100+ Free Ruankao Database Systems Engineer (Intermediate) Practice Questions

Prepare for the Computer Technology and Software Professional Qualification (Level) Examination — Intermediate Database Systems Engineer (计算机技术与软件专业技术资格（水平）考试 — 中级数据库系统工程师) exam with instant access — no signup required.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card✓ No hidden fees✓ Start practicing immediately

100+ Questions

100% Free

Loading practice questions...

Same family resources

Explore More China Computer Technology and Software Professional Qualification Examinations (软考)

Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.

Ruankao Information System Management Engineer — Intermediate (软考中级信息系统管理工程师, China)

Practice Questions100 questions

Ruankao Information System Operations Administrator — Junior (软考初级信息系统运行管理员, China)

Practice Questions100 questions

2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Ruankao Database Systems Engineer (Intermediate) Exam

45/75

Passing score required on each of the two subjects in the same sitting

National 软考 fixed passing standard (60% of 75) cited in 深人考发〔2026〕7号

240 minutes

Combined CBT time for 信息系统知识 then 数据库系统设计与管理

软考 computer-based sitting rules for intermediate qualifications; 2026 upper-half 批次通告

23–26 May 2026

Upper-half-year 2026 sitting window (this qualification is not in the October window)

计考办〔2026〕1号 / 深人考发〔2026〕7号; Shenzhen 报考指引; ruankao.org.cn 上半年批次通告

RMB 73/subject

Guangdong/Shenzhen fee example

粤发改价格函〔2024〕1073 via 深人考发〔2026〕7号

No score rollover

Both subjects must be passed together

软考 two-subject sitting rule

软考 Intermediate Database Systems Engineer is a Chinese CBT qualification: knowledge MCQs plus a short-answer design-and-management paper in one 240-minute sitting, 45/75 on each subject, no score rollover. The 2026 sitting is 23–26 May 2026 only. This 100-question English MCQ bank adapts relational theory, SQL, design, and DBA judgment; it is not an official paper.

Sample Ruankao Database Systems Engineer (Intermediate) Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Ruankao Database Systems Engineer (Intermediate) exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In the von Neumann model used in 软考 computer-architecture teaching, which sequence is the basic CPU instruction cycle?

A.Decode, then fetch the instruction, then execute

B.Fetch the instruction, decode it, then execute it

C.Execute the instruction, then fetch the next opcode, then decode

D.Write back to memory, then decode, then fetch

Explanation: A conventional CPU instruction cycle fetches the next instruction from memory using the program counter, decodes the opcode and addressing mode, then executes the operation (which may include a memory operand access). Decode-before-fetch and execute-before-fetch reverse the data path. Write-back is a cache or pipeline stage, not the start of the instruction cycle.

2A query loop scans Emp rows in primary-key order and repeatedly reads adjacent 8 KB pages. Which hardware property is this access pattern mainly exploiting?

A.Spatial locality in the cache and memory hierarchy

B.Write-allocate policy on every store

C.TLB shootdown across all cores

D.Instruction-level backward compatibility of CISC only

Explanation: Spatial locality means that an access to address A makes nearby addresses likely to be used soon. Sequential page scans hit that pattern in cache lines and OS prefetch. Write-allocate is a miss-handling policy for stores, TLB shootdown is a multiprocessor invalidation event, and CISC compatibility is unrelated to sequential table scans.

3A DBMS data page is cached. The platform uses write-through caching for that page. What is the essential property of write-through compared with write-back?

A.Dirty cache blocks are written to lower-level storage only when the block is evicted

B.Reads bypass the cache and always go to disk

C.Each write updates the cache block and also updates lower-level storage before the write is considered complete

D.Parity is striped across disks so one disk failure is tolerated

Explanation: Write-through keeps the next lower level consistent on every store: the cache copy and memory (or controller) are both updated as part of the write. Write-back delays the memory update until eviction, which is the opposite policy. Bypassing the cache on reads is not write-through. RAID parity is a disk-array technique, not a CPU/cache write policy.

4A storage array uses five equal-size disks. It must survive any single disk failure and still serve I/O, and it should not devote a whole disk solely to a dedicated parity drive. Which RAID level matches this requirement in 软考 teaching?

A.RAID 0 striping with no redundancy

B.RAID 6 dual distributed parity when only one disk may fail

C.RAID 1 mirroring of two disks only, ignoring the other three

D.RAID 5 block striping with distributed parity

Explanation: RAID 5 stripes data and parity across member disks so any one disk can fail and the array can reconstruct the missing block. Parity is distributed rather than parked on a dedicated parity disk (that dedicated-parity layout is the older RAID 4 idea). RAID 0 has no redundancy. RAID 1 mirrors pairs and does not by itself use five disks as described. RAID 6 is designed to survive two disk failures, which overstates the stated requirement.

