DSST MIS study plan

Define each layer of the OSI and TCP/IP models and place at least two protocols per layer in a self-drawn table.

Distinguish circuit switching from packet switching and list three tradeoffs that affect an organization's WAN choice.

Classify transmission media (twisted pair, coax, fiber, wireless) by bandwidth, distance, and cost, and pick one for a stated office scenario.

Explain how modulation, multiplexing, and bandwidth relate to channel capacity well enough to interpret a simple throughput problem.

Compare LAN topologies and Ethernet standards, then state which topology limits failure propagation and why.

Trace a packet across router, switch, and hub devices and identify the addressing used at each hop.

Describe how DNS, DHCP, and NAT support end-user connectivity and where each introduces a single point of failure.

Identify the three components of risk (asset, threat, vulnerability) and apply them to an unpatched web server.

Differentiate symmetric and asymmetric encryption and match each to a concrete use such as bulk transfer versus key exchange.

Explain how digital signatures, certificates, and public key infrastructure establish authentication and nonrepudiation.

Distinguish authentication factors and select an appropriate multifactor scheme for remote staff.

Compare firewall types, intrusion detection versus prevention, and VPN tunneling by the threat each addresses.

Recognize common attack categories (spoofing, denial of service, social engineering, malware) and map each to a control.

Sequence the systems development life cycle phases and state the key output of each phase.

Contrast waterfall, iterative, and agile approaches and justify one for a project with volatile requirements.

Write functional and nonfunctional requirements that pass a testability check.

Build a context and level-0 data flow diagram that balances inputs and outputs.

Translate a data flow diagram into an entity-relationship model with cardinalities.

Compute payback period, return on investment, and net present value for a proposed system and interpret each result.

Classify costs as tangible or intangible and one-time or recurring for an information systems proposal.

Explain how a decision support system differs from a transaction processing system and an executive information system in data, users, and time horizon.

Apply a structured decision technique such as a decision table or weighted scoring model to a build-versus-buy choice.

Describe prototyping and joint application design as requirements-gathering methods and when each fits.

Distinguish data, information, and knowledge and give an example of each from one business process.

Compare tacit and explicit knowledge and name a mechanism that converts one to the other.

Describe the roles of a knowledge base, expert system, and collaborative platform in organizational learning.

Explain how communities of practice and incentives influence knowledge sharing behavior.

Identify intellectual property and retention risks when key staff leave and propose mitigations.

Differentiate operational data stores, data warehouses, and data marts by scope and purpose.

Explain schema design choices (star versus snowflake), fact versus dimension tables, and grain.

Describe extract-transform-load steps and two data quality problems that transformation must resolve.

Distinguish supervised from unsupervised data mining and match classification, clustering, and association rules to business questions.

Explain how online analytical processing operations such as roll-up, drill-down, and slice support analysis.

Retrieve and apply the defining distinction for each of the seven domains without notes.

Resolve every missed practice item by writing the correct concept and the reason the chosen answer was wrong.

Complete two timed full-length practice sets and record domain-level accuracy.

Rehearse the highest-yield formulas and lists: net present value, payback, OSI layers, risk components, data warehouse schema terms.