I agree with Guildenstern work the syntax !
(You won't have any debugger,parser to point out misssing/incorrect instruction/syntax.)

Kwowing the predefined Matlab types/function (As you see I'm not an expert) would help too...

Play a little bit with the tool to get used to it.
It's definitly more efficient than just reading the manual...
Learning by making mistake is one of the best way to remember and avoid them.

Last advice : if you could find a copy of this exam (from previous years) it could be a good thing to look at.(what is the english translation for the french word 'annales' ?)

"Trying to be a SMART lamer" (thanx to Merlyn ;-)