Kerala Technological University
How To Crack KTU Computer Science S6
Everything you need to know about APJ Abdul Kalam Kerala Technological University Computer Science and Engineering Semester 6. We will discuss different subjects, labs, honours degree and study tips.
Let us look deep into semester 6 of KTU in Computer Science and Engineering(CSE) for the 2015 scheme.
Purpose of the article
Most of the students are clueless about what they are studying ever since they have started college life. Some of them lose interest soon, or some gradually. Only a handful, stay interested and committed till the end.
The major reason is like lack of guidance/mentorship. Knowing why and what you study these subjects up to an extent can reduce up your burden. Apart from rote learning, getting the right materials can push up your grades and reduce effort. Also, with pandemic affecting and plaguing the education system as well as your studies.
Read about the confused education system-
I agree with the fact that this semester just like your S5 will also be mostly online. But the exams may be conducted offline or online depending on the situation. Unlike previous semesters we can understand that the third year has a lot of important core subjects. These are not only important for your grades but also for your career.
So just leaving this semester won’t be helpful in the long run. If you expect just to pass with nominal marks then surely this article be helpful for you.
THEORY SUBJECTS OVERVIEW
Just like any normal semester, you will have six theory subjects and two labs. S6 CS has a lot of core papers which more or less will be difficult from an exam point of view.
The first and most important subject is the Design and Analysis of Algorithms. A good understanding of Data Structures that you have learnt in S3 is essential. Most of those concepts will be required here also. In this subject, you will learn about asymptotic notations, different algorithms, graphs, trees, numerical problems based on graphs, etc.
A good understanding of Graph theory (S5 subject) and basic numerical will indeed boost your understanding. This subject is worth 4 credits and it is important for higher studies, GATE, etc. This subject will help you write time-efficient as well as the best algorithm for solving a given problem.
There are a lot of youtube videos that explain all the topics in a simple and lucid way. You can refer to them and understand them but always try to practice them by yourself. Also, the common issue raised every year regarding this paper is that the exam is lengthy and hard. Understand the time constraints and work accordingly.
The second important academic subject is Compiler Design. Just as the name suggests, you will learn about the basics of compilers and their stages in detail. The main precursor to this subject is the Theory of Computation that you have learnt in S5. All basic topics like NFA, DFA, Context-Free Grammar, Parsers, etc. are important here as well.
In CD, you will be taught about various compilers, types of parsers, how to parse expressions, converting parse tree to intermediate code and a lot more. After learning this subject you will be able to design your own compiler. Also do keep in your mind that you will have a Compiler Design lab in S7.
Understanding all topics is very important as well as knowing to solve the problems too. Do practise a couple of problems as the theory itself will not help you pass the exam.
The third subject is Computer Networks. This a vast subject and you can never cover it in one or two days before the exam. You will learn in detail about the OSI model and various layers in computer networks in the first module. In subsequent modules, you will learn in detail about all these layers.
Understanding the basics of networking concepts, network programming will really help you ace the subject. Coming to applications of the topic, it is really an important branch of CS and if you’re interested in it you can qualify for companies that require network engineers, network programmers, etc.
This subject includes a lot of understanding, learning by heart as well as knowing the concepts. Also, you're required to study and memorise a lot of block diagrams, architecture etc. So you have no other option to memorise them, write and learn everything that is important.
The next subject in the queue is Software Engineering And Project Management (SEPM). This is purely a theory-based subject. You will learn everything about Software Engineering concepts and principles.
Concepts include software models, coding, testing, management techniques, SRS, SDS, etc. Most of these are known topics and you will have to learn them elaborately. We must have spent a lot of time in S5 with Design Project so you will automatically find SEPM easy. This subject is important as many of you are aiming for an IT or software-based job.
Since the subject is a lot of theory unlike other subjects, you must memorise important keywords and expand them while writing answers. Otherwise, these subjects are easy enough for you to pass.
