are still relevant.
| Year | Section | Test | Answers |
| 2006 Winter | St. George evening | 20061eve.pdf | 20061eveans.pdf |
| 2005 Winter | St. George evening | 20051eve.pdf | 20051eveans.pdf |
| 2004 Winter | St. George 1 p.m. | 20041pm.pdf | 20041pmans.pdf |
| 2004 Winter | St. George evening | 20041eve.pdf | 20041eveans.pdf |
| 2003 Fall | UTM | mt03.pdf | |
| 2001 Fall | UTM | mt01.pdf | |
| 2000 Fall | UTM | mt00.pdf |
Old exams
- You can find old exams on the web site of the Faculty of Arts and Science, http://eres.library.utoronto.ca/ .
We've only the beginnings of a set of exam answers:
The 2004 answers are a little cryptic, because they were intended for use by markers, not by later students (and there are a couple of places where you'll see typos silently left unfixed). We do not have, and would not post, answers for older exams than 2004, because the course changed noticeably between 2003 and 2004, and we would not want you to think older exams were representative.