Computer Awareness
Computer Awareness tests hardware, memory, operating systems, MS Office, internet and networking basics, cyber hygiene, and Rajasthan's e-governance platforms.
Hardware and memory
The CPU contains the ALU, control unit and registers. RAM is volatile primary memory; ROM is non-volatile and holds firmware. Cache is faster than RAM and sits between CPU and RAM. Units are binary: 8 bits = 1 byte, 1 KB = 1024 bytes, 1 MB = 1024 KB, 1 GB = 1024 MB, 1 TB = 1024 GB. A nibble is 4 bits.
Software, Office and internet
System software includes the operating system, which manages memory, processes and files; application software includes browsers and word processors. In MS Word, Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I and Ctrl+U toggle bold, italic and underline; Ctrl+Z undoes and Ctrl+Y redoes; Ctrl+P prints. Excel formulas begin with "="; a cell reference such as B4 can be relative, absolute ($B$4) or mixed. A browser displays pages fetched over HTTP/HTTPS; a search engine is a website, not a browser. HTTPS encrypts traffic with TLS.
Rajasthan e-governance
SSO Rajasthan provides single sign-on for state services; Jan Aadhaar is the family-based identity and benefit platform; e-Mitra kiosks deliver citizen services locally; IFMS handles state treasury and payment workflows.
Worked example
How many MB are in a 4 GB pen drive? 4 × 1024 = 4096 MB. The reasoning is that storage uses powers of 1024, so 4 GB is not 4000 MB, though exam options often include both figures.
Traps
Calling RAM non-volatile; confusing Mb (megabit) with MB (megabyte); treating a search engine as a browser; mixing Ctrl+Z with Ctrl+Y; assuming HTTPS changes page content rather than securing the connection.