Frequently Asked Questions#
What are the prerequisites?#
This course is designed for students with no prior programming experience. However, we expect you to be comfortable using computers and digital tools. On the Prerequisites page, we provide a list of skills, exercises, and a quiz to help you check your preparedness for the course.
I will be absent on a specific day. Are you recording the teaching?#
No, we do not record the in-class sessions. The in-class activities, including discussions, live demos, and quizzes, are designed for students who are present and actively participating. If you are absent on a specific day, you will miss those parts, even if you have a valid reason.
While you should prioritize attending the live activities, you can still keep up with the course if you cannot attend every week. For the days you cannot be there, make sure to complete the exercises outside the classroom. You can still get help from the TAs on Ed.
Can I take this course without attending the classes?#
Yes, you can take the course without participating in-class activities. All course materials are available on the course website, and you can ask questions on Ed.
We strongly encourage you to attend the classes as much as possible, especially if you are new to programming. The in-class activities are designed to encourage you to practice programming regularly, at a steady pace, and to get feedback from peers and teachers. If you choose not to attend the classes, make sure to practice programming regularly on your own.
Do I contact you for extra exam time?#
No, you do not need to contact us about this. The study administration coordinates the exam, and if you have extra time at the exam, it will be arranged automatically.
Regarding the quizzes, an activity that contributes less than 20% to the grade is considered minor, and special conditions do not apply under DTU’s rules. However, depending on your individual situation, we can agree to adjust your final quiz score after the course is finished. Please contact us while the course is still running.
I switched study line. Where to sit?#
You should go to the room that corresponds to your current study line.
How did I do on the in-class quiz?#
On DTU Learn, click on “Grades”. There, you can see whether you passed the quiz or not, and how many bonus points you currently have.
Will in-class quizzes be available?#
No, we do not plan to release the in-class quizzes. In-class quizzes are modified, shortened versions of the self-quizzes that are fully available.
Can I use AI tools in this course?#
You are allowed to use any resources, including AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini, to help you learn programming. We have provided a few guidelines on how to use AI for programming on our How to AI Programming? page.
However, AI tools are not allowed during the exam.
May I use another editor?#
Yes, you can use any code editor or IDE you prefer. It does not have to be IDLE or VS Code. However, our class teachers and TAs are prepared to help students who use the editors we recommend. If you use other editors, you should not expect help with editor-specific issues. This is especially important for problems involving files, so make sure you know whether your editor has specific settings for file paths.
Can I take this course as MSc student?#
Yes, but… Our course is designed for first-semester students who have just transitioned from high school to university. If you have completed a technical BSc, you should be able to pick up the simple programming concepts covered in this course without a detailed, step-by-step treatment. At the same time, completing all step-by-step activities requires a significant amount of work each week. Therefore, you should consider whether this is the best use of your ECTS credits.
Can I take the course in another course period?#
No, the course is only offered in the fall.
When and where is the exam?#
The exam date is set according to the DTU exam schedule, where you should expand the upcoming exam term and search by course number (02002 or 02003).
The specific location and time will be announced at least one week before the exam period and can be found in the exam plan. The study administration sets the exam schedule, and course teachers receive it at the same time as students. Therefore, we cannot provide this information earlier.
What does the exam look like? How is it assessed?#
The exam will be similar to the Previous Exams. The exam consists of 10 programming problems that cover the entire course. Typically, each problem corresponds to a week’s topic, but this is not a strict rule, and problems are presented in no particular order.
For each problem, we provide one or more tests to help you verify your solution. However, you are responsible for ensuring your solution works correctly for all valid inputs, not just the provided tests. For example, if you are asked to write a function called make_double
that takes a number and returns twice that number, we might give you a test checking whether your function make_double(-1.2)
returns -2.4
. Your function should work correctly for any number, not just -1.2
.
Exam rules and assessment are covered in our Course Policies section. You can check your understanding of the exam format and rules with the quiz on the Exam Check page.
