Computer Architecture, First Course
Examination
If you think the explanation below is to complicated there also exists a FAQ about the examination!
The examination contains a total of seven exercises. Each exercise is given the grades Pass or Fail. The 5 point version of the course (MN or fristående) requires that the student passes exercise 1-5. The 4 point version of the course (teknisk fysik) only requires that the student pass exercise 1, 3, 4 and 5.
In addition to these exercises, a maximum of three extra credits can be received:
- one extra credit for a passing grade on exercise 6
- one extra credit for a passing grade on exercise 7
- one extra credit for a result of 25 or more points on the written exam (the maximum number of points is 30, a passing grade requires 20 points).
Requirements for the 5 point course:
| Grade | Mandatory Parts |
|---|---|
| G | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| VG | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 2 extra credits |
Example 1: You are taking the 5 point course. You complete exercise 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and get 26 out of 30 points on the exam. Your grade is G.
Example 2: You are taking the 5 point course. You complete exercise 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 and get 28 out of 30 points on the exam. Your grade is VG.
Requirements for the 4 point course:
| Grade | Mandatory Parts |
|---|---|
| 3 | 1, 3, 4, 5 |
| 4 | 1, 3, 4, 5 and 1 extra credit |
| 5 | 1, 3, 4, 5 and 3 extra credits |
Example 3: You are taking the 4 point course. You complete exercise 1, 3, 4 and 5 and get 26 out of 30 points on the exam. Your grade is 4.
Example 4: You are taking the 4 point course. You complete exercise 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 and get 21 out of 30 points on the exam. Your grade is 4.
Example 5: You are taking the 4 point course. You complete exercise 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 and get 28 out of 30 points on the exam. Your grade is 5.
- Assembly 1
- Examination type: oral
- Responsible examiner: Erik Berg
- Estimated time consumption: 60 hours
- Digital logic
- Examination type: oral
- Responsible examiner: Joachim Parrow
- Estimated time consumption: 40 hours
- Microprogramming
- Examination type: oral
- Responsible examiner: Dan Wallin
- Estimated time consumption: 40 hours
- Pipelines
- Examination type: oral
- Responsible examiner: Dan Wallin
- Estimated time consumption: 20 hours
- Short written exam
- Examination type: written
- Responsible examiner: Joachim Parrow
- Estimated time consumption: 40 hours
- Assembly 2
- Examination type: oral
- Responsible examiner: Erik Berg
- Project
- Examination type: oral
- Responsible examiner: Dan Wallin
Assignment 5 is a traditional written exam with short questions. The other assignments are laborations and exercises. The estimations of time needed for each exercise includes not only the exercise itself but also the lectures related to that specific exercise and learning all the material related to the exercise.
For the labs and exercises, there are some strict rules:
- They can be completed individually or in groups of two persons.
- No collaboration (except within each two person group) is allowed. If two solutions are presented and it is clear that they are copies of each other both groups will receive the grade Fail!
- Each exercise contains both a written and an oral presentation. The content of the written part is described in each exercise. All exercises can be written in English or Swedish. Unclear solutions, both in terms of typography and explanations, will receive a Fail grade. Use the word editor of your choice! Grammatical errors are acceptable as long as the meaning is understandable. Two persons working together in a group should provide one single written presentation that both persons have taken part in writing.
- Each exercise has a deadline, a date when it is to be presented. Each group should present their work orally to the responsible teacher. Reservation lists are put up outside the responsible teacher's room. Each group (1 or 2 persons) reserves a 15 min slot for the oral examination of each exercise. Be on time! If you are too late, you will automatically receive the grade Fail. The oral presentation starts out with handing over the written presentation to the teacher. The teacher will ask short questions about the exercise. The teacher decides who is going to answer each question. The questions will not only be about the solution itself but also about the general material related to the exercise. For example, in exercise 2 the teacher can ask about the behavior of an OR-gate even though it is not part of the solution. In exercise 1 the teacher can ask about assebler instructions that are not used in the solution. Read the book! To receive a passing grade, you need to both provide a satisfactory written part and to satisfactory answer the teacher's questions. It is therefore possible that two persons in one group will receive different grades on an exercise.
- A solution or oral explanation which is not good enough for a passing grade but is only incorrect in some minor way, can if the teacher think it is reasonable be supplemented (kompletterade). The supplement is to be presented at the retake occasion at the end of the course (see the schedule). When supplementing an exercise, only the supplemented part of the exercise has to be presented. Only supplements can be presented at the retake occasion at the end of the course! If you fail an exercise, you will have to wait until the next instance of the course (in period 2, 3 and 4) or to the exam period in August. That is, you can not present an exercise for the first time at a retake occasion!
- Old exercises from this course can not automatically be counted as part of the examination. Normally, older exercises than one year are not satisfactory. Contact the teacher responsible for each exercise if you are in doubt.