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How to answer matching and table-completion questions
Matching and classifying questions are about relationships: one-to-one, or many-to-one. Table completion (like test data) asks you to fill in rows with reasons. First decide which kind of table you are facing. From course notes
What it looks like in the real exam
From NESA material 2025 HSC: 2025 HSC exam, Q9 (match three characteristics to ORM, SQL or both, using a tick table). 2025 sample: 2025 NESA sample exam, Q5 (match four implementation methods to descriptions), 2025 NESA sample exam, Q8 (classify five strategies as SAST or DAST, 2 marks) and 2025 NESA sample exam, Q11 (complete a test-data table: input, expected output, reason, 3 marks). 2025 familiarisation: 2025 NESA familiarisation exam, Q5 (same test-data task for a grade algorithm), 2025 NESA familiarisation exam, Q3 (matching).
Method
- Read the question and look at the table: the columns, the rows, and what you must put in each cell (a tick, a letter, a word, a value). From course notes
- Work out the rule for the options. Can each option be used once (one-to-one, like four implementation methods for four descriptions), or many times (classify each item as SAST or DAST), or can a row have two ticks (Q9 row 2 has two)? General advice
- Do the certain ones first and cross off used options in one-to-one matching; what remains is forced. General advice
- For a table you must write (test data): a row needs three things: the input, the expected output, and the reason. Cover each path and each boundary on both sides. From NESA material NESA: “thoroughly tests … with expected outputs and reasons for inclusion”.
- Re-read the question. Check every row has an answer, the columns are in the right order, and no option is used where it should not be. From course notes
Worked example 1: matching with reuse (2025 HSC Q9)
2025 HSC exam, Q9 · 1 mark
Official marking criteria
- 1 mark: Correctly matches each characteristic to the appropriate approach.
NESA answer
Notes
Reasoned Here the options are reusable and a row can have two ticks, so judge each row alone: (1) “Code is focused on object manipulation” is ORM (an ORM represents rows as objects). (2) “Tables can be joined” works in SQL and, through the ORM, too. (3) “Programmers can choose the language” is tied to ORM, as the MG shows. See Object-relational mapping (ORM).
Worked example 2: classify (2025 sample Q8)
2025 NESA sample exam, Q8 · 2 marks
Official marking criteria
- 2 marks: Correctly classifies all the strategies.
- 1 mark: Correctly classifies THREE strategies, which must include ONE SAST and ONE DAST.
Answer (reasoned; the MG answer is an image)
Notes
Open this question page · some of the NESA wording or answer is an image or is unpublished, as noted
From NESA material The marking rule: 2 marks for all five correct; 1 mark for three correct, which must include one SAST and one DAST. So do not put everything under one heading. Rule of thumb: SAST looks at code without running it (statements 2 and 5); DAST tests the running application (1, 3, 4). See Static application security testing (SAST) and Dynamic application security testing (DAST).
Worked example 3: a test-data table (2025 sample Q11)
2025 NESA sample exam, Q11 · 3 marks
Official marking criteria
- 3 marks: Test data that thoroughly tests the algorithm, with expected outputs and reasons.
- 2 marks: Tests most of the boundaries and paths, with relevant outputs and reasons.
- 1 mark: Some relevant information.
NESA sample answer
From NESA material The notes on the official sample add good extras: 1023 and 767 (just below the boundaries). The pattern is: each boundary value, a value just below it, and one value for each path.
Applied to the familiarisation grade algorithm (2025 NESA familiarisation exam, Q5), whose boundaries are 80 and 50:
| Test input | Expected output | Reason for inclusion |
|---|---|---|
| 85 | H | Above 80 |
| 80 | H | Boundary value: tests the “>= 80” edge |
| 79 | P | Just below the boundary (extra, from the pattern above) |
| 60 | P | Between 50 and 80 |
| 50 | P | Boundary value 50 |
| 49 | N | Just below boundary 50 (extra) |
| 45 | N | Tests the “otherwise” path |
Original practice Rows 85, 80, 60, 50 and 45 come from the NESA sample answer for 2025 NESA familiarisation exam, Q5; the 79 and 49 rows are my extra suggestions. The algorithm is reconstructed from the boundaries in the sample answer (the NESA stem is unavailable): IF Mark >= 80 THEN "H" ELSEIF Mark >= 50 THEN "P" ELSE "N", and I checked every row by running it.
Common mistakes
- General advice Using only “middle” values and no boundaries.
- General advice Giving inputs with no expected output, or no reason (the 3-mark criterion needs all three).
- From NESA material The 1-mark SAST/DAST rule needs one of each: a lazy all-one-column answer scores nothing.
- General advice Matching by word association instead of definition (“phased” ≠ “pilot”: phased = replaces gradually; pilot = a small group first).
Time per mark
General advice Matching: about 1 to 1.5 minutes per mark. Test-data tables: about 5 minutes for 3 marks, which matches 1.75 min × 3 = 5.25 min.
Practice (5 items, with answers)
Item 1 · 2025 sample Q5 (implementation methods)
Match Direct, Parallel, Phased, Pilot to: (i) the new system runs immediately with no delay; (ii) the new system gradually replaces the old; (iii) both systems run at the same time; (iv) the new system is trialled with a small group and then implemented entirely.
Show the answer
Answer: (i) Direct (ii) Phased (iii) Parallel (iv) Pilot. The NESA MG answer is an image; these are the standard definitions from the course. See Direct implementation, Parallel implementation, Phased implementation, Pilot implementation.
Item 2 · 2025 sample Q8 (SAST or DAST)
Classify each: (1) simulate attacks on the web application; (2) check the way SQL queries are constructed; (3) test the database’s web interface for vulnerabilities; (4) test the web application while it is running; (5) analyse the code for connecting to the database.
Show the answer
Answer: SAST: 2 and 5. DAST: 1, 3, 4. Reasoned
Item 3 · 2025 HSC Q9 (ORM, SQL or both)
Which of ORM / SQL / both: (1) code is focused on object manipulation; (2) tables can be joined to enhance searching; (3) programmers can choose the language used to access the database.
Show the answer
Answer (NESA table): (1) ORM only; (2) both; (3) ORM only. From NESA material
Item 4 · original: test data for a ticket validator
A program accepts a number of tickets from 1 to 10 inclusive and shows “OK” or “Invalid”. Give a test-data table of 5 or more rows with expected output and reason.
Show the answer
| Input | Expected | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OK | Lower boundary |
| 0 | Invalid | Just below the lower boundary |
| 10 | OK | Upper boundary |
| 11 | Invalid | Just above the upper boundary |
| 5 | OK | Typical value between the limits |
| -3 | Invalid | Far outside the range (negative) |
Original practice Checked by running the validation code.
Item 5 · original: match the data type
Match each value to a data type (Integer, Real, Boolean, String): 42; 3.14; True; "Sam".
Show the answer
Answer: 42 Integer; 3.14 Real (float in Python); True Boolean; "Sam" String. Original practice
Terms, flashcards and past questions
Key terms for this page: Matching and tables · Boundary values · Test plan · Direct implementation · Parallel implementation · Phased implementation · Pilot implementation · Static application security testing (SAST) · Dynamic application security testing (DAST)
Flashcards · All key terms · Learn step by step · All past questions · Multiple-choice bank · Mock exam
Past questions used on this page:
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