How do I best study for the (re)exam?#
You should practice solving programming problems. We suggest that you solve earlier exams, which have a similar difficulty level to the problems you will encounter in the exam. If those problems are too difficult for you, you should redo the preparation and in-class exercises.
Remember that practicing means to repeat the process until you master it. So, even if you have already done some exercises, doing them again will improve your skills.
Also, submit your solutions on DTU Learn to get feedback. The feedback score corresponds directly to the exam score, and it shows which problems and inputs your solution failed on. Use this to identify weak points and decide what to practice next.
Can I use the internet at the exam?#
No, you cannot use the internet during the exam. You are still allowed to access all files on your computer. At the end of the semester, we will provide you with a PDF file containing all the material from the course website.
If you want to access other resources during the exam, for example, the book, you should download them in advance.
Should I hand in code other than the solution?#
No. You should submit files containing only the code that solves the problem as specified in the task formulation, and nothing more.
What should my submission not include?#
We cannot provide you with an extensive list of what you should not do.
With just a few lines of code, you can start a computation that takes hours to finish, prints a huge amount of text, or deletes files on your computer. Therefore, we instruct you to include only the code that solves the problem as specified in the task formulation, and nothing more. Any other behavior in your code can cause our tests to abort or fail.
For example, your script should not print anything unless the problem specifically asks you to do so. Also, you should not change directories unless the problem specifically asks you to.
Are comments graded in the exam?#
No, your solutions are assessed solely based on correctness; therefore, comments do not affect your grade.
What if I have a typo in a solution?#
If a typo or an error prevents your solutions from passing some or all tests, your score will be affected. Your score is always based on how many tests your solution passes.
We will not fix any errors in your code, regardless of how minor they may seem. It is your responsibility to ensure that you hand in a working solution. The provided tests let you check for obvious errors before submitting.
Do you look at our submitted code?#
Yes, we often read the code submitted by students.
During the course, we look at the code to identify common errors and misconceptions. We address those by improving the course material and providing clarifications. We might add more “common pitfalls” sections to the course material or include more explanations about how to handle errors.
After the exam, we look at the code to ensure that the exam text was clear, that the provided tests were sufficient, and that the tests we use for scoring are fair. If we find that many students have made the same error, we investigate whether the error was caused by an unclear task formulation. If we find that the task formulation was unclear, we adjust the testing and grading.
What if I didn’t pass the exam?#
The exam is held twice a year, at the end of the fall semester (in December) and at the end of the spring semester (usually late May). Both exams have the same format. We suggest taking the next possible exam.
To take the summer exam you should register for the re-exam via the exam registration page when registration opens according to the exam registration deadlines.
You can choose either to retake the whole course or to retake only the exam. We suggest retaking the course, even if you can only attend a few weeks. You retake the course by enrolling via the study planner. Enrolling will also register you for the winter exam.
If you choose against retaking the whole course, you should only register for the winter exam. This is done via the exam registration page when registration opens according to the exam registration deadlines. In this case, once the semester has started, you may write to programmering@compute.dtu.dk and ask us to add you to the course DTU Learn pages. Being added to DTU Learn will allow you to view announcements and submit voluntary hand-ins. It will not register you for the exam. Please specify whether you would like to be added to 02002 or 02003 when you contact us.
Any bonus points you earn under either option count as described in the Course Policies.
Can you register/withdraw me for the course/exam?#
No, we cannot.
Teachers cannot register or withdraw students from the course. Students must do this via the study planner or with help from the study administration. Teachers cannot register or withdraw students from the exam. Students must do this via the exam registration pages or with assistance from the study administration.
Teachers can see the lists of students registered for the course and exam, so we can check whether your registration was successful. However, you can also check this yourself in the study planner (for courses) and on the exam registration pages (for exams).
I love programming! Can I be a TA?#
We’d love to have you on the team! Check our TA and Class Teacher Positions page for more information on how to apply.
My question wasn’t answered here. What should I do?#
Is the question of interest to others taking the course? If so, please ask it on Ed. If it is a personal question, please write to programmering@compute.dtu.dk.