The CS 61A Course Bundle — original practice exams & exam DNA
The CS major's front door — and its first filter.
Python, recursion, and abstraction — without the panic.
Course Bundle — the full rehearsal system
Exam DNA, mock exams, sprint, protocol, and the recall deck — everything for this course in one checkout.
Exam DNA
The course's real question patterns, decoded.
Mock Exam
Real format, rubric-style solution key.
Sprint
Day-by-day plan keyed to the term calendar.
AI Protocol
Use AI tutors without trusting unverified answers.
Recall Deck
180 original cards · 9 topics · Anki-importable + printable.
Why this course hurts
CS 61A doesn't lack effort. It lacks a system.
- Recursion flips your intuition around week 5 — right before the midterm that matters.
- Labs, projects, and homework pile onto the exact weeks you should be reviewing.
- The exam is long: knowing the material is not the same as finishing the exam.
- Environment diagrams and Scheme punish vague understanding instantly.
What's in the Course Bundle
Five products. Each one earns points.
Exam DNA Report
The archetype map for 61A exams: environment diagrams, tree recursion, higher-order functions, iterators/generators, and Scheme evaluation — the recurring question shapes, where points concentrate, and how difficulty ramps.
Mock Exam Pack
Two original full-length mocks in the 61A exam format — multi-part questions with real point values and timing — plus complete worked solutions and rubric-style partial-credit keys.
14-Day Exam Sprint
A day-by-day rehearsal plan keyed to the exam clusters: one archetype drilled per day, escalating into full timed mocks before the real thing.
AI Study Protocol
How to use AI tutors on 61A material without inheriting their errors: prompt patterns for env-diagram and recursion practice, plus verification drills that catch AI mistakes.
Recall Deck
180 cards across the 9 topic clusters — definitions, evaluation rules, and decision checks. Anki-importable and printable.
The trap list
What actually sinks CS 61A students
- 1
Tracing recursion by feel instead of writing the base case down first.
- 2
Memorizing Scheme syntax without tracing evaluation order.
- 3
Practicing only on lab problems — exams ask unseen variations.
- 4
Re-reading notes the night before: the lowest-utility technique in the research literature.
Look inside
A spread from the Exam DNA
Every Exam DNA follows this layout: the recall schedule you'll run, the high-yield concepts explained as decision rules, the traps called out before they cost you points, and practice designed to be done from memory.
Page shown from the CS 61A Exam DNA — all twelve courses use the same format.
Get the 10-page sample free
Pair it with
The CS 61A Recall Deck
- 180 original cards across 9 topic clusters — concepts, decision rules, and worked-question prompts.
- Anki-importable TXT/CSV files + a printable PDF version for paper reviewers.
- Built for spaced repetition — card order and tags follow the sprint's recall plan.
- 3-minute import guide included (Anki and Quizlet).
CS 61A FAQ
Is this specific to how the course is actually taught?
The DNA report covers the course's stable core — the exam archetypes, the point economy, the decision rules. For professor-specific details it routes you to the course's own public materials (mapped in the Free Stack section of your DNA Report), and the Sprint adapts in minutes.
Which products do I actually need?
The DNA report tells you what the exam asks; the mock pack makes you rehearse it; the deck makes it permanent. Most students take the Course Bundle — all five products are $56 separately, and the bundle is $39 — the whole course for the price of the Mock Exam Pack plus $20.
How do I import the deck?
Any flashcard app that imports text (Anki, Quizlet). Each deck ships as Anki-importable TXT/CSV plus a printable PDF, with a 3-minute import guide included.
What if it doesn't help?
14-day refund, no questions asked. We'd rather refund you than keep a dollar that didn't earn itself.
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