Piscine Exam 42
Ronald Gruzinsky
This final exam was special, in that it was twice as long as the other three. Eight hours instead of the usual 4. It was also much longer, going up way past level 5 to level 10. I only (barely) made it to level 9. The first 6 questions were that of a normal exam, level 0 to level 5. I breezed through them. Each of these questions were worth 9 points, but if you got one wrong you would get a question of the same level but only worth 4 points.
String compare. Return the ascii difference between two strings. I wrote a function that iterated through the two strings until a character differed/null was reached and then returned the difference of the current char. Pretty straightforward.
Ft rrange. Using malloc, return an array filled with ints starting from input end and ending at input start. Not too hard, but definitely starting to ramp up in complexity. At this point I was about two hours in, and at 36 points.
Reverse string by whitespace. This one was the first new problem for me. I had to write a program that takes a string delineated by white space and prints the string with the words reversed. ./rev_wstr "This is a test" would output "test a is This". I ended up doing this one recursively, printing each last word, then setting the last space to null and calling the function again. Conceptually interesting, and nontrivial to implement.
I later learned from the cadets that these last 5 levels and the problems they hold are only used for the final exam of the C piscine. It was honestly jarring during the exam when I got to level 6. I though I would have to do multiple level 5 questions.
I ended up with a 76/100. The highest score in my piscine was 81/100. I was very happy with what I got, it being the second highest. I definitely enjoyed this very long exam, but was brain dead afterwards.
Nowadays, generative AI is a hot topic. The biggest mistake in learning which I saw around me, was an overreliance on AI for learning. Basically,people mistaking their ability to understand and to copy-and-paste answers from ChatGPT, for real learning.
And I think that is why the 42 Singapore staff kept emphasizing that the exams are for us to test our understanding. While we have access to all resources (including ChatGPT) during our assignments, we have no access to these resources during our exams: all we are allowed are a pen, a piece of paper, and a water bottle.
I lucked out: prior to 42, I had finished the Learning how to Learn course, and it really emphasised the importance of drilling and practice, in order to shift your learning into long-term memory. So I was extremely wary about copying-and-pasting ChatGPT answers the way many of my younger classmates were doing, as I knew that was just cargo cult programming.
One year ago to the day, I crossed the threshold of 42 school in Paris for the very first time. I was taking the plunge to try my luck in the Piscine trial. That month-long coding boot camp was a true intellectual and emotional whirlwind. I paddled as best I could to the finish line and ended up selected.
This article describes how the 42 Piscine works and shares some advice from my personal experience at 42 school. We will go over a few practical considerations, a few useful skills to have in advance, as well as how to mentally prepare for the Piscine.
42 is a worldwide network of tuition-free computer science schools where students learn to code. With its excellent reputation among companies, every 42 student finds work at the end of their curriculum. Some even go on to build their own startups.
In addition, 42 school offers its students a great deal of freedom: the campus is open 24/7 all year around. So students can organize as they see fit and many work or pursue other studies at the same time.
Besides the conferences, the partnerships and the workshops, the great advantage 42 provides is the other students. We learn together, we teach, we advise and correct each other. Every student, regardless of their level, is both a student and a teacher. This pedagogical model prepares us well for company environments where everyone has their individual responsibilities and qualities that contribute to the whole. With this peer-to-peer learning process, 42 also prepares us for working life: we learn rigor, we grow past our own limits, we develop our interpersonal skills and build a professional network for the future.
Beyond the intensive learning, the Piscine is also a human experience. You meet other candidates from every walk of life. You chat, you help each other out, you work together and sometimes unfortunately, you clash. Overall, the atmosphere is very energetic and supportive, and through this unforgettable experience, strong friendships are forged.
As a woman undergoing a career change in her thirties, I wondered about this before my Piscine. I worried about finding myself surrounded by young rapscallions barely out of high school. This was only half the case. Not only were most of them mature and friendly, they were only a part of the candidates I had the chance to meet.
42 is a school that iterates upon itself, which means it is constantly evolving. What I describe here should be taken with a grain of salt, since the way the Piscine works could have changed since mine in August 2021.
The 42 Piscine is centered around a collection of 16 modules, each containing several exercises. Each module touches upon a specific concept and each exercise is a building block for the next. As you validate modules, you earn experience points that contribute to your overall level. You also unlock the next modules, as in a video game.
Every Friday, the clusters are emptied and the machines rebooted into exam mode for 4 hours. These exams test the concepts that the modules cover. The difficulty of the exercises increases as you validate them, and the next exercise only gets unlocked when you validate the previous one. Each exercise earns a certain amount of points to get to a final grade of 100. Of course, each exercise is graded in real time by the Moulinette. The final exam takes place on the last day of the Piscine, lasts 8 hours, and counts for more than any of the others.
By validating modules and exams, you show your learning ability, especially in a self-teaching environment like 42. But during the Piscine, 42 is also looking at your interpersonal skills, particularly during team projects.
That is where rushes come in, the optional weekend-long group projects. The subject of the project and the randomized teams are revealed on Friday night after the exam. You need to finish and submit the rush by 11:42 PM on Sunday. Every member of the group needs to be present during the evaluation the next week. The rush corrector is either a student already at 42, or a pedagogical staff member.
The last group project of the Piscine is the BSQ, which requires a team of two. It takes place during the last week of the Piscine and for this one, you get to choose your teammate. Because of its difficulty, very few candidates attempt it, preferring to concentrate on preparing for the final exam. However, the BSQ is worth as much as the final exam, and those who validate it multiply their chances of being selected.
These rules exist among other things to preserve the computer hardware made available to all of us. During my Piscine, with Covid-19 sanitary protocols still in place, wearing your mask the wrong way or walking opposite to the prescribed directions were also grounds for community service.
The selection criteria of the 42 Piscine are a well-guarded secret. Even the students are not informed about the reasons behind their selection. However, since 42 is looking primarily to measure the adaptability of each candidate to its educational framework, we can guess that the following factors play a role in the selection process:
42 is a school that stays opened 24/7. This allows you to organize your time however you wish and to come and work whenever you prefer. However, the Piscine trial will demand a large amount of your time. It is therefore a good idea to attempt it at a time you are free and have no other commitments, even on weekends. At the 42 Paris campus, there are typically Piscines in February, March, July, August and September.
The building at 42 Paris has three floors, called clusters, each boasting around 300 computers. During the Piscine, two of these floors will be accessible to you, while the third stays reserved to students. As you can imagine with so many computers and candidates in one room, the clusters can get very loud. In order to have a little bit of quiet, to listen to music or hear the contents of a video, you should bring:
Regarding meals, a food truck is available on the 42 Paris campus. There are also vending machines, a fridge and microwaves. Restaurants around the school also offer discounts to 42 students and candidates during the Piscine.
The intra and the subjects of modules, rushes and exams are available in multiple languages. However, the English subjects are considered the official versions, and if you have any doubts about a subject in a local language, you should refer to the English version for clarification.
In order to succeed in the 42 Piscine, you need to have and maintain the right state of mind. The Piscine is not a traditional competition. For the best possible odds of being selected, you need to show not only resourcefulness, but also solidarity, perseverance and resilience.
It measures fat-free body mass and body fat by passing a small current between electrodes. You will not feel anything during this exam. Based on the presence of water and fat, the instrument will give us all the data we need to prescribe an appropriate diet.
After performing this exam and confirming the diet plan with the Health Director, Nicoletta will give instructions to the Restaurant so you will be served the right meals and she will assist you during your stay, both evaluating the progress of your massages and treatments and responding to any doubts, sensations or uncertainties you may have.
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