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THEORETICAL COMPUTER SCIENCE · EXAM · 1:1

Pass theoretical CS, even when proofs feel abstract.

Four to five sessions before the exam. We construct automata, practise the pumping lemma and place computability and complexity, until the proof routines stick.

Anton, B.Sc. Computer Science · Theory Anton LIVE B.Sc. Computer Science · Theory responds ≤ 4 h Free first conversation →

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  • Your past paper, not a textbook
  • Proofs step by step
  • Cancel up to 12 h before

Live from a theoretical CS session

DFA.txt ⎙ shared
# DFA: even number of 1s
States: q0 (start, accepting), q1
0: q0 -> q0,  q1 -> q1
1: q0 -> q1,  q1 -> q0
# every 1 flips the side
Each state is a question: how many 1s have I seen so far, even or odd? — Anton, 9 min ago
EXAM STRUCTURE · TYPICAL TASKS

Three blocks that appear in almost every theoretical CS exam.

Theoretical computer science tests constructions and proofs, not programming. Typical is an automata block (regular languages), a grammar block (context-free, pumping lemma) and a block on computability and complexity. We drill each on your past papers.

Block 1

Automata & regular languages

~35%
Weight
Duration · ~30 min Format · Construct DFAs and NFAs, convert NFA to DFA, transform regular expressions and languages.

The block where you bank safe points once you have practised the constructions. Subset construction, minimisation, regular expressions.

Focus
  • DFA
  • NFA
  • regular expressions
  • subset construction
  • minimisation
Block 2

Grammars & pumping lemma

~30%
Weight
Duration · ~30 min Format · Give context-free grammars, show derivations, prove non-regularity with the pumping lemma.

The block that demands proof technique. Apply the pumping lemma cleanly, construct context-free grammars, place the Chomsky hierarchy.

Focus
  • context-free grammar
  • pumping lemma
  • derivation tree
  • Chomsky hierarchy
  • pushdown automaton
Block 3

Computability & complexity

~35%
Weight
Duration · ~30 min Format · Sketch Turing machines, argue undecidability by reduction, place P, NP and NP-completeness.

The block where most people stumble. Halting problem, reductions, P vs NP. Learnable with clear routines.

Focus
  • Turing machine
  • halting problem
  • reduction
  • P vs NP
  • NP-completeness
  • decidability
Past papers from TUM, RWTH, KIT, the University of Hamburg and many more map onto these three blocks. Send us yours and we calibrate the prep to it.
A REAL TASK

How we approach an automata task.

No memorised solution. We construct the automaton via the question each state answers, the way you have to justify it in the exam.

Task

Construct a DFA over the alphabet {0, 1} that accepts exactly the words with an even number of 1s.

even-ones.txt
# Two states suffice
q0 = even number of 1s (start, accepting)
q1 = odd number of 1s
Transitions:
  0: q0 -> q0,  q1 -> q1   # 0 changes nothing
  1: q0 -> q1,  q1 -> q0   # 1 flips
How we solve it
  1. Choose states as questions

    What must the automaton remember? Only whether it has seen an even or odd number of 1s so far. That is exactly two states, q0 and q1.

  2. Define the transitions

    A 0 does not change the parity, so the state stays. A 1 flips from even to odd and back, so the state switches between q0 and q1.

  3. Make the start state accepting

    Zero 1s is an even count, so q0 is both the start and the accepting state. The DFA accepts exactly when it ends in q0 after the last symbol.

YOUR PATH TO THE EXAM

A realistic 4-week plan. No miracles promised.

Start now and invest 4 to 5 sessions and your chances are good. Less time? We compress. More? We go deeper, into further reductions or Rice's theorem.

  1. S1
    Step 1
    Diagnosis and gap analysis

    You share your screen, we go through your latest exercise and exam scope. We see where you really stand, not where you think you do.

  2. S2
    Step 2
    Automata and regular languages

    We construct DFAs and NFAs, convert with the subset construction and practise regular expressions, on your actual exam material.

  3. S3
    Step 3
    Proofs: pumping lemma and reduction

    The proof blocks. Apply the pumping lemma cleanly, build context-free grammars and argue undecidability by reduction. Step by step.

  4. S4
    Step 4
    Mock exam under time pressure

    You solve your university's mock exam against the clock. We review every task: what is solid, where you get stuck and which task types are likely to come up.

Marcel Schmidtpeter, Gründer und Senior Developer, Study IT
FROM THE FOUNDER

Why Study IT exists.

I built Study IT because I have seen first-hand how computer-science teaching at university falls apart.

Our tutors are working developers, not student side-jobbers.

Marcel Schmidtpeter Gründer und Senior Developer

Reach me directly: marcel.schmidtpeter@study-it.education

YOUR TUTOR FOR THEORETICAL COMPUTER SCIENCE

Anton knows the theory from his CS degree.

B.Sc. in Computer Science with the core modules others dread: automata, formal languages, computability and complexity. He makes abstract proofs tangible and drills the constructions that count in the exam.

Anton
Online · replies quickly
Industrie­erfahrung
5 J
Informatik
B.Sc.
Embedded
FIAE
Anton
Embedded Software Developer
„Mein Ziel ist, dass du Sicherheit im Umgang mit Code gewinnst und Zusammenhänge wirklich verstehst, statt fertige Lösungen zu übernehmen."
Background
  1. Seit 2023 Software Engineer · Industrie
  2. 2020 bis 2023 B.Sc. Informatik · Bachelorstudium
  3. Seit 2020 Online-Nachhilfe Informatik & Programmierung · Studierende, Azubis, Quereinsteiger
  4. 2017 bis 2020 Ausbildung Fachinformatiker Anwendungsentwicklung · Embedded-Bereich · IHK-Abschluss
  • Java
  • Python
  • C
  • Embedded
  • OOP
  • Algorithmen
  • Datenstrukturen
AT A GLANCE
Response time
≤ 6 h
Teaches
Studierende · Auszubildende · Quereinsteiger
Language
Deutsch (Muttersprache)
Book Anton, 60 €/h → See full profile → All tutors ↓
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FAQ

Questions about the theoretical CS exam.

How many sessions do I need for theoretical computer science?
Realistically 4 to 5 sessions over 3 to 4 weeks. If proofs and the pumping lemma are new: 6 to 8 sessions. We give you an honest estimate in the intro call.
I can't deal with the proofs. Is it still doable?
Yes. Most exam proofs follow fixed routines: the pumping lemma in the same structure, undecidability by reduction. We practise the routines on real tasks until you apply them yourself.
Is memorising the constructions enough?
Memorising does not get you far, because the exam brings new languages and problems. We practise the approach: which question each state answers, which assumption the pumping lemma refutes. Then you solve unseen tasks too.
Do you bring your own tasks or do we use mine?
We work on your past papers and exercise sheets. Where you have none, we bring suitable tasks on automata, grammars and computability.
What does the prep cost?
€59.99 per 60-minute 1:1 session. No subscription, no minimum term. The intro call is free; that is where we agree on scope and a plan.
READY?

Let's turn your theoretical CS exam into a plan.

Free intro call, 30 minutes. We look at your material and tell you honestly how many sessions you need.