FAQ

General Usage

Question Answer
What is PASS? How to use it? Programming Assignment aSsessment System (PASS) is an automatic system that tests the correctness of computer programs submitted to it.
To learn more about the background of PASS, please refer to PASS project web site on https://www.cs.cityu.edu.hk/~passweb/ .
To see how to begin using PASS, please refer to the demonstration video on https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mKCFcZQ8DKo .
I cannot login! I am absolutely 100% sure that my password is correct! Easy buddy!
Check if you are using the correct login ID from the new account e-mail you received from pass@cs.cityu.edu.hk.
Your login ID is usually your student number, which is an eight digit number.
Can you tell me my password? Unfortunately, all passwords are encrypted. We cannot tell you your password and do not bother to know your password.
Please use the "request password reset" facility to have your password reset. An e-mail from pass@cs.cityu.edu.hk will be sent to your e-mail address registered with PASS.
I have requested for password reset, but I have not received any e-mail in my mailbox. E-mail takes some time to reach your mailbox, so please be a bit patient. Time varies according to traffic on the e-mail server. You can drink a cup of coffee while waiting.
Make sure that you are checking the correct mailbox. Unless you have changed your e-mail address in PASS, all e-mail are sent to your CityU e-mail account which ends with @student.cityu.edu.hk. If you are absolutely sure that you are checking the correct mailbox, look for any e-mail from pass@cs.cityu.edu.hk in your junk mail folder if the e-mail is not found in your inbox.
If it does not help you out, send an e-mail to the PASS administrator.
How long should my password be? Your password should be 8 characters long composed of alphanumeric letters only. Do not use your student ID as the password. Do not share your password with your friends. You are advised to change your password every now and then.
I have some problems in using PASS. Where can I get help? If your questions are related to the course, such as the problem specifications, teaching and learning of the programming languages, the annotation of the test cases, etc., you should ask your course instructor or tutor. They may also help you with simple problems in using PASS in tutorial/lab classes. If you find any problems with the PASS system itself (e.g., when the PASS server is down), you may send email to the PASS administrator for enquiry.
Can PASS be improved to make it easier to use? We are continuing to improve PASS in many aspects so that it can better help the teaching and learning. For instance, in response to students' comments, PASS now highlights the position of the output where the incorrect output deviates from the correct one. If you have any specific suggestions for improving the usability of PASS, you are welcome to email to the PASS administrator. Owing to the limitation of resources, we have to prioritise all enhancement work according to urgency and importance. Some improvements may be easy and can be done very quickly, but some improvements may take a longer time to complete.
I have registered two and more courses which use PASS. How can I see my other courses in PASS? To switch to another course in PASS, click the [Switch Course] link beneath the course name you are currently working with.
Refer to the demonstration video (beginning from 31st second) on https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mKCFcZQ8DKo .
I am new to PASS. How to navigate around PASS? The main screen is divided into two major parts - navigation menu on the left while the main display area on the right.
In the navigation menu, 'Problem list', 'Submission history', and 'Performance' are of most interest to you. 'Problem list' displays a list of 'Practice' and 'Assessment' problems available in the current course you are working with. 'Submission history' allows you to inspect the correctness of your program code in each attempt. 'Performance' gives you an quick overview on the completion progress of each problems (i.e., whether it is 100% correct or not).
For visual explanation, please refer to the demonstration video on https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=C2OJMW4NMTU .