C++ exam methodology

The C++ programming language supports multiparadigm programming. We can write programs in procedural, object-oriented, generic way at the same time. However, it is difficult to figure out exercises for the terminal examinations since not easy to separate the algorithmic cogitation from the knowledge of the programming language. There are some basic elements that programmer students have to know: constructors, parameter passing, objects, inheritance, standard library, handling constants, copying objects, functions and member functions, etc. Exercises must be multiparadigm according to the C++ language. Using only one paradigm in C++ is not enough. This results in that we have to distinguish the different linguistic constructs on the basis of its complexity. Many questions are arisen in connection with the exercises of terminal examinations. How can we gauge the procedural, the object-oriented, and the generic paradigms at the same time? How can we gauge students’ C++ knowledge when we do not lay stress on the algorithmic cogitation? What kind of exercises may be interesting by the Standard Template Library? Which C++ constructs are reckoned to be more difficult and which ones considered to be easier? What are the most important ones? In this paper we give answers to the previous questions, we describe our methodology to assessment of students’ C++ knowledge in a semi-automatic grading way. We also present exercise examples that worked out according to our methodology. We take stock of students’ results in the paper