Final Exam Topic List

The final exam is comprehensive, but with an emphasis on the material we've covered since the second exam. The second exam covered object references, Random, ArrayLists and arrays, local vs. instance variables, and loops. The new material on the final includes:
  1. Testing & Debugging (Chapter 9)
  2. Linear Search (algorithm, # of comparisons required)
  3. Binary Search (algorithm, # of comparisons required)
  4. Selection Sort (algorithm, # of comparisons required)
  5. static variables (Section 6.14)
  6. static methods (Section 6.15)
  7. Scanner (reading from keyboard, files) (Section 14.9)
  8. main methods (Section 6.16)
  9. Standalone applications (Section 13.5, 6.15)
As on the first exam, you can expect three general kinds of questions: short answer, code comprehension, and code writing. You might also get a fill-in-the-blank problem like the one on the sample exam. To prepare, make sure you're comfortable with the code from assignments 8 & 9 and labs 10 & 11. Review the relevant code from class as well. The textbook is also useful for studying: make sure you've done the reading, and use the book problems for practice.