CSSA Software Engineering Trial Exam 2025

Question 1 (1 mark)

Which of the following best describes a Progressive Web App (PWA)?

A type of website with no offline capabilities.
A website that only supports desktop browsers.
A mobile application that requires installation from an app store.
A web app that uses modern web capabilities to deliver an app-like experience.

Question 2 (1 mark)

Fill in the missing word in the text box below.

Regression : Used for classification problems (e.g., spam detection).

Question 3 (1 mark)

What is the first step in the software development life cycle that impacts security?

Design Maintenance Requirements definition
Testing

Question 4 (1 mark)

An employee at an accounting firm accidentally sent a customer’s personal details to the wrong client. Although the data was not altered, it was exposed to someone who should not have access to it.

Which security principle was primarily compromised in this situation?

Authorisation Availability Confidentiality Integrity

Question 5 (1 mark)

An attacker creates the following URL and sends it to a victim:

http://example.com/search?q=<script>alert('You have been hacked!');</script> 

When the victim clicks on the link, the server reflects the malicious script back into the search results page, and it executes in the victim’s browser, displaying a popup with the message “You have been hacked!”

What type of vulnerability does this represent?

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Invalid forwarding and redirecting
SQL Injection

Question 6 (1 mark)

Which of the following best distinguishes artificial intelligence (AI) from machine learning (ML)?

AI is a subset of ML.
ML requires human input, while AI does not.
ML focuses on hardware, while AI focuses on software.
AI focuses on building systems that simulate human intelligence, while ML focuses on enabling machines to learn from data.

Question 7 (1 mark)

This diagram represents an artificial neural network.

Place the Layers in the correct order that matches the diagram.

(Note: The top description will represent Layer #1.)

≡ Transforms and processes data through weighted connections and activation functions.
≡ Predictions are based on the input data and hidden layer transformations
≡ Original data features for the network are processed.

Question 8 (1 mark)

Which statement below is true about client-side programming?

It interacts with the user interface on the browser.
It handles data requests from a database such as records and fields.
It manages server resources such as accounts, folders and files.
It processes database searches and data queries on the back-end.

Question 9 (1 mark)

What is a legal and ethical consideration related to the development of secure software?

Reducing the cost of development.
Meeting data privacy regulations.
Increasing the functionality of the software.
Developing software in multiple languages.

Question 10 (1 mark)

Which of the following is a key technique used in virtual personal assistants like Siri or Alexa?

Decision trees
Linear regression
Logistic regression
Neural networks

Question 11 (1 mark)

New software has been developed to complete a task. Users of the new software have been asked to stop using the old software immediately and start to use the new software.

What installation method is being used?

Direct cut over
Parallel Phased Pilot

Question 12 (1 mark)

How do the capabilities and experience of end users influence the secure design features of software?

Less experienced users may require security features that are automated and simple to use.
Experienced users require fewer security measures because they are less likely to make errors.
The security features of software should be identical for all users, regardless of their experience.
All users should be given full control over advanced security settings to prevent any vulnerabilities.

Question 13 (2 marks)

Place in the correct order the steps to describe how HTTPS/SSL encryption works when a user connects to a secure website.

(Note: The top description represents the first step of the HTTPS/SSL encryption process.)

≡ The client initiates a connection request to the server by requesting an HTTPS connection.
≡ The client and server agree on a shared encryption key, which will be used to encrypt data during the session.
≡ The server sends its SSL certificate to the client, which contains the server's public key and is verified by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA).
≡ The client and server use the encryption key to securely exchange data over the HTTPS connection.

Question 14 (3 marks)

Explain the difference between the ‘security by design’ approach and the ‘privacy by design’ approach.

0 / 90 words

Question 15 (5 marks)

A small café with five employees uses custom-built software to manage its point of sale (POS) system. The system has the following functions:

Record transactions and issue receipts to customers.
Delete transactions.
View daily sales data.

Currently, all employees have full access to all system functions. Recently, the manager has noticed that some transactions are being deleted throughout the day, with no way to track how or by whom these deletions occurred.

