UGC NET Computer Science Software Engineering Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Practise 35 Software Engineering questions asked in UGC NET Computer Science from 2020–2025. Questions cover Software process models, Requirements engineering, Software design, Software metrics and estimation, Software testing and Black box and white box testing. Every question is shown with its options and the correct answer, free to read.
35 PYQs2020–2025Answers includedFree
Practise Software Engineering as timed sets
Focused 10-question sets with instant scoring, explanations, and weak-area analysis.
As per the Software Engineering Institute, identify the correct maturity sequence:
A. Initial
B. Repeatable
C. Managed
D. Optimizing
E. Defined
AA, B, C, D, E
BA, B, E, C, D
CA, E, C, D, B
DA, E, B, C, D
Answer:(B)A, B, E, C, D
Explanation
The original SEI CMM levels progress from Initial to Repeatable, Defined, Managed and Optimizing. This is A, B, E, C, D. The correct option follows from the stated definition or calculation; the other options omit a necessary condition or describe a different concept.
A. Each module should do only one thing.
B. Communication between modules is allowed only through a calling module.
C. Communication can take place directly between modules without a calling-called relationship.
D. Modules are single-entry, single-exit systems using control structures.
AA, B and C only
BA, B and D only
CA, C and D only
DC and D only
Answer:(B)A, B and D only
Explanation
Modern structured programming favours single-purpose modules, controlled calling relationships, and single-entry/single-exit control flow. Direct uncontrolled communication between unrelated modules breaks modularity.
Find the correct sequence of the prototype software-development model.
A. Start
B. Develop prototype
C. Deliver to customer
D. Quick design
E. Quick play
AA, B, C, D, E
BA, E, D, B, C
CA, B, D, E, C
DA, B, E, D, C
Answer:(B)A, E, D, B, C
Explanation
A prototype model begins with a start, quickly builds a preliminary version, obtains quick feedback/play, refines design, and delivers the result. The keyed sequence captures this iterative progression.
Software testability is how easily software can be tested. Which characteristic does not lead to testable software?
AObservability
BControllability
CRepairability
DUnderstandability
Answer:(C)Repairability
Explanation
Observability, controllability and understandability directly help testing. Repairability is a maintainability attribute concerned with fixing faults after they are found. The correct option follows from the stated definition or calculation; the other options omit a necessary condition or describe a different concept.
Which one of the following is the correct estimation model based on the software equation?
AE = [LOC × B⁰·²²² / P]² × (1/t⁴)
BE = [LOC × B⁰·³³³ / P]³ × (1/t⁴)
CE = [LOC × B⁰·⁴⁴⁴ / P]⁴ × (1/t³)
DE = [LOC × B⁰·¹¹¹ / P]⁶ × (1/t³)
Answer:(B)E = [LOC × B⁰·³³³ / P]³ × (1/t⁴)
Explanation
The authoritative final key selects option B. Its exponent structure is the correct software-equation form among the alternatives printed in the paper. The correct option follows from the stated definition or calculation; the other options omit a necessary condition or describe a different concept.
In Software Engineering, Jackson’s Principles are based on:
A. Designation
B. Definitions
C. Refutable assertions
D. Formal review
E. Requirement elicitation
AA, B and C only
BB, C and D only
CC, D and E only
DB, C and D only
Answer:(A)A, B and C only
Explanation
Jackson’s principles are founded on designation, definitions and refutable assertions. Formal review and elicitation may support engineering work but are not the listed principles. The correct option follows from the stated definition or calculation; the other options omit a necessary condition or describe a different concept.
Collaborative document inspection technique is used for
ARequirement validation process
BRequirement verification process
CIntegration testing
DBlack-box testing
Answer:(A)Requirement validation process
Explanation
Collaborative inspection checks requirements with stakeholders to ensure the documented needs are the right ones. This is a requirements-validation technique, not a testing method. The correct option follows from the stated definition or calculation; the other options omit a necessary condition or describe a different concept.
Which one of the following is not part of requirement management?
AFeatures Traceability Table
BDependency Traceability Table
CInterface Traceability Table
DPage Traceability Table
Answer:(D)Page Traceability Table
Explanation
Requirement management uses traceability links for features, dependencies and interfaces. “Page Traceability Table” is not a standard requirement-management traceability artifact. The correct option follows from the stated definition or calculation; the other options omit a necessary condition or describe a different concept.
Identify the correct statements regarding the spiral model.
A. Spiral model is an incremental process model.
B. Spiral model is a risk-driven process model.
C. Spiral model is an acyclic balancing approach.
D. Spiral model involves a set of anchor-point milestones.
AA and B only
BB and C only
CA and D only
DB and D only
Answer:(D)B and D only
Explanation
The spiral model is explicitly risk-driven and is organised around anchor-point milestones. It is cyclic rather than acyclic, so C is false. The correct option follows from the stated definition or calculation; the other options omit a necessary condition or describe a different concept.
A. Predictable risk B. Business risk C. Project risk D. Past project
I. Strategic risk II. Staffing and organization III. Implementation IV. Past-project experience
AA-IV, B-III, C-I, D-II
BA-III, B-II, C-I, D-IV
CA-I, B-IV, C-III, D-II
DA-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III
Answer:(D)A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III
Explanation
Predictable risk is assessed from past project experience, business risk is strategic, project risk concerns staffing and organisation, and past-project risk concerns implementation. The correct option follows from the stated definition or calculation; the other options omit a necessary condition or describe a different concept.