The fifth and second last subject is Principles of Management (POM). As the name suggests it is not a core subject. It's purely a non-tech theory based subject. This is an easy and scoring subject so don’t give this subject a miss. Here, you will have to deal with the basics of Management, Theories on management, Planning, Decision Making, Leadership, People mgmt etc.
This subject is going to give you a solid foundation for higher studies, especially in MBA and other business-based subjects. The main challenge you will face is the vast topics and writing good answers.
The big crack you should use if you aren’t able to by heart is to memorise the points. In the exam, jot down the block points and elaborate on your own understanding with examples. Writing lengthy answers and essays needs practice and skill. Just like previous subjects like Life Skills, Business Economics, etc. you need the ability to write long answers here also.
The last subject is going to be an elective. The most popular choice remains to be Web Technology, Mobile Computing and Natural Language Processing. Given that my own elective was also Web Technology, I will be writing in detail on that.
When you are a CS student, it's a must that you must understand the basics of everything in the domain. Web technology introduces designing and coding your own web pages. Each module is going to be much different from the other.
The topics you will learn here is basic internet concepts, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, XML and PHP. Each topic takes only one module and you can learn them easily. For the exam, you need to learn both theory and practical code writing. There are a lot of good online tutorials which have excellent materials on these topics to which you can refer.
Honours Subject
I am also here to introduce you to the subject of Mobile Computing if that's the elective you are going to opt for. This subject was part of my Honours degree. So, it depends from person to person. You can opt for Mobile Computing for elective and Web technology for Honours or vice versa.
Mobile Computing as the name deals with networking and working for computers that are mobile or that move. This is a relatively simple subject with concepts taken from both Data Communication and Networks. The concepts are easy but might be confusing.
There will be a lot of architecture diagrams, flow diagrams, theory explanations, etc. Some important topics include basic terminologies, cellular technologies, TCP, IP, 3G, 4G, 5G, Bluetooth, network security, etc. A lot of topics will be helpful in your future subjects or even say will be interesting if you are going to the telecom industry.
Laboratory Overview
This semester you will be having two lab subjects.
The first one will be a CS-based lab ie. Networking Lab where you will apply all those concepts that you are learning in Computer Networks. Along with coding, understanding theory concepts, their application and viva are equally important. Programs like Pipe, TCP, Socket etc are frequently asked. You will be using the C language for programming. At this time, you will be coding and uploading the program files from home itself.
The second one will be the Microprocessor lab. This is going to be quite different from the subject you learnt in S5. Here in the lab, you will be focusing purely on programming on both Computer and Kit. This is an Electronics subject and thus you need to have hardware interest in you.
You need to learn more about 8086, 8051, MASM programming. You need to have a good grasp of Assembly language programming for excelling in this subject.
Course Viva
All subjects which you have studied from your first year are going to come up for an exam! Shocked?
This is a subject where you will be having one internal viva, an external viva and an MCQ based university exam. Our batch was lucky enough to miss both the external viva and university exam. Instead, we just had a pure internal exam due to the pandemic. That may or may not be the same case for you.
As for the internal viva, our own faculty will be the evaluators. They will be shortlisting our own core subjects for the same. All of them will be from the second and third year. For CS, the important subjects will be COA, OS, DBMS, TOC, Data Structures, Discrete Maths, and Networks. Focusing more on these subjects will be beneficial for both internal and external viva. For external viva, you will have viva from an external examiner.
For the MCQ based exam, you should be aware of all important subjects starting from Physics, Maths, Chemistry, Graphics, to all your core subjects. You must be able to crack them all together to get a good score. This exam is going to look like B-Tech in a nutshell.
Materials
Choosing the right material is not only important for you to ace the exams but also to understand the subject to the core. It's not just needed that you pass the exam. You can refer to online notes or slides which your teachers provide. Also, refer to previous sample papers for the type and style of questions asked. Often questions get repeated every year.
Here is the Google Drive to S6 notes which you can use. This was prepared by my friend Harikrishnan.
Overall, S6 is going to be moderately hard with a mix of tough and easy subjects. The schedule is going to be tough, but nothing is impossible. There hundreds of online tutorials and materials which you can refer to.