(a)

Outline TWO fundamental security concepts in software design that could help the manager address this issue. (2 marks)

0 / 90 words

(b)

Explain how conducting a vulnerability assessment could help improve the security of the POS system. (3 marks)

0 / 90 words

Question 16 (3 marks)

Explain how an Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) approach can enhance the automation of machine learning models.

0 / 90 words

Question 17 (7 marks)

A Web Developer has been approached to develop a website for a clothing company that requires an online ordering system.

The system would allow users to:

create an account,
browse for clothing items,
add items to a cart for checkout
make payment for their purchases.

The order created would be sent to the warehouse for processing and update the clothing company’s inventory and stock.

During the ordering process, the user is notified of updates to their order, including payment received, order processed, order dispatched and delivery.

(a)

Select the protocols required for the data being transferred. (2 marks)

	HTTP	TCP/IP	SFTP
Sending confirmation email for a created account
Sending private customer data between internal severs
Accessing the store’s website

(b)

Outline ONE collaborative practice back-end and front-end developers would need to engage to develop this website. (2 marks)

0 / 60 words

(c)

Explain how CSS would be utilised by the ordering website for browsing the range of clothing that users can search. (3 marks)

0 / 90 words

Question 18 (6 marks)

Bruce’s Burgers offers half priced burgers if the customer has a loyalty card or is a university student. This discount doesn’t apply on public holidays.

The following test data has been developed to be used:

The customer has a loyalty card, and is a university student, and the day is Boxing Day (Public Holiday).

(a)

Draw a decision tree using the test data. (2 marks)

(b)

Referring to the stimulus create an algorithm to determine the price paid by a customer. The algorithm should take the required input, complete checks with necessary control structures and the result with meaningful output. (4 marks)

Question 19 (6 marks)

Consider the following table that represents a database named Customers for a customer rating system:

(a)

Write an SQL statement that will display only the Username and Rating of customers who have a Rating of 90.0 or higher. (2 marks)

Query

(b)

A developer has chosen to construct a web application utilising python as the programming language.

Discuss the options of using Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) and SQL to store the Customers’ data. (4 marks)

0 / 120 words

Question 20 (7 marks)

Tickets for international superstar Yat Yat Fast are on sale for her tour of Australia. All tickets are General Admission (GA).

A GA ticket costs $100.
A GA ticket and commemorative poster of Yat Yat Fast costs $150.

(a)

A program needs be written for the purchasing of tickets. Justify the use of THREE different data types for variables used in this program. (3 marks)

0 / 90 words

(b)

Write an algorithm for the function totalCost(), that passes in parameters which calculates and displays the total cost. (4 marks)

Question 21 (6 marks)

A retail clothes company, NickSales Ltd, wants to predict monthly sales for its products based on historical sales data, marketing spends, and seasonal trends. They decide to automate this process using Machine Learning (ML).

The data science team creates a software application in Python, using OOP principles to structure the ML models. They apply two different regression techniques:

Linear regression.
Polynomial regression.

(a)

Distinguish between linear regression and polynomial regression for this scenario. (3 marks)

0 / 90 words

(b)

The web system for NickSales Ltd operates using the following components:

User ordering their clothing items
Website processing the order
Updating the stock inventory/database

Describe how these components interact to form an interactive web development system. (3 marks)

0 / 90 words

Question 22 (5 marks)

InstantPage is a new social media product that regularly updates the user with details of time spent using the app. InstantPage provides the time in minutes only.

A program is to be created to convert the minutes into hours and minutes.

e.g. 134 minutes = 2 hours 14 minutes.

(a)

Select the modelling tool that represent the subroutines and their relationships for the InstantPage app. (1 mark)

Class diagram
Gantt chart
Structure chart
Data flow diagram

(b)

Create a function, using Python, where the user enters the minutes and converts this time into the equivalent hours and minutes. The displayed time should be grammatically correct. (4 marks)

# Output

Question 23 (4 marks)

BJcomputing Solutions Inc. is a tech company specializing in predictive analytics for e-commerce. The company wants to improve customer experience by deploying a Machine Learning (ML) recommendation system that suggests products based on user behaviour. Their Data Science team has created a model with high accuracy, but they face challenges moving it efficiently into production and maintaining it as user data and behaviour patterns change.

