Fundamental Information Technology Engineer ExaminationStudy guide

Covers binary and hexadecimal representation inside a computer and base conversion, complement notation for negative numbers, floating-point numbers for real values and the errors they introduce (rounding, cancellation, loss of trailing digits), and the basics of information content and encoding.

Covers logical operations (AND/OR/NOT, etc.) and De Morgan's laws, the logic circuits that physically implement them, BNF for rigorously defining the syntax of programming languages and protocols, regular expressions for describing string patterns, and finite automata for modeling system behavior via state transitions.

Covers arrays and lists for organizing data a program works with, the last-in-first-out stack (LIFO), the first-in-first-out queue (FIFO), tree structures (binary trees) for hierarchy, hashing for fast lookup, and graphs for representing network-like relationships.

Covers search for finding target data (linear search, binary search), sorting to order data (bubble sort, quicksort, merge sort), recursion where a routine calls itself, and Big-O notation (O(n), O(log n), O(n^2)) for expressing algorithm efficiency as a function of input size.

Covers how to read the IPA pseudocode used in Exam B of the FE exam: procedure declarations, variables and assignment (<-), conditional branching (if / elseif / else / endif), loops (for / while), array indexing, and how to trace code—manually executing it line by line to follow how values change.

Covers the three major paradigms—procedural programming (describing a sequence of steps), object-oriented programming (encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism), and functional programming (avoiding side effects)—along with representative languages (Python, Java, C, R, Go), the markup and data-description formats used for data exchange (HTML, XML, JSON), and the roles of an API and a library.

Learn the basic cycle by which a CPU executes instructions (fetch, decode, execute, store), and the registers, pipelining, and CISC/RISC design philosophies that determine its speed. We also cover performance metrics such as clock frequency and MIPS, and how multicore processors and GPUs divide labor, organizing the processor as a whole from a practical perspective.

Learn the difference between volatile RAM and non-volatile ROM, cache memory (the write-through and write-back schemes) that bridges the speed gap between the CPU and main memory, virtual memory (paging) that lets you work with more address space than physical main memory, and the overall picture of the storage hierarchy that trades off speed, capacity, and cost. We also touch on calculating access time and hit rate.

Learn representative system configuration patterns: centralized processing vs. distributed processing, the client-server system, the three-tier web architecture, and clustering with load balancing. We also cover virtualization (hypervisors), which runs multiple operating systems on one physical machine, the lighter-weight container approach, and how IaaS/PaaS/SaaS cloud service models differ.

Learn response time and turnaround time, which describe how fast a system responds, and throughput, which describes its processing capacity, along with benchmarks used to measure them. We also cover the numerical measures of reliability, availability (calculated for series and parallel connections) and MTBF/MTTR, the comprehensive reliability perspective RASIS, and failure-handling design philosophies (fault tolerant, fail-safe, fail-soft).

Learn the resource management role the OS plays, state transitions in task (process) management, and scheduling schemes (such as round robin) that allocate CPU time. We also cover mutual exclusion (semaphores) needed when multiple tasks compete for a resource, the deadlock this can cause, the basics of file management, and the idea of OSS (open source software).

Learn logic circuits—the foundation of digital circuits, split into combinational circuits and sequential circuits—and the flip-flop, which stores state. We also cover IoT devices, made up of sensors that capture real-world information and actuators that physically act on computer instructions, embedded systems specialized for a particular purpose under tight resource constraints, and power-saving design thinking.

Learn universal design, which aims for products usable by everyone; the distinction between UX (user experience), which designs the overall experience, and UI (user interface), which designs the operable screen; accessibility, ensuring information is reachable regardless of disability; human interfaces (GUI, voice UI, gesture input) covering human-machine interaction; and structuring information (menu hierarchies, card sorting) so users can understand it easily.

Learn the distinction between lossless compression and lossy compression for reducing data size; representative formats JPEG, PNG, MPEG, and MP3; the three stages of digitizing analog information—sampling, quantization, and encoding; VR (virtual reality), which lets users experience a virtual space, versus AR (augmented reality), which overlays information onto the real world; and CG, computer-generated and computer-processed imagery.

Learn the relational model, which handles data as tables; normalization (first through third normal form), which eliminates redundancy and update anomalies; SQL (SELECT, JOIN, GROUP BY) for manipulating tables; the primary key, which uniquely identifies a row, and the foreign key, which references another table; the transaction, which groups multiple operations as a unit (the ACID properties); concurrency control (locking, deadlock) for managing simultaneous access; rollback and roll-forward for recovering from failures; and where NoSQL fits in.

