State Final Examination for the Bachelor of Computer Science study program

• Updates
• Knowledge exam
• Bachelor thesis defense

Updates

Knowledge exam

The exam is geared towards general overview – the evaluation focuses on basic understanding of the relevant principles, where an appropriate language (formally accurate definitions and statements, correct terminology, common notation) and an understanding of associations and applications are required. In contrast, knowledge of technical details or complex proofs is deemed secondary, however, the answers must not contradict factual details. As a rough guideline, the questions from the past exam terms are available below.

Writing implements and photo ID are required. No notes, books or other reference material is permitted, neither are pocket calculators, phones, tablets or similar electronic devices. There is no formal dress code, given the length of the exam bringing refreshments is recommended.

Current program

For students of the current program (enrolled 2019 or later), the exam is in the form of a written test. The exam begins with handing out the test questions, based on the knowledge requirements for individual specializations, to all students. A detailed description of the exam topics is available here. Typically, the test consists of eight independent questions (two from the „Foundations of Mathematics“ topics, two from the „Foundations of Computer Science“ topics, four from the specialization topics) that can be further structured. The questions can concern any topic area and can ask for definitions, applications or proofs – the intent of the test is to cover the core topic areas using a spectrum of question types with the aggregate time requirements averaging between two and three hours.

The student proceeds by answering the questions in writing. In an average scenario, the exam shedule leaves more than ample time for writing answers, so that speed is not an important factor. On or before the time limit, the written answers are collected and submitted to the examination board, which evaluates the answers separately (with no more interaction with the student). The evaluation uses a point system where points for correct answers are added up – each answer receives 0–3 points, passing the exam requires a minimum of 5 points from the foundation topics and a minimum of 7 points from the specialization topics, the overall grade is based on the sum of all points, where 12 points suffices for the „good“ grade, 16 points for the „very good“ grade, and 20 points for the „excellent“ grade.

The exam results, which include the graded answers, are sent to the student via electronic mail using the address from the student information system. The student can ask for the evaluation to be reviewed, this must be done within one working day and together with specific reasons for revision. The examination board will collect the required information and process the revision request following an individual schedule.

Expiring program

For students of the expiring program (enrolled 2018 or earlier), the exam has two parts (mathematics and computer science), which are organized and graded independently. Each part is in the form of an expert conversation, during which the board asks oral questions of the same type and the same depth as with the written test form, but the student is evaluated continuously and interactively. A detailed description of the exam topics is available here."

Question examples

For the years when both the current and the expiring programs coexisted, two sets of questions are provided. Labeled with M and C are the mathematics and computer science questions from the expiring program, labeled with S are the shared questions from the current program.

Bachelor thesis defense

In the Bachelor of Computer Science study program, the thesis is defended either with a poster presentation or with a slideshow presentation. Theses advised at the KDSS, KSI, KSVI, KTIML, SISAL and ÚFAL departments typically have a poster presentation. Theses advised at the KAM and IÚUK departments typically have a slideshow presentation. The required presentation format is selected by the defense board and announced together with the defense invitation.

Both presentation formats provide opportunity for comments on the thesis reviews and general discussion. The defense board recommends that the students read the thesis reviews before the defense, the reviews are available in the thesis submission system.

Theses must be submitted and registered for defense within the deadlines set by the academic calendar – these are separate administrative steps, thesis submission alone enables but does not automatically imply registration for defense, the registration also requires credit for the NSZZ031 course from the thesis advisor. The electronic submission process includes technical file format checks per official directive, it may be a good idea to perform these checks early on a draft submission.

Poster presentation

For a poster presentation, the student should prepare a poster and install it in a dedicated area prior to the defense. The defense board discusses the thesis in front of the installed poster.

The poster must carry the name of the thesis, the thesis author and the thesis advisor, a link to the thesis repository is also recommended, the rest of the poster design is up to the student – a discussion on poster presentation guidelines is available here. The poster will be placed in a frame 842 mm wide and 1185 mm tall, the visible area is 820 mm wide and 1163 mm tall, the dimensions must be adhered to (the frames can be inspected at school premises). The poster does not have to be printed on a single sheet, tiling multiple sheets is also possible. After the defense, the poster remains displayed at the discretion of the defense board, an electronic version of the poster is stored in an online repository together with the thesis. The electronic version of the poster in a PDF format should be submitted to the board secretary Kateřina Hegrová.

Slideshow presentation

For a slideshow presentation, the student should prepare a slideshow, to be shown during the defense. The defense board discusses the thesis after the slideshow presentation, which constitutes a part of the thesis defense.

The slideshow design is up to the student. Typical time allocated to the presentation is 10 to 15 minutes. The slideshow should be stored in a common electronic format (for example a PDF file) on a common electronic medium (for example a USB stick). An electronic version of the slideshow is stored in an online repository together with the thesis. The electronic version of the slideshow in a PDF format should be submitted to the board secretary Kateřina Hegrová.