Computer Knowledge
Computer Knowledge covers the fundamentals a bank IT desk assumes you know: hardware, memory, number systems, operating systems, office software and internet basics. Questions are short and factual, so revising definitions and shortcuts pays off quickly.
Core facts
- Generations: first - vacuum tubes; second - transistors; third - integrated circuits; fourth - microprocessors; fifth - artificial intelligence.
- Memory: 1 byte = 8 bits; 1 KB = 1024 bytes; the order is bit, byte, KB, MB, GB, TB, PB. RAM is volatile and primary; ROM is non-volatile; cache sits between CPU and RAM; SSD and HDD are secondary storage.
- Number systems: binary base 2, octal 8, decimal 10, hexadecimal 16; group 4 bits for hex and 3 bits for octal.
- Operating system: process scheduling, deadlock, virtual memory. Windows shortcuts - Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager, F2 renames, Alt+F4 closes, Ctrl+Z undoes.
- Internet: DNS resolves names to IP addresses; HTTP and HTTPS are application-layer protocols; SMTP sends mail while POP3 and IMAP receive it.
Worked example
Convert 11011010 in binary to hexadecimal. Group from the right: 1101 1010. Here 1101 = D (13) and 1010 = A (10), so the answer is DA in hex, which is 218 in decimal. Check: 128 + 64 + 16 + 8 + 2 = 218.
Traps
Writing 1 KB as 1000 bytes; calling ROM volatile; deleting a shortcut and assuming the program is uninstalled; forgetting that hexadecimal uses A to F; mixing up SMTP with POP3 and IMAP.