Dear 447 students,

As we discussed in class on Wednesday, the first 447 midterm exam is
on March 5, Wednesday, in class. I am hoping everyone will do
very well. Please study well for it!

Here is some information on the exam. This will be posted on the
course website as well.

1. The exam will start sharp at 12:30pm and end at 2:30pm (on March 5,
   Wednesday). We will likely use the full 2 hours.

2. Please come to class early, by 12:25pm on March 5. Please sit with
   at least 1 seat between you and any other classmate in any direction.

3. The exam will be closed book and closed notes. However, you are
   allowed to bring a single 8.5x11" sheet where you can write anything.

4. All topics we covered by March 1 can be on the exam (including the
   topics covered on Friday February 28). This includes the lectures,
   labs, homeworks, and required readings.

5. The exam will include a variety of problem solving, design, and
   tradeoff analysis questions. The focus will be on testing your
   understanding of the material and your ability to apply it.

6. You can find sample exams (and their solutions) on the course
   website: 
   http://www.ece.cmu.edu/~ece447/s14/doku.php?id=exams

7. There will be a review session on March 3, Monday, during lecture
   time. Please come prepared with questions.

8. Some tips on preparing for the exam:
    - I would suggest thoroughly solving the past midterm from Spring
      2012 and Spring 2013 without looking at the solutions. The
      questions will obviously not be the same, but their spirit can
      be similar.
    - I would also suggest solving past 740 and 742 exam questions
      that are relevant to 447.
    - Know the lecture material very well, and know how to make
      tradeoffs.
    - Study the buzzwords on the website.
    - Be on top of the homeworks -- solve them again.
    - We will test your *understanding* of the material rather than
      memorization. Please keep this in mind and truly understand the
      material. If you truly do so, you can crisply explain the
      concepts and apply them, and the exam will be easy for you and
      will not feel long.

Best of luck,
Onur