CSE 20 Testout Exam Instructions
What You Need
Laptop / PC running any modern OS (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux).
Modern browser with javascript enabled (Chrome, Firefox, Safari work).
Internet connection (regular ADSL speed, or mobile hotspot, work).
Access to your @ucsc.edu account.
Taking The Sample Exam
Before the test, it is essential that you take the sample test. You can get access to the sample by following this invitation URL. That URL is for a site called notebookgrader.com , which we created to streamline the assignment and grading of Python Colab notebooks.
Logging into NotebookGrader
Please log into NotebookGrader using your @ucsc.edu account. The site asks for the permission to access on your ucsc.edu Google Drive the files it creates: this because the site will create and share with you the tests, and will then read them to grade them. The site does not have access to files on your Google Drive that it does not create.
Working on your test
Once you click on the invitation page, you will end up with the list of your NotebookGrader assignents. Click on the "CSE 20 Testout Sample" one. You will see something like this:
The green "Access assignment" button will lead you to the Colab notebook in your Google Drive that contains the assignment. Please note:
You need to use your @ucsc.edu account to see it.
You need to open it using Google Colab. If the option is not shown, visit https://colab.research.google.com or see intructions below.
Once you are happy with your work, you can click on the "Grade My Work" button. That will grade your notebook. You will see both your grade, and a feedback notebook which you can consult for information on your errors.
You can ask for your work to be graded at most 3 times in 24h. When your work is graded, you will see both your grade, and your feedback. The grade that matters is the highest grade before the submission deadline (which in case of the sample, has been set far into the future).
Working on your Colab Python notebooks
Important: while working on your colab notebooks for the sample or testout exams:
Do not add / delete / move cells. Just write your solutions in the spaces provided.
Do not import modules. The grading will fail.
If you are inactive in Colab, you get disconnected. If that happens, please reconnect and run the notebook from the beginning.
Verify your work before grading by clicking Runtime > Restart and run all.
If you mess up, you can access the revision history and go back to an old version of your work via File > Revision history.
If something does not work, try logging out of notebookgrader.com and back in: sometimes Google invalidates the credentials.
Taking the CSE 20 Testout Exam
The day of the exam, on Canvas, you will find the invitation URL for the exam. Just click on it. You will receive the testout, and you can work on it and have it graded just like the testout.
Make sure that you click on the Grade My Work button. That's the only way your work is graded. If you don't get a grade, we don't get a grade, and you do not pass the testout .
The exam lasts 3 hours. It stays open longer, in the sense that you can ask for your work to be graded after the deadline, but late grades are invalid and are not considered for your outcome. Students who have documented or self-reported need for accommodations can request more time to luca@ucsc.edu. If your accommodation was granted, the instructor (Luca de Alfaro) will manually label as valid your late grades, according to the amount of extension granted.
Notification of Exam Outcome
The exam is grated automatically (hence the importance of abiding by the instructions). You will get your grade immediately; you will then be notified if the grade was sufficient for passing the testout in the next 2-3 days. Students who pass the exam will have their CSE 20 requirement marked as satisfied in the UCSC Registrar system, so that they can proceed to enroll in classes that have CSE 20 as a prerequisite. Generally, it takes up to a week after the exam result is available for the registrar office to update the requirement for each student.
Collaboration Policy
You can:
Look up the Python documentation, tutorials, and lectures, online.
Search for help on open, public web sites (Stack Overflow, Wikipedia, etc).
Use the material you find in the above ways.
You cannot:
Ask for help from others, or collaborate with others.
Post your test, search, or solicit help, from non-open sites (any site that requires a login to be accessed).