Place: G01 Gates Hall
Time: 12:30 to 2:30 pm
Date: Sunday, August 24

Description

The Computer Science Advanced Standing Exam (CASE) is used to determine whether a student should receive credit for CS 1110. While that course is currently offered in Python, the computer science department is willing to extend credit to any student that exhibits mastery in an object-oriented language. The placement exam is designed so that students may answer each question in either Jave or Python. In addition, it is possible to answer the questions in either C++ or C#.

The placement exam covers several topics on object-oriented programming, namely inheritance, overriding, and object-oriented design. It also tests for mastery of general programming topics such as list/arrays and strings. Finally, the exam tests for familiarity (but not mastery) with recursion and sorting. All of these topics are covered in CS 1110, so you would benefit from this course if any of these terms are unfamiliar to you.

Grading

Grading is pass/fail. Students taking the exam will either receive credit for CS1110 or no credit at all.

Grading will be complete by Monday, August 25th, in time for your first meeting with your adivsor. Your grade will be posted online in the Cornell course management system (CMS). Log in to this site with your netid and password; the Advanced Standing Exam is listed as a Fall 2014 course named "CS ASE".

If you pass, the grade in CMS will be a 1; there will be no further comments. If you do not pass, then it will be a 0 and, if we deem it necessary, we will add comments to explain the grade. If you have further questions about your score, e-mail Walker White for an appointment to discuss your exam.

Advising Recommendations

You should use the recommendation of the Advanced Standing Exam to determine your fall courses with your advisor.

If you are awarded credit for CS 1110

In this case we advise you to take CS 2110 as your first programming course. If you do take CS 2110, and you discover during the ADD period that it seems too difficult, consult with your advisor about how to proceed. Be aware that if you ever choose to take CS 1110, the grade that you receive in CS 1110 will replace your credit for the Advanced Standing Exam.

If you are not awarded credit for CS 1110

In this case we advise you to take CS 1110 as your first programming course. However, there are alternatives — such as CS 1114 and CS 1115 and — that are designed for students that have programming experience, but not enough to earn credit. In addition, there is a MatLab course — CS 1112 — which covers material similar to CS 1110, but in a different programming language. Discuss these options with your advisor and carefully monitor your progress during the ADD period in case you need to revise your choice.

It is possible, though not recommended, to take CS 2110 without having received credit for CS 1110. You should only do this if you have significant programming experience and have discussed the issue thoroughly with your advisor. If you take CS 2110 without having received credit for CS 1110, and if you are a student in the College of Engineering, you should note that CS 2110 cannot fulfill both the CS 1110 requirement and the College of Engineering distribution requirement. CS 2110 is a three-credit course, whereas CS 1110 is a four-credit course. In that case you will need to take both of the following types of courses:

  • another distribution course to replace CS1110, and
  • any technical course in engineering to replace the missing one credit.
Please consider this option carefully.