5A database process issued a synchronous read and is waiting for the disk interrupt. In a three-state process model (running, ready, blocked), which state is it in until the I/O completes?

A.Running, because it still occupies a time slice

B.Ready, because the CPU scheduler can run it immediately

C.Zombie, because it has finished but is not reaped

D.Blocked (waiting), because it cannot run until the I/O event arrives

Explanation: A process that has requested I/O and cannot continue until the device completes is blocked/waiting. It is not running because it has yielded the CPU for the wait, and it is not ready because the scheduler must not dispatch it until the interrupt marks the buffer complete. Zombie is a terminated process awaiting parent collection, which this wait is not.

6Coffman's four necessary conditions for deadlock are mutual exclusion, hold-and-wait, no preemption, and circular wait. Which listed condition is NOT one of those four?

A.Starvation of a low-priority process by a CPU scheduler

B.Mutual exclusion on a non-sharable resource

C.Hold-and-wait while requesting another resource

D.Circular wait among processes each holding one resource

Explanation: Deadlock requires the four Coffman conditions at once. Starvation (indefinite postponement by scheduling) can occur without a circular wait and is a different liveness failure. Mutual exclusion, hold-and-wait, and circular wait are three of the four deadlock conditions (the fourth is no preemption).

7Which page-replacement policy is known to exhibit Belady's anomaly, where increasing the number of page frames can increase the number of page faults for some reference strings?

A.Optimal replacement (replace the page used farthest in the future)

B.Least-recently-used (LRU) replacement

C.First-in, first-out (FIFO) replacement

D.Clock replacement when it behaves as a stack algorithm

Explanation: Belady's anomaly is the counterintuitive rise in faults when the resident-set size grows. FIFO is the classic policy that is not a stack algorithm and can show the anomaly. Optimal and LRU are stack algorithms: the pages in a smaller memory are a subset of those in a larger one for the same reference string, so extra frames cannot increase faults. Clock is an LRU approximation, not the FIFO anomaly example used in textbooks.

8After lexical analysis has produced a token stream, which compiler phase typically checks that an identifier has been declared before use and that operators are applied to compatible types?

A.Semantic analysis (including type checking and symbol-table use)

B.Lexical analysis (scanning) a second time

C.Object-code linking against the C library

D.Disk firmware microcode scheduling

Explanation: Lexical analysis classifies character sequences into tokens. Syntax analysis checks context-free structure. Semantic analysis uses the symbol table to enforce declaration-before-use, type compatibility, and similar context-sensitive rules. Linking resolves external symbols after compilation. Firmware scheduling is not a compiler phase.

9In the TCP/IP model used with 软考 network questions, which layer is responsible for end-to-end reliable byte-stream delivery between two application processes, including acknowledgements and retransmission?

A.Transport layer (TCP)

B.Network layer (IP forwarding only)

C.Data-link layer (Ethernet framing only)

D.Physical layer (bit signalling only)

Explanation: TCP at the transport layer provides a reliable, ordered byte stream with acknowledgements, retransmission, and ports that demultiplex to processes. IP at the network layer delivers datagrams hop-by-hop without TCP's reliability contract. Ethernet framing and physical signalling operate on a single link, not end-to-end between processes.

10Which exchange is the TCP three-way handshake that establishes a connection?

A.FIN, then ACK, then FIN, then ACK

B.ACK only from the client, then data

C.RST from both sides, then SYN

D.SYN, then SYN-ACK, then ACK

Explanation: Connection setup is SYN (client), SYN-ACK (server), ACK (client). The four-segment FIN/ACK sequence is connection release, not establishment. An ACK-only start does not advertise initial sequence numbers. RST aborts a connection; it is not the handshake.

About the Ruankao Database Systems Engineer (Intermediate) Exam

The Ruankao Intermediate Database Systems Engineer exam (软考中级数据库系统工程师) is a national computer-technology qualification under MIIT and MOHRSS. Official 考试说明 (https://www.ruankao.org.cn/article/content/bkzn/02_45.html) requires computer architecture, OS/language/compiler familiarity, data structures and algorithms, software engineering and project management, networks, database theory, large-DBMS application, database application design and development, administration/maintenance/security, database trends, IT standards/security/law, informatization, and English reading. Qualifiers can plan, design, build, run, and manage application information systems and high-quality databases and data warehouses, acting as data administrator and DBA. The 2026 sitting is in the upper-half window 23–26 May 2026 only (计考办〔2026〕1号 / 深人考发〔2026〕7号); this qualification is not in the October window. Delivery is computer-based in Chinese: two subjects in one sitting, combined 240 minutes. Both papers must reach 45/75; scores do not roll. There is no education or experience restriction. Fees are set provincially. This OpenExamPrep bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation, not an official translation or a substitute for the written design-and-management paper.

