JAIBP Information Technology in Financial Services Syllabus

Information Technology in Financial Services syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Information Technology in Financial Services in JAIBP, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Fundamentals of Information Technology

   3 topics

   • Computer Hardware and Software
   • Data, Information and Knowledge
   • Number Systems and Data Representation
2. 2

   Data Communication and Networks

   3 topics

   • Network Types and Topologies
   • The Internet and Intranet
   • Transmission Media and Protocols
3. 3

   Database Management Systems

   3 topics

   • Database Concepts and Models
   • Relational Databases and SQL Basics
   • Data Warehousing and Data Mining
4. 4

   IT in Banking Operations

   4 topics

   • Core Banking Solutions
   • Electronic Funds Transfer and RTGS
   • Payment Systems and Clearing
   • Management Information Systems
5. 5

   E-Banking and Digital Channels

   3 topics

   • Branchless and Digital Banking
   • Fintech and Emerging Technologies
   • E-Commerce and Digital Wallets
6. 6

   Information Security and Risk

   4 topics

   • Cyber Security Threats and Controls
   • Cryptography and Authentication
   • Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
   • IT Governance and Audit

Information Technology in Financial Services flashcards for JAIBP

21 of 53 cards from the Information Technology in Financial Services deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the difference between system software and application software?

   System software (e.g. operating systems, device drivers, utilities) manages and controls the computer hardware and provides a platform for other programs. Application software (e.g. word processors, banking software) performs specific tasks for the end user.

2. List the four functional units of the CPU and the role of the ALU and Control Unit.

   The CPU consists of the ALU, Control Unit, registers and buses. The ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) performs arithmetic and logical operations; the Control Unit fetches, decodes and coordinates the execution of instructions.

3. Distinguish between primary (main) memory and secondary memory, giving an example of each.

   Primary memory is fast, volatile, directly accessed by the CPU (e.g. RAM); secondary memory is slower, non-volatile, used for permanent storage (e.g. hard disk, SSD, USB drive).

4. What is the difference between RAM and ROM?

   RAM (Random Access Memory) is volatile, read/write, and loses data when power is off. ROM (Read Only Memory) is non-volatile, normally read-only, and retains data (e.g. boot firmware/BIOS) when power is off.

5. Define data, information and knowledge and how they relate.

   Data are raw, unprocessed facts and figures. Information is data that has been processed into a meaningful, organised form. Knowledge is information combined with experience, context and understanding used to make decisions.

6. What four attributes determine the quality of good information?

   Good information should be accurate, relevant, complete, and timely (other attributes include being concise, cost-effective and presented in an appropriate format).

7. Why is the binary number system used in computers?

   Computers use binary (base 2) because electronic components have two stable states (on/off, high/low voltage), which map directly to the digits 1 and 0, making circuits simpler and more reliable.

8. Convert the binary number 1011 to decimal.

   1011 = (1x8)+(0x4)+(1x2)+(1x1) = 8+0+2+1 = 11 in decimal.

9. Convert the decimal number 25 to binary.

   25 in binary is 11001 (16+8+1 = 25).

10. How many values can be represented by n bits, and how many bytes are in 1 KB, 1 MB and 1 GB (binary)?

    n bits represent 2^n values. 1 KB = 1024 bytes (2^10), 1 MB = 1024 KB (2^20 bytes), 1 GB = 1024 MB (2^30 bytes).

11. What are ASCII and Unicode used for in data representation?

    ASCII and Unicode are character-encoding schemes that map characters to numeric codes. ASCII uses 7/8 bits for basic English characters; Unicode uses more bits (e.g. UTF-8/16/32) to represent characters of virtually all the world's languages.

12. Compare the hexadecimal and binary number systems and their relationship.

    Hexadecimal is base 16 (digits 0-9 and A-F); binary is base 2. Each hex digit equals exactly 4 binary bits, so hex is a compact shorthand for binary (e.g. binary 1111 = hex F).

13. Differentiate between LAN, MAN and WAN by geographical coverage.

    LAN (Local Area Network) covers a small area like an office or building; MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) covers a city; WAN (Wide Area Network) covers large geographic areas such as countries or the globe (e.g. the Internet).

14. Name the main network topologies and a key feature of star and bus topologies.

    Main topologies are bus, star, ring, mesh and tree/hybrid. In a star topology all nodes connect to a central hub/switch (failure of one node does not affect others). In a bus topology all nodes share a single backbone cable; a break in the cable can bring down the network.

15. What is the advantage and disadvantage of a mesh topology?

    Advantage: every node connects to multiple others, giving high redundancy and fault tolerance. Disadvantage: it is expensive and complex due to the large number of cables/connections required.

16. Differentiate between client-server and peer-to-peer network architectures.

    In client-server, dedicated servers provide resources/services to client machines (centralised control). In peer-to-peer, each computer acts as both client and server, sharing resources directly with no central server.

17. What is the difference between the Internet, an intranet and an extranet?

    The Internet is a global public network of networks. An intranet is a private network using Internet technologies, restricted to an organisation. An extranet is a controlled extension of an intranet that allows access to selected external parties such as customers or partners.

18. What is the role of a URL and a domain name in accessing the Internet?

    A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the full address of a web resource (e.g. https://www.sbp.org.pk). The domain name is the human-readable part of the address (e.g. sbp.org.pk) that the DNS translates into a numeric IP address.

19. What does DNS do?

    The Domain Name System (DNS) translates human-readable domain names (e.g. www.example.com) into the numeric IP addresses that computers use to locate and communicate with each other.

20. Classify transmission media into guided and unguided types with examples.

    Guided (wired) media include twisted pair cable, coaxial cable and fibre optic cable. Unguided (wireless) media include radio waves, microwaves, infrared and satellite.

21. Why is fibre optic cable preferred over copper for high-speed networks?

    Fibre optic transmits data as light, offering very high bandwidth, long-distance transmission, low signal attenuation, and immunity to electromagnetic interference and eavesdropping compared with copper cabling.

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