Analyse how the team could use the three stages of Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), as shown in the diagram in the stimulus (shown left).

0 / 150 words

Question 24 (6 marks)

You have been asked by an emerging airline to develop a program to allocate Business and Economy Class seats for flights on board their new Airbus 380-800 planes. The current seat-booking system consists of a number of modules, including:

booking and seat allocation
online payment
ticket production
printing of boarding passes.

The new booking and seat allocation module needs to fulfil the flowing requirements:

Ask the user for the class of tickets required.
Ask the user for the number of tickets required. A maximum of 4 tickets can be purchased at one time.
If only one ticket is required, allocate the next unallocated seat.
If more than one ticket is required, allocate seats next to each other in the same row. However, if the required seats cannot be found together, an appropriate message should be displayed and the booking process restarted.
Output the allocated seat number(s).

The Business Class passengers are to be seated in 5 rows of 8 seats. The diagram below shows the seating plan represented as a 2-dimensional array. Column 0 contains the letters A to E. Row 0 contains the numbers 1 to 8.

The Economy Class passengers are to be seated in 15 rows of 10 seats. The diagram shows the seating plan represented as a 2-dimensional array. Column 0 contains the letters F to T. Row 0 contains the numbers 1 to 10.

An ‘X’ indicates that the seat has already been allocated. For example, if four tickets are ordered in Economy Class, the seats G6, G7, G8 and G9 would be allocated.

Business Class

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
A	X	X	X	X
B	X	X	X	X	X
C	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
D
E

Economy Class

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
F	X	X	X	X				X	X
G	X	X	X	X	X
H	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
…
T

Develop a program, using Python, that performs the requirement of the booking and seat allocation module. It should use Functions where appropriate, allocating the occupied seats of each seating class.

# Output

Question 25 (8 marks)

The following internal company memo was prepared for employees within a software development company.

(Note: There are 7 slides in the presentation. Use the arrow icons to move between slides. Clicking on the slide will display its contents in full screen mode.)

Evaluate the social, ethical and legal issues for both MetroWave and their clients resulting from the data breach incident.

0 / 600 words

Software Engineering

General Instructions

Total marks: 80

Question 1 (1 mark)

Question 2 (1 mark)

Question 3 (1 mark)

Question 4 (1 mark)

Question 5 (1 mark)

Question 6 (1 mark)

Question 7 (1 mark)

Question 8 (1 mark)

Question 9 (1 mark)

Question 10 (1 mark)

Question 11 (1 mark)

Question 12 (1 mark)

Question 13 (2 marks)

Question 14 (3 marks)

Question 15 (5 marks)

Question 16 (3 marks)

Question 17 (7 marks)

Question 18 (6 marks)

Question 19 (6 marks)

Question 20 (7 marks)

Question 21 (6 marks)

Question 22 (5 marks)

Question 23 (4 marks)

Question 24 (6 marks)

Question 25 (8 marks)

Software Engineering

General Instructions

Total marks: 80

Question 1 (1 mark)

Question 2 (1 mark)

Question 3 (1 mark)

Question 4 (1 mark)

Question 5 (1 mark)

Question 6 (1 mark)

Question 7 (1 mark)

Question 8 (1 mark)

Question 9 (1 mark)

Question 10 (1 mark)

Question 11 (1 mark)

Question 12 (1 mark)

Question 13 (2 marks)

Question 14 (3 marks)

Question 15 (5 marks)

Question 16 (3 marks)

Question 17 (7 marks)

Question 18 (6 marks)

Question 19 (6 marks)

Question 20 (7 marks)

Question 21 (6 marks)

Question 22 (5 marks)

Question 23 (4 marks)

Question 24 (6 marks)

Question 25 (8 marks)

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