Computer Science Test

Overview

• The test consists of approximately 70 multiple-choice questions, some of which are grouped in sets and based on such materials as diagrams, graphs and program fragments.
• The approximate distribution of questions in each edition of the test according to content categories is indicated by the following outline.
• The percentages given are approximate; actual percentages will vary slightly from one edition of the test to another.

Content Specifications

I. SOFTWARE SYSTEMS AND METHODOLOGY — 40%

A. Data organization

• Data types
• Data structures and implementation techniques

B. Program control and structure

• Iteration and recursion
• Procedures, functions, methods and exception handlers
• Concurrency, communication and synchronization

C. Programming languages and notation

• Constructs for data organization and program control
• Scope, binding and parameter passing
• Expression evaluation

D. Software engineering

• Formal specifications and assertions
• Verification techniques
• Software development models, patterns and tools

E. Systems

• Compilers, interpreters and run-time systems
• Operating systems, including resource management and protection/security
• Networking, Internet and distributed systems
• Databases
• System analysis and development tools

II. COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND ARCHITECTURE — 15%

A. Digital logic design

• Implementation of combinational and sequential circuits
• Optimization and analysis

B. Processors and control units

• Instruction sets
• Computer arithmetic and number representation
• Register and ALU organization
• Data paths and control sequencing

C. Memories and their hierarchies

• Performance, implementation and management
• Cache, main and secondary storage
• Virtual memory, paging and segmentation

D. Networking and communications

• Interconnect structures (e.g., buses, switches, routers)
• I/O systems and protocols
• Synchronization

E. High-performance architectures

• Pipelining superscalar and out-of-order execution processors
• Parallel and distributed architectures

III. THEORY AND MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND — 40%

A. Algorithms and complexity

• Exact and asymptotic analysis of specific algorithms
• Algorithmic design techniques (e.g., greedy, dynamic programming, divide and conquer)
• Upper and lower bounds on the complexity of specific problems
• Computational complexity, including NP-completeness

B. Automata and language theory

• Models of computation (finite automata, Turing machines)
• Formal languages and grammars (regular and context-free)
• Decidability

C. Discrete structures

• Mathematical logic
• Elementary combinatorics and graph theory
• Discrete probability, recurrence relations and number theory

IV. OTHER TOPICS — 5%

Example areas include numerical analysis, artificial intelligence, computer graphics, cryptography, security and social issues.

Note: Students are assumed to have a mathematical background in the areas of calculus and linear algebra as applied to computer science.

Download the Practice Book (PDF) 

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