Final Exam — Instructions
Overview
This is the scored final exam for College Algebra. It is cumulative: it draws on all eight course objectives, from the real-number rules of Week 1 to the exponential and logarithmic equations of Week 15. It is given in Week 16, the finals week, which has no new module.
The final has 40 questions, and every question counts the same. Most ask you to select exactly one option (34 questions). Four ask you to select every applicable option, and two ask you to judge a true/false statement. Most questions are of medium difficulty, with some easier ones and a few harder ones.
Every question rehearses a skill you already practiced in the weekly quizzes, tutorials, practice sets, and Model/Build Studios. Nothing on the final comes from outside Weeks 1 to 15.
Coverage and scope
The final covers the whole course, but it does not spread its questions evenly. The questions were drawn from the course's question bank in a way that puts every one of the eight objectives on the exam at least once. Beyond that, the weight falls on the second half of the term: 30 of the 40 questions sit on the two objectives taught in Weeks 10 to 15. Here is what this form actually contains:
| Course objective | What the questions ask you to do | Weeks that teach it | Questions on this exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real numbers, exponents, and expressions | Simplify and evaluate with the order of operations and the exponent rules | 1, used again in 12 | 1 |
| Linear equations and inequalities | Solve a linear equation or inequality and check the result | 2, used again in 5 and 15 | 1 |
| Functions | Evaluate a function, read a domain or range, and combine functions | 3, used again in 9, 10, and 13 | 2 |
| Lines and systems | Read slopes and intercepts, and solve a system of two equations | 4 and 5 | 1 |
| Polynomials and factoring | Multiply polynomials and factor them, the greatest common factor first | 6, used again in 7, 10, and 11 | 1 |
| Quadratic equations and functions | Solve a quadratic equation, and read a parabola's vertex, intercepts, and maximum or minimum | 7 and 9, used again in 10 | 4 |
| Polynomial, rational, and radical functions and expressions | Read end behavior, zeros, and asymptotes; simplify and solve rational and radical expressions and equations, rejecting extraneous solutions | 10, 11, and 12, used again in 14 | 15 |
| Exponential and logarithmic functions | Model growth, decay, and compound interest; use the logarithm properties; solve exponential and logarithmic equations | 13, 14, and 15 | 15 |
So put most of your review into Weeks 10 to 15, split about evenly between the rational-and-radical weeks (10 to 12) and the exponential-and-logarithm weeks (13 to 15). Quadratic functions from Week 9 come next. The first-half ideas still matter in two ways. Each first-half objective has at least one question of its own. Because the questions come from the banks of Weeks 4, 7, and 9 to 15, some of those first-half skills are also tested inside later material. For example, the exponent rules return with fraction exponents, and checking by substitution returns with logarithms.
Week 8's habit of naming the move before you start is not scored on its own, but it helps on every question. These notes map the skills the final checks. The questions themselves are drawn from the course's question bank and are not listed here.
Instructions
- Attempts: one. The final is a single scored attempt.
- Time limit: none. There is no time limit, so take the time you need while the exam is open.
- Window: the final opens in Week 16. Your instructor sets the open and close times in Canvas, and the exam locks when it closes.
- Navigation: the questions appear one at a time, and you cannot go back to an earlier question once you move on. Settle each one before you continue.
- Order: the options are shuffled for each student.
- Materials: scratch paper and a calculator help, and a calculator with ln and log keys covers the growth and decay questions. Your instructor will tell you which other materials, if any, are allowed. AI tools are not permitted.
- After you submit: your score is recorded. The keyed responses stay hidden, because the questions come from a bank shared with other course assessments.
Academic integrity
The final is an individual, scored assessment, and it is closed to AI. Do not use a chatbot or any other AI tool, do not get help from another person, and do not share or post the questions during or after your attempt. The syllabus explains why: the final confirms that you personally can carry out the procedures and interpret the results.
The honest way to prepare is the rest of the final's bundle: the study guide, the exam-prep tutorial, and the practice final. They rehearse the same skills with fresh variants, and nothing in them appears on this exam.
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