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How did you do?

Posted by stevenv 
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stevenv
How did you do?
October 31, 2007 12:40PM
I felt this exam was quite fair and not overly difficult. The only questions I slightly messed up were the one where the program you had to rewrite and include exception handling (part marks are a bonus) and the questions on the TreeMap and HashSet which I tried to explain my way through. Other than that the MCQ section was nicely balanced and enjoyed the strategy design pattern question.

How did the rest of you find it?
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esckay
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 01:02PM
I'm glad you enjoyed the strategy question, I didn't.

I wrote a bunch of stuff, but I don't think that it is correct though. Hopefully I'll get a bit of marks for it.

I don't think the paper was that difficult, if you studied the correct stuff, but I concentrated on the wrong stuff.

I didn't really look at the frameworks, so the collections was a bit of a blank for me as well.

I think I'll pass, but if I do, it wont be by much. I just hope for the best, as I would really despise a rewrite, or worse yet, having to do it again !!!
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esckay
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 01:04PM
Is anybody writing COS213-3 or did it in a previous year ?
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stevenv
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 01:07PM
What's COS213?
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esckay
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 01:11PM
Oops, I get quite a bit confused with the COS subject codes, meant COS221-3 (Computer architecture and organization).
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stevenv
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 01:13PM
Oh, I did that one last year. Precursor to COS321-6 (which I did this year) I think.
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esckay
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 01:20PM
And, how was it ?

What is COS321-6 ? The Operating System ?
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stevenv
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 01:28PM
COS 221-3 was okay, quite technical but if able to grasp the way a computer works internally should be straightforward. One of the toughest parts is the assembler and if haven't worked with it before, recommend starting using it early in the year and writing own test applications and understanding the way it works. Quite a bit of stuff with calculations involving CPU registers as well as instruction sets and processor design.

COS321-6 is operating systems and architecture. Also quite a technical subject and covered topics like processes and threads, CPU scheduling, process syncronization, deadlocks, main and virtual memory as well as brief overview (and not really included in this years exam) of file system, protection, security, distributed and real time systems. Found this subject alright except for the amount of theory that gets covered, not a lot of calculations (however there are a few crucial algorithms that have to be known).
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AndreB
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 01:40PM
The exam went better than I thought.
The I/O question caught me a little. Wasn't sure how to catch the blank line and display an appropriate message. The exceptions I used were IndexoutofBoundsException , IOException and Exception.

The Strategy design pattern question was a little tricky at first but panned out alright in the end.

Collections was fine and the threading stuff was good as well.

All in all a fairly pleasant paper for a not so pleasant module (IMHO).

6 down - 2 to go. One of which is COS221 - i haven't touched it in months.
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esckay
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 01:41PM
I work with OS's every day, and have done a couple or courses on them, so at the moment I'm not to worried about that one, but the COS2213 seems a bit tricky.

I saw someone mentioned boolean algebra being ask in the exam. It there alot of that ?
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Reanie
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 01:49PM
There definately are boolean algebra questions in Cos221 - can't remember how many.
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stevenv
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 02:46PM
There's a difference between "working with an OS" vs knowing and understanding how it works internally i.e. how processes are scheduled, how virual memory works, how critical sections are synchronized etc. If you've worked in a development environment that required that kind of knowledge or have done OS design courses, then I would say you'll be fine in COS321. As for COS221 and Boolean algebra, there is a bit of that in the module (can't remember the exam) but I would say that the assembler is one thing that I was more concerned about.
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Shauntir
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 03:20PM
Was ok but I could of done much better if I learn't the right stuff instead of focusing on the 'difficult'stuff. Probaly will get around 60.
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Annie
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 05:42PM
What did you guys do with the first question? I think i messed up - and that for 10 marks! Which diagram in the textbook did you guys base it on? I'm still confused. I didn't do TreeMap and HashSet either cos didn't study that - just too much to study.

The lecturers could've given us a better indication, instead we had to study everything, not to mention ALL the design patterns! sad smiley
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stevenv
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 05:50PM
The first diagram was a class diagram, one of the base diagrams in UML. Page 29 to 35 of the textbook.
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Annie
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 06:01PM
mmm... i don't know what i was thinking! **sigh**

BTW. does anybody remember the qst again, i just want to check it up?

Thanks!
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Sanoz0r
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 09:19PM
the qst question? tongue sticking out smiley
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stevenv
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 09:41PM
Given implementation of an applet (extending Applet) with a private instance of (I think) ButtonListener which implemented EventListener. Had to show class inheritance, interface implementation and association.
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Annie
Re: How did you do?
October 31, 2007 10:28PM
cool thanks, -10 points for me sad smiley
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AndreB
Re: How did you do?
November 01, 2007 08:47AM
If I remember correctly ButtonListener was a nested class within applet (whatever it was called). I wasn't too sure how to depict this relationship, so I used a composition relationship. Not sure if that was correct?
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Sanoz0r
Re: How did you do?
November 01, 2007 09:06AM
Andre: same, and i used aggregation for the other attributes (the reference types that is). hope that is right ;(
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AndreB
Re: How did you do?
November 01, 2007 09:15AM
I didn't even think as far as to include classes for type button etc - but aggregation would have been correct for them.
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stevenv
Re: How did you do?
November 01, 2007 11:31AM
I also didn't include classes in the diagram for all those other private fields, only the class that was included in the question.
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AndreB
Re: How did you do?
November 01, 2007 01:19PM
Hope we don't loose too many marks for that.
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jxharding
Re: How did you do?
December 03, 2007 06:44AM
today i feel really special!
i think im one of a few who failed this subject this year.
47%.
it's ok, i can do R200 for a re-marking and then prob a supp if that didn't work out.
damn, felt like i passed it,
its prob good though , unisa has to have a high standard and if i have to go through a bit of discomfort to get my degree, it's all good.
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AndreB
Re: How did you do?
December 03, 2007 09:36AM
Sorry to hear about the 47% - jxharding.
I was fortunate enough to get 63%, but really did nowhere enough work in to say that I covered this module thoroughly.
I've actually just purchased a book from Amazon on Design Patterns, to help with next years COS311.
All the best with the remarking/supp.
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jxharding
Re: How did you do?
December 03, 2007 10:06AM
thanks man, i thought i was gonna pass easily, definitely didn't study enough.
no sour grapes.
last time it happened i went from 42% - 82% when i did the supp so it's nice to get a bit of wake up lazy bliksem realism slapped in hard.
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Sanoz0r
Re: How did you do?
December 03, 2007 11:25AM
wait, what's going on? u guys have your marks??
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jxharding
Re: How did you do?
December 03, 2007 12:48PM
my.unisa.ac.za
provisional results only
0831234
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Shauntir
Re: How did you do?
December 03, 2007 01:07PM
Damn, sorry jx. What can you do, stuff like this happens. Hope the remark or supp goes well.
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