CST 499 ETS Major Field Test Reflection

ETS Major Field Test: Computer Science Reflection

The following prompts were provided by CSUMB to guide me in my reflection on the ETS Major Field Test.

1. What have you learned from your ETS test results?

There is a lot of me to review. Many of the topics were familiar but I couldn't exactly answer them based on my memory of how to solve them. I probably need to focus on computer memory and computer architecture topics in the future.

2. What are your strengths and your weak spots shown from the test results?

As stated in the previous response, I struggled with the questions related to computer memory and computer architecture. They were familiar but I couldn't remember exactly how to solve them. There were also a few questions that I didn't recognize from any of my previous courses. My strengths were in the software design and algorithm questions. However, it's difficult to say because I didn't get a detailed breakdown of where I did or didn't do well.

3. What is your plan to leverage your strength in your career?  What is your plan to remedy your weak spots?

I will pay careful attention when solving problems related to computer memory addressing. I know that these issues will come up in my line of work and it would be beneficial to understand it to the best of my ability. I can use my strengths when problems arise with something I'm working on or my coworkers are working that are related to what I do already know.

4. Do you think the test is valuable? How should the CS Online program be revised so the test results of our graduates will continue to rise?

I believe that this test is more valuable for the institutions that use the data than for myself. Without a detailed breakdown of areas for improvement, it's difficult to know where to focus my future studies in particular. However, the administering institution can use to gauge what they should focus on, assuming they get more information.

Many of the questions were focused on topics that I learned in courses taken outside of this particular program. It's difficult to place any responsibility on CSUMB for those topics since I didn't complete those courses through this program. However, providing pre-tests and required study materials for the exam may be helpful prior to students taking the exam itself. Personally, I struggled with the limited amount of time to answer the questions and found that I frequently ran out of time, which required me to simply guess on the remaining questions. I believe that preparing students for this aspect of the exam may be helpful.