About this previous year paper
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING – B.Tech (Semester IV), RCS-402
This is a 3-hour, 70-mark theory examination aimed at assessing students’ understanding of software development processes, life-cycle models, documentation, design principles, testing strategies, metrics, and software management.
The paper is divided into three structured sections, testing conceptual clarity, descriptive depth, and analytical reasoning.
SECTION A — Short Answer Questions (2 × 7 = 14 Marks)
This section consists of 7 brief conceptual questions, assessing basic theoretical knowledge.
Topics include:
SEI–CMM process maturity levels Evolutionary vs throw-away prototyping
Context-level DFD for Safe Home Software Horizontal vs vertical partitioning
Verification vs validation Equivalence partitioning
Software re-engineering
These questions test fundamental definitions, conceptual differences, and basic diagrams.
SECTION B — Descriptive Questions (7 × 3 = 21 Marks)
Attempt any 3 out of 5.
This section requires detailed explanation, diagrams, and design or testing logic.
Topics include:
Iterative waterfall model & spiral model Software requirements documentation & importance
Data, architectural & procedural design Abstraction, modularity & decomposition in design
Black-box testing, integration testing & their outputs
This section evaluates process understanding, design concepts, and software testing methods.
SECTION C — Long Answer / Analytical Questions (7 marks each)
Each question provides a choice (a or b) and requires deeper reasoning and structured explanation.
Q3 – Software Process Paradigms & Spiral Model
Various software process paradigms
How waterfall & prototyping fit inside the spiral model
OR: Importance of product vs process
Q4 – Feasibility & SRS (Software Requirements Specification)
Types of feasibility studies & their effects
Structure and importance of a detailed SRS document
Q5 – Design Principles & Evaluation
Design concepts (abstraction, refinement, modularity, architecture, patterns)
Characteristics of good design, types of coupling & cohesion, design evaluation
Q6 – Software Testing Concepts
Boundary value analysis + examples
System testing and its detailed explanation
Q7 – Software Metrics & CASE Tools
Need for software measures & types of metrics
Short notes: CASE tools & software complexity measure
This section assesses analytical ability, design thinking, process reasoning, and testing depth, which are essential in real-world software engineering.
OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE EXAM
The paper aims to evaluate whether a student can:
Understand & compare multiple software life-cycle models
Prepare and interpret requirement documents and SRS
Apply software design principles (coupling, cohesion, modularity)
Perform testing methods such as BVA, black-box & system testing
Understand software metrics, complexity measures & CASE tools
Explain documentation, feasibility, and process management
Compare prototyping, architectural models, and software development strategies