Free Practice Test: CLEP Information Systems

This section focuses on the fundamental utilities in an information system including productivity software such as word processors, office systems such as conferencing and collaboration platforms and operating systems. Most people have a decent understanding of productivity software, but only a few have a good grasp of operating systems and office systems. The best way to get a good grasp of productivity software is to go through some practical tutorials to understand the basic concepts. For operating systems, you will need to do a bit of reading on types of operating systems, types of memory and memory management in a computer system. You will also need to read on how computers manage files and what interfaces operating systems have. Additionally, you should also look at office/work systems such as email, and conferencing platforms; understand how they work and their application and relevance to daily tasks or operations.

Most people today use the internet so am sure a good number of the questions here will be natural. Nevertheless, it would be good if you read well on a couple of topics. Key topics to read up on include web protocols such as HTTP and HTTPS, cloud computing concepts such as types of clouds and the different types of cloud computing concepts and solutions available. You should also read on how browsers work and understand browser related aspects like cookies, URLs and industry standards. Finally, make a point of reading on web technologies and website technologies. Understand technologies such as HTML, XML, JavaScript, and CSS. You should also have a good understanding of analysis, design, and functionality with regards to web development.

This is not meant to scare you, but this section covers a broad section of subjects and therefore will require you to sharpen your knowledge in many sections. You will need to understand e-commerce concepts and business models. You will need to know about a bit about enterprise systems such as ERPs and CRMs. You will also have to read up on business strategies and understand concepts like process modeling and quality management. Additionally, learning about data management dimensions such as data warehousing and mining, storage, networking, and security will go a long way in getting your ready for this section. And finally, an understanding of information processing techniques such as batch and real-time processing will be critical.

This section evaluates your understanding of the physical components of information systems and their related dimensions. You will be examined on various types of devices and the category under which they fall in the information system ecosystem. An understanding of network architectures and wireless technologies will be required. Don’t fret, you will not be asked about wavelengths and spectrums, but a high-level understanding of these technologies will go a long way in helping to get you ready for your test. For this section you will also need to learn about computer architectures such as client/server setups and mainframes; and the functions of the main components (computer, network hardware, telecommunication hardware) that make up an information system.

Am sure you are now thinking about how you are going to have to learn to code and understand one or more programming languages to pass this section. But don’t let the title fool you, this segment just requires you to have an understanding of the frameworks and process that go into the software development process. You will need to know about software development methodologies such as SDLC, Agile, JAD and a few others. The software development processes of feasibility study, analysis, design, development and project management will also have to familiar to you. Furthermore, you will need to understand software implementation techniques and post-implementation activities and reviews. Finally, you will need to read up on the two software distribution standards, the proprietary model and the open source model.

This section delves a little deeper into software development. The segment explores programming logic and its concepts such as Boolean operations, arithmetic operations and structured query language (SQL). You will need to learn about conventional programming methodologies such as structured programming and the object-oriented model. You will need to research on many concepts relating to data including, types, structures, and representation. Another area interest in this segment is database management systems. You should make a point of reading up on relational databases, hierarchical databases, networking and database management strategies. Last but not least, you will need to know about file types and file structures.

This individual segment carries a quarter of the total marks in the exam. To score highly in this segment, you will need to understand many different concepts. You will need to appreciate the economic effects of information systems by looking at issues such as transactional security, viruses and malware and the cost of security. You will also need to have a reasonable understanding of privacy concerns and property rights. The segment will touch on the effects of information technology on jobs and workforce strategies in the society. You will need to know about computer security and controls relating to system applications, personal computers, and disaster recovery strategies. To wrap it up, you will also need to understand social networking, the technology that powers it, its benefits, risks, and ethical issues.