Instructions for Practice Exam #2

Read the following carefully and then click the link at the bottom to proceed to the practice exam.

The exam mode of WeBWorK, called Gateway/Quiz, has several differences from the homework mode. Instead of submitting each answer as you enter it, you submit all of the answers entered hitherto, every time you push the Grade button. You may push the Grade button no more than four times during the test. You may still look ahead, and work the problems in a different order than they are presented. When you first open the test, a timer appears that will count down your allotted 75 minutes. WeBWorK will start urging you to finish when there are 90 seconds to go. It will stop accepting answers either after you have pushed the Grade button four times, or after time has run out.

After starting a version of the test, you can either use the Print Test link on the test, or return to the WeBWorK starting page, and download a pdf copy for printing. Unlike the real exam, you may try the practice exam up to three times. The extra tries are provided only in case you really weren't ready the first time or two you open the exam; all versions will look the same -- and the same as everyone else's, except for the numbers you're given in numerical problems. (On the real exam, everyone will have a different set of problems.)

Important: don't open two WeBWorK windows or tabs at the same time while you're taking the test. It's safe to leave or log out of a WeBWorK session (pushing the Grade button before leaving, of course), and then to log back in, but it causes difficulties for the database for one certain kind of exam problem, if one is logged in twice.

In the exam mode there is no Feedback button. However, you may still send email to the professor and TAs by using (for instance) the links on the course website's Contacts page, if problems arise on the practice test. Someone will reply as swiftly as they may. Note that, on a real test, we could only answer questions to clarify, not to help lead you to the answer, as we would in recitation or office hours.

As usual, enter your numerical answers with at least three-significant-figure precision, except for problems for which the answer is a wavelength, in which case you should use at least five-significant-figure precision. To use scientific notation, write your answer in the form xxE+yy. It is important that you use a capital E; answers with a lower case e will be evaluated differently.

Every time you push the Grade button, you will get an update of which problems you have answered. WeBWorK will remember the best answer you submitted for each problem in your final total. If you submit an incorrect answer for a problem to which you haved previously submitted a correct answer, that problems points won't appear in that particular submission, but will appear in your final total.

The closing date and time is 12:00 PM EST, Wednesday, 4 November 2009. After that time, anybody may download a copy of their exam, checking the boxes for "Correct Answer", and get a PDF with his or her own solutions and the correct answers. If you need the answers earlier, please ask Dan.

Click here to proceed to WeBWorK and take the practice exam.