A spoof exam created by some students at University of North Florida (I think). Written in a style that parodies the Advanced Placement exams, and setting very high standards, it tests the candidate's knowledge of hacking (in both senses), phreaking, anime, and cyberpunk literature.

The entire test is available in HTML markup at http://www.unf.edu/~drolfe/exam/test.htm. Here are a few sample questions:

  • Which of the following was the name of one of the robots in Mona Lisa Overdrive?
    1. Spark
    2. Leggy
    3. Judge
    4. Buzz
    5. Lefty
  • Marijuana is the flame; heroin is the fuse; LSD is the
    1. bomb
    2. bong
    3. both A and B
    4. none of the above
  • Do ONE of the following:
    1. Pick two topics from the list below and thoroughly flame them. Responses will be scored on content, length, and veracity. (0x10 marks each)

      lossy compression
      FAT
      recent commercialization of BattleTech
      a programming language of your choice
      The Intel 486SX
      your local phone company
      the Apple Macintosh
      Cartesian dualism
      The ISA or VLB architecture
      how much science fiction is ripped from Blade Runner and Neuromancer

    2. Pick two topics from the list below and glorify them. Where appropriate, nostalgically bemoan their disappearance. Responses will be scored on content, length, and sincerity. (0x10 marks each)

      Wavelets
      EGA
      a Commodore, Atari, or other 1980s console game of your choice
      a programming language of your choice
      amberglow monitors
      the Iomega Zip Drive
      an OS of your choice
      the guys at id
      5.25" (or 7.25") disk drives
      a John Woo movie of your choice

  • Write an operating system. Be brief. (0x20 marks)