Assessment in DMP is spread across multiple elements of in-course work and a final exam. All elements are combined and weighted to give a final mark out of 100 and a corresponding grade following the university common marking scheme CMS 1.
The components are the homework exercises, online quizzes, mid-semester class test, and a final written exam. Marks from each element are weighted 1:2:3:4 to give the overall course mark.
The pass mark is 40/100 and there is no requirement to pass each component individually: only the overall mark is used to determine final grade.
Weekly Homework
There are six weekly homeworks through the semester, in weeks 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, and 10.
Each homework is marked out of 10. The best four marks out of six are then combined and together contribute 10% to the final course mark.
Link: DMP Homework
Online Quizzes
There are ten weekly online quizzes, in weeks 1–5 and 7–11. Each is marked out of 10. These are timed tests, with two attempts each limited to one hour. Only the highest mark of the two is kept. Students who receive additional time in exams get the same time adjustment in the online quizzes.
The best eight marks out of the ten weeks are combined and together contribute 20% to the final course mark.
Quizzes can be reached by following the “Weekly Quizzes” link on Learn.
Mid-semester Class Test
There is a class test in Week 6. The is a timed paper done through GradeScope in your own time. It goes live at 9am on Wednesday 25 October and requires submission by 12 noon on Thursday 26 October. You choose a time to do it: once you start you then have three hours to complete and upload your answers. The paper is set assuming two hours to work on the solutions and with a large extra allowance to cover scanning and uploading. Students who receive additional time in exams get the same time adjustment in the class test.
Test Release | 0900 Wednesday 25 October 2023 | ||
Latest Start | 0900 Thursday 26 October 2023 | ||
Adjustments | Standard | 25% Extra Time | 33% Extra Time |
Test Length | 3 hours | 3 hours 45 minutes | 4 hours |
Latest Submission | 1200 Thursday 26 October 2023 | 1245 Thursday 26 October 2023 | 1300 Thursday 26 October 2023 |
Students starting the test after 9am on Thursday can do so but must still submit by the time listed and will as a result have a shorter period to complete the test.
Questions in the test are based on material from across the first half of semester. The test is open-book: notes and reference materials are allowed.
The class test is marked out of 30 and contributes 30% to the final course mark.
2023/24 Class Test: Question Paper and Notes on Solutions
2022/23 Class Test: Question Paper and Notes on Solutions
Final Written Exam
The final exam of the course is in December. This is an in-person two-hour written paper held in an exam hall. The paper is in two parts: Part A contains questions on probability; Part B contains extension questions on discrete mathematics that are more challenging than those in the class test.
Part A contains four questions each marked out of 15; Part B has two questions each marked out of 10. Adding up the marks for each question gives a total out of 80.
Students may take in up to three A4 pages (six sides) of notes for reference, and will need a scientific calculator. Calculators should not be able to draw graphs or communicate online. The school web pages provide full details and give a list of suitable models — see the sections “Examinations” and ”Calculators”. DMP is a “NOTES PERMITTED, CALCULATORS PERMITTED” exam, which the school page explains in detail. Tables of the standard normal distribution, or other numerical references, will be provide alongside any question that needs them.
Link: Assessment: Coursework, Exams and Feedback
The university exam period for this semester is from Monday 11 December to Thursday 21 December, including Saturdays. The dates and locations of exams were published on Friday 3 November and appear in each student's personalised examination timetable.
For DMP the exam will be on Tuesday 19 December starting at 1430 in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC). Different students will be in different rooms, depending on surname, so it is essential to check personalised timetables to confirm exact details.
The written exam is marked out of 80 and contributes 40% of the final course mark.
The University Library keeps copies of past papers for all courses at https://exampapers.ed.ac.uk. The DMP Learn pages have some solution guides for past papers: navigate to Course Content / Assessment / Examples of Past Exam Papers.
Links: Exam Timetable; Past Exam Papers