Assessment

Computer-based combined sitting of 240 minutes. First subject (信息系统知识): maximum 120 minutes and minimum 90 minutes. Remaining time is 数据库系统设计与管理. Candidates who will not sit the second subject may leave after 120 minutes; those continuing may leave 60 minutes before the end. Both subjects must reach 45/75 in the same sitting; scores do not roll.

Time Limit

240 minutes combined

Passing Score

45/75 each subject

Exam Fee

Provincially set (e.g. Guangdong/Shenzhen RMB 73/subject per 粤发改价格函〔2024〕1073 and 深人考发〔2026〕7号) (MIIT & MOHRSS / ruankao.org.cn)

Ruankao Database Systems Engineer (Intermediate) Exam Content Outline

12%

computer-systems-os-networks

Computer architecture and component performance, OS and programming-language/compiler familiarity, and computer-network principles from the official 考试说明

10%

data-structures-and-algorithms

Common data structures and algorithms that 数据库系统工程师 papers treat as 熟练掌握

20%

relational-theory-and-normalization

Relational model, three-schema architecture, functional dependencies, candidate keys, and 1NF/2NF/3NF/BCNF calculations

22%

sql-and-dbms-application

SQL queries, joins and result-set cardinality, integrity, views, indexes, and large-DBMS application technique

16%

database-design-and-development

ER-to-relational design, development process, software engineering and project-management familiarity, warehouses/OLAP, and application objects

20%

admin-backup-security-standards-law

Backup/recovery, concurrency and isolation, DAC/MAC/RBAC, trends, IT standards, PRC security/IP law, informatization, and English terms

How to Pass the Ruankao Database Systems Engineer (Intermediate) Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: 45/75 each subject
Assessment: Computer-based combined sitting of 240 minutes. First subject (信息系统知识): maximum 120 minutes and minimum 90 minutes. Remaining time is 数据库系统设计与管理. Candidates who will not sit the second subject may leave after 120 minutes; those continuing may leave 60 minutes before the end. Both subjects must reach 45/75 in the same sitting; scores do not roll.
Time limit: 240 minutes combined
Exam fee: Provincially set (e.g. Guangdong/Shenzhen RMB 73/subject per 粤发改价格函〔2024〕1073 and 深人考发〔2026〕7号)

Keys to Passing

Work through all 100 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Ruankao Database Systems Engineer (Intermediate) Study Tips from Top Performers

1Compute attribute closures until you can list candidate keys without guessing; 软考 cases often hide a partial dependency on a composite key.

2On normalization items, check 1NF → 2NF (no partial FD of a non-prime on a key) → 3NF (no transitive FD of a non-prime) → BCNF (every determinant is a superkey).

3Draw tiny instance tables and count INNER, LEFT, and CROSS JOIN rows; cardinality mistakes are more common than syntax mistakes.

4Memorize restore chains: full + latest differential, versus full + every incremental since that full.

5Treat 数据库系统设计与管理 cases as specification-reading: name the relation, keys, FDs, and the anomaly you are removing before you decompose.

6Do not skip the '了解' law, informatization, and English-term items — they are short but scored.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Ruankao Intermediate Database Systems Engineer qualification?

It is the Intermediate Database Systems Engineer subject (中级数据库系统工程师) in the Computer Technology and Software Professional Qualification (Level) Examination (软考). Official 考试说明: https://www.ruankao.org.cn/article/content/bkzn/02_45.html. Passing confers the corresponding intermediate professional qualification (工程师 level) and the ability to guide assistant engineers or technicians.

How is the official exam structured and scored?

Two subjects are taken in one computer-based sitting totaling 240 minutes. 信息系统知识 is a choice paper (maximum 120 minutes, minimum 90 minutes). Remaining time is 数据库系统设计与管理 (short-answer). Each subject is scored out of 75; both must reach 45 in the same sitting. Scores do not roll.

Who may sit the exam, and what does it cost?

There is no education or experience restriction under 国人部发〔2003〕39号. Fees are set by each province. Shenzhen/Guangdong charge RMB 73 per subject (深人考发〔2026〕7号 citing 粤发改价格函〔2024〕1073).

When is the 2026 sitting?

Database Systems Engineer is offered in the upper-half-year window only. Provincial notices implementing 计考办〔2026〕1号 / 深人考发〔2026〕7号 place the 2026 sitting on 23–26 May 2026 (Shenzhen lists 数据库系统工程师 under 5月23日至26日; the national first batch on 23 May is 8:30–12:30). It is not in the October 2026 window. Register through https://www.ruankao.org.cn/.

Why are these practice questions in English?

The official exam is in Chinese (officialLanguages: zh) and 数据库系统设计与管理 is a written short-answer paper. This OpenExamPrep bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation of syllabus knowledge and design/administration judgment. It is not an official translation, not a CBT simulation, and not a substitute for practicing Chinese case write-ups.