Learn the OSI reference model, which organizes communication into layers, and the layers used in practice by TCP/IP; IP addresses and subnet masks, which identify devices on a network; routing, which chooses a path; DNS for name resolution and DHCP for automatic address assignment; representative protocols such as HTTP/HTTPS, SMTP, POP, and IMAP; LANs (wired Ethernet and wireless LAN); and the frequently tested skill of bandwidth/transfer-time calculation.

Learn the three pillars of information security (confidentiality, integrity, availability, i.e. CIA) plus the complementary properties authenticity, accountability, non-repudiation, and reliability, and how information assets relate to threats and vulnerabilities. Also cover the risk management process (risk identification / risk analysis / risk evaluation / risk response) and the four categories of risk response (mitigation, retention, avoidance, transfer).

Learn the types of malware (virus, worm, Trojan horse, ransomware, spyware), targeted attacks and phishing, web application attacks such as SQL injection, XSS, and CSRF, denial-of-service via DoS/DDoS attacks, man-in-the-middle attacks on communications, password attacks (brute-force, dictionary, and password-list attacks), social engineering that exploits human psychology, and supply chain attacks that go through business partners.

Learn how symmetric-key cryptography and public-key cryptography work and when to use each, the hybrid cryptography that combines both, hash functions used to detect tampering, digital signatures that prove authorship, the PKI (public-key infrastructure) and certificate authorities (CAs) that guarantee a public key's validity, SSL/TLS that protects web communications, multi-factor authentication and biometric authentication that verify identity via multiple factors, and challenge-response authentication that prevents impersonation over a network.

Learn about network-perimeter defenses — firewalls, IDS/IPS, WAF — and the DMZ that isolates externally facing servers, VPN for securely connecting remote sites, the zero trust approach that does not rely on perimeter defense, the organizational security management framework ISMS/ISO/IEC 27001, the structure of a security policy, access control (least privilege, separation of duties), log management, and the CSIRT/incident response process for handling incidents.

Learn the flow of the software development process (requirements definition, external design, internal design, implementation, testing, operations), module decomposition (strength and coupling), object-oriented design and UML, testing techniques (white-box testing, black-box testing, coverage criteria), and reviews (inspection, walkthrough).

Learn the characteristics and selection criteria of development models (waterfall model, agile development, Scrum, XP (Extreme Programming)), DevOps and CI/CD (continuous integration/delivery), IaC (Infrastructure as Code), estimation techniques (function point method, COCOMO), and configuration management/version control.

Learn, on the foundation of the PMBOK body of knowledge, scope management via the WBS (work breakdown structure), schedule management via arrow diagrams, PERT, and the critical path, cost management via EVM (earned value management), and the management areas of quality, risk, and stakeholders.

Learn SLA (Service Level Agreement)/SLM (Service Level Management) under the ITIL framework, the processes of incident management, problem management, change management, and configuration management, the role of the service desk, capacity management/availability management, and data center facilities (UPS, seismic isolation).

Learn the system audit process (audit planning, execution, reporting, follow-up), audit evidence and audit techniques (interviews, document review, on-site inspection, computer-assisted audit techniques), internal control (IT controls, segregation of duties), auditability, and the independence of the auditor.

Learn the IT strategy that realizes management goals, Enterprise Architecture (EA) as the blueprint for organization-wide optimization, BPR/BPM and business process modeling that rework the business itself, RPA that automates routine tasks, and DX (digital transformation) that reshapes business models through IT. We also cover system planning and requirements definition when moving a system forward, external procurement via RFI/RFP, and forms of solution business.

Learn competitive strategy tools that analyze the competitive landscape—SWOT analysis, PPM, Five Forces analysis, and core competence—as well as marketing (4P, STP) for delivering value to customers, KGI/KPI/CSF and the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for measuring how well a strategy is achieved, CRM/SCM/ERP that support customers, supply networks, and core operations, and the value chain that captures the flow of added value across a company's activities.

Learn MOT (management of technology), which leverages technology as a management resource, innovation that brings disruptive change, the technology roadmap that lays out future technology development, and practical AI applications including IoT, machine learning, deep learning, CNN (convolutional neural network), and generative AI, plus business systems such as POS and EDI, e-business such as e-commerce and fintech, and JIT, which eliminates waste in production.

Learn forms of corporate organization, the fundamentals of accounting including the income statement, balance sheet, and break-even point, OR/IE that treat inventory and planning mathematically (linear programming, hypothesis testing, the seven QC tools), intellectual property rights such as copyright and industrial property rights, security regulations such as the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, labor and trade regulations such as the Act on Proper Subcontracting Transactions(renamed) and the Worker Dispatch Act, and standardization via ISO/JIS.