Exams
There are two midterms, the first is worth 10% and the second is worth 20%, and one final exam, worth 40%.
Ideally, a midterm exam should serve a diagnostic purpose, to alert students to potential weaknesses in understanding in advance of a final assessment. However, final exams are limited to 2.5 hours in length, which is not much time in which to make a proper assessment. Besides, as with assignments, if midterms did not contribute to the final grade, some students would not take them seriously.
Exams are highly imperfect instruments of diagnosis and assessment, but they are the best ones we have. More accurate and fair methods would likely raise your tuition costs substantially.
You must bring your WatCard to all exams and check your assigned seat at the link below.
Pre-Assigned Exam Seating
The midterm and final exams in this course will use assigned seating with individual student names printed on the front page of the exam paper. You must sit in your designated room and seat at the exam paper with your name on it. Look up your exam information well before the exam so you will know where to go (record it elsewhere as well).
The information about your seating will show:
- the exam (e.g. CS 145 Midterm),
- the date and start time (e.g. 2018-10-01 19:00:00),
- the building and room (e.g. DC 1350) and
- the seat (e.g. B-4).
Please check all carefully.
For most rooms (but not the PAC), the seat code indicates the row letter and
column number, from the front left corner of the room - for
example, B-4 would be the second row from the front of the room and
the fourth seat from the left when facing the front of the room.
Midterm 1
Midterm 1 Date: Monday, October 8, 2026, 7:00PM - 8:50PM (1 hour 50 minutes)
- BRING your WatCard, pens, pencils and eraser.
- DO NOT bring books, notes, calculators, other electronics - no aids are allowed.
- Check your seating here. Building, room and seat will be available 3 business days before the midterm date.
Midterm 2
Midterm 2 Date: Monday, November 9th, 2026 7:00PM - 8:50PM (1 hour 50 minutes)
- BRING your WatCard, pens, pencils and eraser
- DO NOT bring books, notes, calculators, other electronics - no aids are allowed.
- Check your seating here. Building, room and seat will be available 3 business days before the midterm date.
Final Exam
Final Exam Date: TBA
Missed Exams
Missed Midterm: The weight of the Midterm 1, missed due to
reasons listed above for assignments, will be moved proportionately
over Midterm 2 and the final exam.
The weight of Midterm 2, missed due to reasons listed above for
assignments, will be moved to the final exam.
Missed Final Exam: A missed final exam requires a VOC or other acceptable documentation for consideration. If you are ill and cannot write the final, we will assign one of the following marks for the term:
- IP (In Progress), in cases where a make-up final exam can be prepared and written early in the following term. This option is not always available.
- INC (Incomplete), in cases where the illness is accepted and we believe the student could plausibly pass the course based on other work done in the term. The student will be required to write the final exam the next time CS145 is offered (Fall of the next year, CS145 is only offered in Fall). The ISC makes the arrangements. Note that successor courses (e.g. CS146) may not be taken until CS145 is passed or the student had strong marks on the CS145 term assessments, including midterms.
- DNW (Did Not Write), in cases where VOC documentation is not provided or accepted or we do not believe the student could plausibly pass the course.