Algorithms....

[Essendon2013]

Every single practice exam I have completed I have struggled with the algorithm section in part C. I just cannot understand the algorithm. Is this also the case for you guys?

Since there has been an algorithm question in all the practice exams I have completed I'm guessing there most probably will be an one on the upcoming exam, so I would like to be prepared to answer it..

Anyone have any advice on how to understand algorithms easier? What works for you guys?

Much appreciated

[silverpixeli]

There will very probably be an algorithm question in one or more than one of the sections this year, it is something that has been on the rise and has not been answered particularly well, so it is likely to come up. Algorithms are something people struggle with, so you are definitely not alone.

The best advice I can give you is to read/write as many smile algorithms as you can from now till the exam, get practice with simple loops and if/else structures and stuff.

For how to actually go about understanding the algorithms, they're not trying to trick you, they're pure logic and as a result the best way to go about solving them is to slow down and try to follow them step by step.
It can be very useful to keep a table of values with you where you fill in any variable values that change as you go through the algorithm, so say if it sets variable 'count' to 1, or adds 1 to the variable 'total', you fill in these changes on your table to help you keep track of the numbers stored in the variables (this is called a 'desk check' if you want to look up examples, but there's no strict format, just write down whatever helps you keep track of what's going on)

[Ya Habibi]

From the 12+ exams that I have completed, there have been algorithms in the multiple choice, section B and also section C. Some of them were extremely long and difficult to understand. But the more you do, the easier they become to understand. Keep pushing!