IBPS SO Professional Knowledge - IT Officer (Scale I) Syllabus

Professional Knowledge - IT Officer (Scale I) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Professional Knowledge - IT Officer (Scale I) in IBPS SO, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Database Management Systems

   5 topics

   • Relational Model, Keys and Integrity Constraints
   • Normalization (1NF to BCNF) and Functional Dependency
   • SQL and Relational Algebra
   • Transactions, ACID Properties and Concurrency Control
   • Indexing, ER Model and Data Warehousing
2. 2

   Computer Networks

   5 topics

   • OSI and TCP/IP Reference Models
   • IP Addressing, Subnetting and Routing
   • Protocols (HTTP, FTP, DNS, DHCP, TCP, UDP)
   • Network Devices and Topologies
   • Network Security, Firewalls and Cryptography
3. 3

   Operating Systems

   4 topics

   • Process Management and Scheduling Algorithms
   • Deadlocks, Synchronization and Semaphores
   • Memory Management and Virtual Memory / Paging
   • File Systems and Disk Scheduling
4. 4

   Programming and Data Structures

   4 topics

   • Data Structures (arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, graphs)
   • Algorithms, Sorting and Searching Complexity
   • OOP Concepts and Programming Fundamentals
   • Software Engineering and SDLC Models
5. 5

   Emerging Technologies and Web

   4 topics

   • Cloud Computing and Virtualization
   • Cyber Security and Information Security
   • Big Data, AI/ML and IoT Basics
   • Web Technologies and Digital Banking Systems

Professional Knowledge - IT Officer (Scale I) flashcards for IBPS SO

25 of 51 cards from the Professional Knowledge - IT Officer (Scale I) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In the relational model, what is the difference between a candidate key, a primary key, and a foreign key?

   A candidate key is any minimal set of attributes that uniquely identifies a tuple. A primary key is the one candidate key chosen to identify tuples (cannot be NULL). A foreign key is an attribute in one relation that references the primary key of another, enforcing referential integrity.

2. What are the three main integrity constraints in the relational model?

   Entity integrity (primary key attributes cannot be NULL), referential integrity (a foreign key must match an existing primary key value or be NULL), and domain integrity (attribute values must come from their defined domain/data type).

3. Define a superkey and explain how it differs from a candidate key.

   A superkey is any set of attributes that uniquely identifies a tuple. A candidate key is a minimal superkey (no proper subset is also a superkey). Every candidate key is a superkey, but not every superkey is a candidate key.

4. What is a functional dependency? Give the notation.

   A functional dependency X to Y means that the value of attribute set X uniquely determines the value of attribute set Y; for any two tuples with the same X, the Y values must also be equal. Notation: X to Y (X functionally determines Y).

5. State the requirements for a relation to be in 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF.

   1NF: all attribute values are atomic (no repeating groups/multivalued attributes). 2NF: in 1NF and no partial dependency (no non-prime attribute depends on part of a candidate key). 3NF: in 2NF and no transitive dependency (non-prime attributes depend only on candidate keys).

6. What is Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF) and how is it stricter than 3NF?

   A relation is in BCNF if for every non-trivial functional dependency X to Y, X is a superkey. It is stricter than 3NF because 3NF allows a determinant that is a prime attribute (part of a key), while BCNF requires every determinant to be a superkey.

7. List the basic operators of relational algebra.

   Selection (sigma), Projection (pi), Union, Set difference, Cartesian product, and Rename. Additional derived operators include Intersection, Join, and Division.

8. What is the difference between the WHERE and HAVING clauses in SQL?

   WHERE filters individual rows before grouping and cannot use aggregate functions. HAVING filters groups after GROUP BY aggregation and can use aggregate functions like COUNT, SUM, AVG.

9. Compare the SQL commands DELETE, TRUNCATE, and DROP.

   DELETE (DML) removes rows based on a condition and can be rolled back. TRUNCATE (DDL) removes all rows quickly, cannot use WHERE, and resets the table. DROP (DDL) removes the entire table structure and data from the database.

10. What is the difference between INNER JOIN and LEFT OUTER JOIN in SQL?

    INNER JOIN returns only rows with matching values in both tables. LEFT OUTER JOIN returns all rows from the left table plus matching rows from the right; unmatched right-side columns are filled with NULL.

11. What do the four ACID properties of a transaction stand for?

    Atomicity (all operations complete or none do), Consistency (transactions move the database from one valid state to another), Isolation (concurrent transactions do not interfere), and Durability (committed changes persist even after a crash).

12. What are the three concurrency problems that isolation aims to prevent?

    Dirty read (reading uncommitted data), non-repeatable read (re-reading a row returns different values due to another committed update), and phantom read (a re-executed query returns new rows inserted by another transaction).

13. What is two-phase locking (2PL) in concurrency control?

    A protocol with a growing phase (the transaction acquires locks but releases none) and a shrinking phase (it releases locks but acquires none). 2PL guarantees conflict-serializable schedules.

14. What is a clustered index versus a non-clustered index?

    A clustered index determines the physical storage order of rows, so a table can have only one. A non-clustered index is a separate structure with pointers to the data rows, and a table can have many.

15. In the ER model, what is the difference between a strong entity and a weak entity?

    A strong entity has its own primary key and exists independently. A weak entity has no sufficient key of its own and depends on a strong (owner) entity, identified by a partial key combined with the owner's key; it is drawn with a double rectangle.

16. What distinguishes OLTP from OLAP systems in data warehousing?

    OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) handles many short, frequent read/write transactions for daily operations. OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) handles complex analytical queries over large historical data for decision support; data warehouses are OLAP systems.

17. Name the seven layers of the OSI reference model in order.

    Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, Application (layers 1 to 7). Mnemonic: Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away.

18. How do the OSI and TCP/IP reference models differ in number of layers?

    OSI has 7 layers. The TCP/IP model has 4 layers: Network Access (Link), Internet, Transport, and Application; the TCP/IP Application layer combines OSI's Application, Presentation, and Session layers.

19. What is the protocol data unit (PDU) name at the Transport, Network, and Data Link layers?

    Transport layer PDU is a segment (TCP) or datagram (UDP), Network layer PDU is a packet, and Data Link layer PDU is a frame.

20. What are the IPv4 address ranges for Class A, B, and C networks?

    Class A: 1.0.0.0 to 126.255.255.255 (default mask /8). Class B: 128.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255 (/16). Class C: 192.0.0.0 to 223.255.255.255 (/24).

21. How many usable host addresses are in a /24 subnet, and what is the formula?

    A /24 has 8 host bits, giving 2^8 = 256 total addresses and 256 - 2 = 254 usable hosts. The general formula is (2^h) - 2 usable hosts, where h is the number of host bits (subtracting network and broadcast addresses).

22. What are the private IPv4 address ranges defined by RFC 1918?

    10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255 (/8), 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255 (/12), and 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255 (/16).

23. What is the difference between a routing protocol and a routed protocol, with examples?

    A routed protocol carries user data and is routed across networks (e.g., IP). A routing protocol is used by routers to exchange path information and build routing tables (e.g., RIP, OSPF, BGP, EIGRP).

24. Compare TCP and UDP transport protocols.

    TCP is connection-oriented, reliable, ordered, with flow/congestion control and error recovery (used for web, email, file transfer). UDP is connectionless, unreliable, faster, with no guaranteed delivery (used for streaming, DNS, VoIP).

25. What are the default port numbers for HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, DNS, and DHCP?

    HTTP: 80, HTTPS: 443, FTP: 20 (data) and 21 (control), DNS: 53, DHCP: 67 (server) and 68 (client).

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