Midterm information

When: We will have an in-class midterm exam on Wednesday October 30. For the exam, we will meet in Gavett Hall 202.

What's at stake: The midterm will contribute 36 points (out of 100) for your final class grade.

Topics covered: You will be tested on the material from the first three thematic blocks in the class: Introduction, Probability review, and (discrete-time) Markov chains. These include what we have covered in class from the first lecture and up to the module on the PageRank algorithm for ranking nodes in graphs. You should also be comfortable with the exercises from the homework assignments (Homework 1 to 6).

Format: Open book exam comprising 6 or 7 short problems, along the same lines of those you have worked out in your homework assignments. To avoid any surprises, below I provide a practice midterm which you can use to train yourself and get a feel of what is expected.

Instructions: As detailed in the cover page of your exam

  • This is an open book, open notes exam.
  • Calculators are not needed; laptops, tablets and cell-phones are not allowed.
  • Perfect score: 100.
  • Duration: 90 minutes.
  • Make sure you write your name in the space provided.
  • Show all your work, and write your final answers in the boxes when provided.

Midterm review lecture: We will have a review lecture for the midterm on Friday 10/25, 4:50 pm-6:05 pm, in Gavett Hall 202. I will briefly review the most important concepts and results, and may solve some midterm-style problems. Come prepared with all your questions. The review notes I handed out are available here.

Practice midterm: A practice midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.

Past midterms:

  • The Fall 2014 midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.
  • The Fall 2015 midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.
  • The Fall 2016 midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.
  • The Fall 2017 midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.
  • The Fall 2018 midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.
  • The Fall 2019 midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.
  • The Fall 2020 midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.
  • The Fall 2021 midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.
  • The Fall 2022 midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.
  • The Fall 2023 midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.
  • The Fall 2024 midterm is posted here, and the solutions are available here.