SBI PO Computer Aptitude Syllabus

Computer Aptitude syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Computer Aptitude in SBI PO, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Basics of Computers

   3 topics

   • Hardware and Software
   • Operating Systems
   • Internet
2. 2

   MS Office

   3 topics

   • MS Word
   • MS Excel
   • MS PowerPoint
3. 3

   Networking

   3 topics

   • LAN and WAN
   • Network Security
   • Protocols

Computer Aptitude flashcards for SBI PO

21 of 51 cards from the Computer Aptitude deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the difference between hardware and software?

   Hardware is the physical, tangible components of a computer (e.g., CPU, keyboard, monitor); software is the set of programs and instructions that tell the hardware what to do (e.g., OS, applications).

2. What are the two main categories of software?

   System software (e.g., operating systems, device drivers, utilities) and application software (e.g., MS Word, browsers, games).

3. What is firmware?

   Firmware is permanent software programmed into read-only memory (ROM) that provides low-level control for a device's hardware, such as the BIOS.

4. What is the function of the CPU and its two main components?

   The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the brain of the computer that executes instructions. Its two main components are the ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) and the CU (Control Unit).

5. What does ALU stand for and what does it do?

   ALU stands for Arithmetic Logic Unit; it performs all arithmetic operations (add, subtract) and logical operations (AND, OR, comparisons).

6. What is the difference between RAM and ROM?

   RAM (Random Access Memory) is volatile, read/write, temporary memory that loses data when power is off. ROM (Read-Only Memory) is non-volatile, permanent memory that retains data without power.

7. What are the two types of RAM?

   SRAM (Static RAM), which is fast and used in cache, and DRAM (Dynamic RAM), which is slower, cheaper, and used as main memory.

8. What is cache memory?

   Cache memory is a small, very fast memory located between the CPU and main memory (RAM) that stores frequently used data and instructions to speed up processing.

9. Classify input and output devices with examples.

   Input devices send data to the computer (keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone). Output devices receive data from the computer (monitor, printer, speakers).

10. What is an operating system?

    An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services and an interface for the user (e.g., Windows, Linux, macOS).

11. List four key functions of an operating system.

    Process management, memory management, file management, and device (I/O) management. (Also security and user interface.)

12. What is multitasking in an operating system?

    Multitasking is the ability of an OS to execute multiple tasks (processes) seemingly at the same time by rapidly switching the CPU among them.

13. What is the difference between a GUI and a CLI?

    GUI (Graphical User Interface) uses icons, windows, and a pointer for interaction (e.g., Windows). CLI (Command Line Interface) requires users to type text commands (e.g., MS-DOS, Linux terminal).

14. What is virtual memory?

    Virtual memory is a technique where part of the hard disk is used as an extension of RAM, allowing the system to run programs larger than physical memory.

15. What is booting and what are its two types?

    Booting is the process of starting a computer and loading the OS. Cold/hard boot starts from a powered-off state; warm/soft boot restarts an already running computer (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+Del).

16. What is the Internet?

    The Internet is a global network of interconnected computer networks that communicate using the TCP/IP protocol suite to share information and resources.

17. What is the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW)?

    The Internet is the global hardware/network infrastructure. The WWW is a service running on the Internet—a collection of interlinked web pages accessed via browsers using HTTP.

18. What is a URL and what are its main parts?

    URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of a web resource. Its parts include the protocol (https), domain name (www.example.com), and path (/page).

19. What is an IP address?

    An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique numerical label assigned to each device on a network to identify and locate it (e.g., 192.168.1.1).

20. What is the function of DNS?

    DNS (Domain Name System) translates human-readable domain names (e.g., google.com) into machine-readable IP addresses.

21. What is a web browser? Give examples.

    A web browser is application software used to access and view websites on the Internet. Examples: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari.

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