Final review guide

Exam format: 180 minutes · 100 marks. Modules 9–16 carry ≥ 60 %. Shapes: MCQ, tracing, debugging, short conceptual, complexity intuition, algorithm design, coding, code completion, one extended synthesis choice. Closed book — hand-write your practice.

Emphasis map (Modules 9–16)

Module	Must-have skills	Practice from
M9 · 1-D arrays	bounds discipline, max/min from a[0], reversal, frequency tables	Quiz 09, exercises T06
M10 · 2-D arrays	row-major order, diagonals, border predicate, transpose	Quiz 10, `examples/grid_basics.cpp`
M11 · Strings	getline vs `>>`, npos, char classes, whole-word rules	Quiz 11, exercises T07
M12 · Search & sort	binary search invariants, insertion/selection traces, stability	Quiz 12, exercises T08
M13 · Pointers	address-of/dereference, element arithmetic, use-after-delete guards	Quiz 13, `examples/pointer_basics.cpp`
M14 · Dynamic memory & structs	new[]/delete[] pairing, leak paths, record copies, vector default	Quiz 14, exercises T10
M15 · Files & errors	open-check, getline+istringstream, skip-and-report, exit codes	Quiz 15, exercises T11
M16 · OOP	private state, invariants, guarded mutators, const methods, has-a	Quiz 16, `examples/first_class.cpp`

Complexity facts to memorize

Linear search absent key: n comparisons. Binary: ⌈log2 n⌉ (1000 → ~10; 10⁶ → ~20).
Insertion sort: O(n) on sorted input, O(n²) worst; selection: always n²/2 compares.
Measured counters from L23–L24: binary ≈ 10 vs linear ≈ 1000 at n = 1000.

Trace drills

a[5]{} filled a[i] = i*i — a[1] + a[4]?
Selection sort pass 0 on {5,2,9,1} — the row?
*p = *p + 5; p = nullptr; cout << x; — prints?
P a{3}; P b{a}; b.x = 9; — a.x?

Debugging gallery (name defect + fix)

i <= n on an array · corner double-count in borders · getline after >> · binary-search bound mixing · use-after-delete · early return past delete[] · unsanitized member write breaking an invariant.

Coding practice set

Second-largest distinct or N/A (n ≤ 100).
Vowel/consonant/digit counts of a full line.
Insertion sort with per-pass printing.
Counter class with guarded dec() returning bool.

The synthesis question

Expect a choose-one extended item: extra coding items, or a scaled practical variant (extend a class or loader, design + code + your own test table). Practice writing a test table with expected outputs — it is graded work.

Exam technique

Class questions: write the invariant as a comment first; guards fall out of it.
File questions: open-check → per-line classify → skip counter → exit codes.
Budget: Q7 coding items ≈ 15 minutes each; leave 20 minutes for synthesis.

See ../midterm/review_guide.md for Weeks 1–8 foundations.