In Phase 1 we do a quick check to see that the student knows the basic requirements. Then in phase 2 we work through sample problems and/or a sample exam.

Students must be able to write a complete working example program, which compiles and runs, in either C, C++, Java or Python, for each of the following:

• Basic programming concepts, ex. input and output (commands and streams)
• numeric variables, arithmetic, logical and bitwise operators
• other variable types character, string, etc. and basic operations (excluding “as array”)
• Data types, constants, variables, scope: global / local
• control structures
• loop structures
• functions
• recursion
• arrays and structures (how to do C’s “struct” is in other languages)
• Basic data structures (how to make queues, stacks, trees, graphs)
• Basic algorithms, including: sorting, searching, greedy method, dynamic programming
• Dynamic programming (Top Down Design): simplifying a complicated problem by breaking it down into simpler sub-problems in a recursive manner. This is not refactoring; it is a design method.

The above list is not very well defined. If a more defined list can be provided we will provide one. Otherwise the example programs given will be assumed to fully cover the requirements of each category they are mapped from.