CSE 3521 · Exam Prep
Tomorrow's exam · 9 lectures

Learn it tonight. Own it tomorrow.

You're seeing this material for the first time today. That's fine — this app is built to teach you from zero in ~4 focused hours. Follow the plan below in order.

35Topics to learn
61Short Q&A
30Math problems
26Flashcards
41Quiz questions
01

Tonight's study plan

Move through these four phases in order. Don't skip — each phase teaches something the next phase tests.

1
90–120 min

Learn Mode

Read every topic card in "Learn". Open the collapsible on each one. Don't memorize — just understand. Your teacher said every slide is important, so skim nothing.

2
45 min

Flashcards + Short Q&A

Drill the pros/cons flashcards (your teacher flagged these). Then work through the Short Q&A section — 61 short-answer questions covering every topic. Mentally draft your answer before revealing.

3
60 min

Math Practice

Every calculation type from the slides is here. Try each one on paper first, then reveal the solution. Never just read the answer.

4
30 min

Quiz

Mixed MCQs on definitions, "which chart," pros/cons, and identifying errors. If you miss a question, go back to that topic in Learn.

02

What the exam will look like

Based on what your teacher said — "short answers, mathematical calculations, follow the slide examples, pros and cons of every topic." Expect these six question patterns:

1 · Short definition

Define a term in 1–3 sentences.

"Define the data-ink ratio and state Tufte's principle."

2 · Pros and cons

List advantages and disadvantages of a chart type or method.

"State two advantages and two disadvantages of stacked bar plots."

3 · Which method?

Pick the right chart/scale/binning for a scenario and justify.

"GDP data spans millions to trillions — which scale and why?"

4 · Numerical calculation

Plug numbers into a formula (binning, KDE, normalization, transformation).

"Compute Scott's Rule bin width for n = 400, s = 12."

5 · Procedure / steps

Walk through the algorithm for a method.

"List the 6 steps to construct a Q–Q plot."

6 · Spot the errors

Identify what's wrong with a given chart.

"The y-axis starts at 80 and bars are in random colors — list all errors."

03

Topic coverage map

Everything from all 9 slide decks, grouped by lecture. The Learn tab covers each of these in detail.

Lecture 00 — Introduction

Data types (nominal, ordinal, discrete, continuous) · visual channels · three use cases (exploration, confirmation, presentation)

Lecture 01 Part 1 — Coordinate Systems

Cartesian · axes with same/different units · linear transformations · logarithmic scale · square-root scale · polar coordinates

Lecture 01 Part 2 — Transformations & Normalization

Translation · scaling · rotation · reflection · shear · matrix non-commutativity · determinant and area · Min-Max · Z-score

Lecture 02 — Quantity Visualization

Bar plots · vertical vs horizontal · grouped bars · stacked bars · dot plots · visualization errors

Lecture 03 Part 1 — Distribution & Histograms

Data-ink ratio · histograms · 5 binning rules (Square Root, Sturges, Rice, Scott's, Freedman–Diaconis) · frequency polygon

Lecture 03 Part 2 — KDE & Density Plots

KDE formula · 4 kernels (Gaussian, Epanechnikov, Triangular, Uniform) · bandwidth selection · boundary problem · reflection method

Lecture 03 Part 3 — Multiple Distributions

Stacked / overlaying / faceted / pyramid histograms · ECDF · Q–Q plots · skew and tail diagnosis

Lecture 04 — Dispersion Visualization

Error bars · box plots (anatomy, whisker rule) · violin plots · strip charts · box vs violin vs error bars

01

Learn every topic

Topic-by-topic explanations. Click "Show details" on any card to expand formulas, pros & cons, and examples. Read all of them — your teacher said every slide matters.

02

Pros & Cons flashcards

Click the card to flip. Try to recall both sides before flipping. These are the most commonly asked exam questions.

1 / 18
Topic

Question

Think about the answer, then flip.

Answer
Click card to flip
03

Short question & answer

The type of short-answer question your teacher flagged for the exam. Click any question to reveal a model answer. Read the question, mentally draft your answer, then reveal.

61 questions
04

Math practice problems

Every calculation type from the slides is here. Try each one on paper first, then reveal the solution. That's how calculations actually stick.

05

Self-test quiz

Mixed MCQs. Instant feedback on each answer. Score is tracked at the top. If you miss a question, jump back to Learn mode for that topic.

Question 1 of 20
Score: 0
06

Formula reference

Every formula you need to memorize for tomorrow, grouped by topic. Review this one more time before bed.