Aspects of software development exam tips

Exam tips

• Link each analysis activity to its purpose

  When describing analysis, do more than list defining the problem, establishing requirements and creating a data model. Explain how each activity helps the proposed system to meet the problem and user needs.

  Explanations demonstrate understanding of the relationships between the stages and are more likely to gain credit in longer responses.

• Link design activities to their purpose

  When explaining design, name relevant activities and explain how they help plan the solution before construction.

  Answers that only list activities may not demonstrate understanding. Explaining their purpose shows why design and specification are important.

• Separate correctness from efficiency

  When explaining an implementation, give one argument about whether the program produces the intended results and a separate argument about how much work it performs.

  Correctness and efficiency are different claims, so clearly addressing both makes the answer more complete and precise.

• Name the test-data type and justify it

  When designing test data, label each value as normal, boundary or erroneous and explain why it belongs to that category.

  A value alone does not demonstrate understanding. The justification should link the value to the typical input, an edge of the valid range, or invalid input.

• Apply criteria to the scenario

  For every evaluation criterion, explain what would be tested in the specific system and what result would count as success.

  Evaluation questions reward applied reasoning. Merely listing general criteria does not show that the system has been judged against its requirements.