Academics Part III: Examples Papers

Greetings! Welcome to part three of my academics overview at Cambridge! Today, we will be talking about examples papers, the Cambridge version of problem sets. The purpose of examples papers is the same as that of problem sets: practice the material you have learned. However, the similarities, at least as far as I can tell, end there. First, examples papers are not given as frequently as problem sets. Examples papers are given about every two weeks, while problem sets are generally given weekly. Thus, examples papers cover a broader range of material compared to problem sets, and as a result, are best done over a span of at least several days. During each day, you progressively complete the examples paper as you learn the appropriate material in lecture. Of course, practice and theory are not always identical, but that is what I think you should strive for when it comes to examples papers so as to best absorb and apply the material.

The second major difference between examples papers and problem sets is that the former numerically has zero impact on your grade. Yes, they do not count towards your final grade, while problem sets in aggregate generally count for between 30% - 50% of your final grade in a class, providing a cushion in case an exam does not go as well as expected. Now, just because examples papers have no numerical impact on your grade, does not mean you should not do them. Examples papers provide important feedback on your understanding during term and are useful tools in bettering your understanding of the material during supervisions. Better understanding of the material now will make it easier to revise later on in the year and should translate into a stronger performance on the Tripos (hopefully!).

The third major difference is the availability of solutions. Because the examples papers do not count towards your final grade, many examples papers will come with the final answers to problems. However, just copying those answers will do you little good since you would have no idea how those solutions were derived. Interestingly enough though, while examples papers do have detailed solutions, they are almost never released. I personally find this decision to be double-edged. While it certainly encourages students to try to derive the solutions themselves, there definitely does come a point at times when you realize that you can't make any headway on a question because you just don't understand how to do it. This is when it would be best I feel to look at a more detailed version of the solutions so that you can see how the solutions are derived, and you can then ask questions about it at the supervision, rather than try to absorb a detailed solution within the one-hour timeframe of a supervision. True, it may be tempting for students to then copy the detailed solutions and act as if they have no questions about the material when at a supervision, but that is just lying to yourself. You may be able to fool the supervisor, but there is no fooling anyone when it comes to the Tripos. Thus, it would definitely be in your best interest to write your own solutions so that you truly have a good understanding of the problem.

Unfortunately, while this opinion is shared among students I have met at Cambridge, the faculty appear to believe otherwise. Detailed solutions, known at Cambridge as cribs, carry a negative connotation, even as the name suggests. While supervisors are generally not all too against cribs, the same cannot be said for DoS's, some of whom I have heard can be quite disapproving should they find out you are using them. However, not to worry! Although detailed solutions are rarely publically available, with enough digging, it is possible to find them, and they can be passed on from one year of students to the next given that examples papers are generally the same from year to year (there is no need to update them since they are not graded). Thus, if you think the cribs will help you in your studying, do try to become friends with people with access to them. And, if you do ever get your hands on some, be discrete when discussing them. :)

Now before I conclude, I would like to go back to supervisors, a topic that I tackled in my previous blogpost. Contrary to problem sets at MIT, examples papers and their corresponding solutions are written exclusively by the professors and never by the supervision leaders. As a result, there can be a disconnect between the supervisors and the solutions written, which can contribute to some of the confusion supervisors have when trying to explain an examples paper because their understanding of OR approach to a question might differ with that of the solution. On the other hand, recitation leaders at MIT, whether undergraduate, graduate, or faculty member, have to have a solid and agreed upon understanding of the questions and solutions written so that they can provide consistent guidance during recitations and/or office hours. Yes, it is a significant time investment, but they do find a way to fit that in along with their own research, and I have found it to be great beneficial for students in terms of fairness and understanding. Given how valuable time is during supervisions, I imagine such an approach would be useful too for Cambridge supervisors and students. However, to play devil's advocate, Cambridge undergraduates have found a way to manage and thrive academically despite this disconnect, and if I want to do well academically this year, I'll need to find such a way myself as well. What that method is remains to be seen.

Well, that is it for my discussion regarding examples papers, and in conjunction with lectures and supervisions, they form the foundation of Cambridge academics across departments, save the Tripos which I have yet to take. I may devote another blogpost to discussing slightly less major components of the academic system like labs (or practicals), but those can vary depending on which course you are studying (or reading). Thus, I will put those topics aside for the time being.