Computer Organisation And Architecture (COA) Practice Exam
Computer Organisation And Architecture (COA) Practice Exam
About Computer Organisation And Architecture (COA) Exam
The Computer Organisation and Architecture (COA) Exam is designed for individuals seeking to understand how computers work at the hardware level. The exam covers internal system design, data processing, memory organization, control units, ALU, instruction sets, and I/O systems. It’s ideal for students, tech professionals, or anyone preparing for computer science or IT-related roles. By bridging theoretical concepts with practical hardware insights, this exam builds your ability to analyze computer systems, optimize performance, and understand the logic behind computations. Whether preparing for advanced courses or technical interviews, COA provides an essential foundation in computing systems and architectures.
Who should take the Exam?
This exam is ideal for:
- Computer science and IT students
- Aspiring software and hardware engineers
- Candidates preparing for tech interviews or GATE
- Professionals looking to understand how systems operate internally
- Educators and trainers in computer science fields
Skills Required
- Basic understanding of computers and binary number systems
- Familiarity with programming logic or algorithms
- Interest in how systems process, store, and manage data
Knowledge Gained
- Structure of computer systems and internal architecture
- Functioning of CPU, memory, and control units
- Instruction cycles, pipelining, and memory hierarchy
- Micro-operations and register transfer logic
- Input/output techniques and hardware-software interaction
Course Outline
The Computer Organisation And Architecture (COA) Exam covers the following topics -
Domain 1 – Basics of Computer Organisation
- Computer components and system buses
- Von Neumann architecture and stored program concept
- Instruction cycle and interrupts
Domain 2 – Data Representation and Arithmetic
- Binary, octal, hexadecimal systems
- Signed number representation, BCD, and floating-point numbers
- Arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
Domain 3 – Processor and Control Unit Design
- ALU, CPU structure and micro-operations
- Instruction formats, addressing modes
- Control unit design: hardwired and microprogrammed control
Domain 4 – Memory Organisation
- Types of memory: RAM, ROM, cache, virtual memory
- Memory hierarchy and access methods
- Associative and multi-level memory
Domain 5 – Input/Output and Pipelining
- I/O devices and interfacing
- Programmed I/O, interrupt-driven I/O, and DMA
- Instruction pipelining and hazards