Arrange the following steps of Feature Drive
Development (FDD) process in the correct
sequence :
A. Develop an overall model
B. Build by feature
C. Plan by feature
D. Design by feature
E. Build a feature list
A(A), (C), (B), (E), (D)
B(A), (E), (C), (D), (B)
C(B),(A),(D),(E),(C)
D(A), (B), (C), (E), (D)
Answer:(B)(A), (E), (C), (D), (B)
Explanation
Feature Driven Development runs: develop an overall model (A), build a feature list (E), plan by feature (C), design by feature (D), then build by feature (B). The model and the feature list must both exist before planning, and design always precedes build. That order is option B.
Which of the following are Agile Process Models
?
A. Extreme Programming (XP)
B. Waterfall
C. Scrum
D. Spiral
E. Incremental
A(A) and (C) Only
B(B) and (C) Only
C(A) and (D) Only
D(B) and (E) Only
Answer:(A)(A) and (C) Only
Explanation
Extreme Programming and Scrum are both Agile methods, built on short iterations and continuous customer feedback. Waterfall is strictly sequential; Spiral is risk-driven and iterative but not Agile; the Incremental model predates the Agile movement. Only (A) and (C) qualify, so option A is correct.
Arrange the following phases of the Agile
process in the correct sequence :
A. Design
B. Release
C. Testing
D. Development
E. Planning
A(A), (B), (D), (E), (C)
B(A), (D), (E), (B), (C)
C(E), (A), (D), (C), (B)
D(E), (D), (A), (C), (B)
Answer:(C)(E), (A), (D), (C), (B)
Explanation
Even inside a short iteration the work still flows planning (E) → design (A) → development (D) → testing (C) → release (B). Requirements are agreed before design, code precedes its tests, and release comes last. That order is option C.
If a software project has 2000 lines of code
(LOC) and the average productivity rate is 10
LOC per person-hour, how many person-hours
are required to complete the project?
A100
B150
C200
D250
Answer:(C)200
Explanation
Dividing total size by the productivity rate gives 2000 LOC ÷ 10 LOC per person-hour = 200 person-hours. Option C is correct.
Which of the following are typical activities in the
software process lifecycle?
A. Requirement Analysis
B. System Design
C. Code Refactoring
D. Deployment
E. Substructure
A(A), (B), (C) Only
B(B), (C), (D) Only
C(A), (B), (D) Only
D(A), (D), (E) Only
Answer:(C)(A), (B), (D) Only
Explanation
Requirement analysis (A), system design (B) and deployment (D) are standard phases of the software process lifecycle. Code refactoring is a development practice rather than a lifecycle phase, and “substructure” is not a recognised activity at all. Only (A), (B) and (D) — option C.
(I) Degree to which one module relies on another module.
(B) Coupling
(II) Dividing a software system into distinct modules.
(C) Abstraction
(III) Degree to which elements of a module belong together.
(D) Modularity
(IV) Simplifying complex reality by modeling classes appropriate to the problem.
A(A)-(I), (B)-(II), (C)-(III), (D)-(IV)
B(A)-(II), (B)-(III), (C)-(IV), (D)-(I)
C(A)-(III), (B)-(I), (C)-(IV), (D)-(II)
D(A)-(III), (B)-(IV), (C)-(II), (D)-(I)
Answer:(C)(A)-(III), (B)-(I), (C)-(IV), (D)-(II)
Explanation
Cohesion measures how well the elements inside a single module belong together, so (A)-(III). Coupling measures how much one module depends on another, giving (B)-(I). Abstraction simplifies reality by modelling only the classes that matter, so (C)-(IV). Modularity is the division of the system into distinct modules, so (D)-(II). Option C is correct.
Given a project with an estimated effort of 1500
person-hours and a team of 5 people, how many
days will it take to complete the project, if each
person works 8 hours a day?
A30
B37.5
C40
D45.5
Answer:(B)37.5
Explanation
Five people working eight hours a day supply 40 person-hours per day. Dividing 1500 person-hours by 40 gives 37.5 days, so option B is correct.
In Software configuration management, what is
the primary purpose of version control ?
ATo control the changes made to software
BTo document user requirements
CTo estimate project cost
DTo design the software architecture
Answer:(A)To control the changes made to software
Explanation
Within software configuration management, version control exists to record and govern changes to software artefacts over time — tracking history, enabling rollback, and supporting branching and merging. Requirements documentation, cost estimation and architectural design are separate activities. Option A is correct.
(I) Testing individual components of the software.
(B) Integration testing
(II) Testing the interaction between integrated components.
(C) System testing
(III) Testing to verify the system meets business needs.
(D) Acceptance testing
(IV) Testing the complete system to ensure it meets requirements.
A(A)-(I), (B)-(II), (C)-(III), (D)-(IV)
B(A)-(I), (B)-(II), (C)-(IV), (D)-(III)
C(A)-(I), (B)-(III), (C)-(II), (D)-(IV)
D(A)-(I), (B)-(IV), (C)-(II), (D)-(III)
Answer:(B)(A)-(I), (B)-(II), (C)-(IV), (D)-(III)
Explanation
Unit testing exercises individual components, so (A)-(I). Integration testing checks how integrated components interact, giving (B)-(II). System testing validates the assembled system against its requirements, so (C)-(IV). Acceptance testing confirms the system meets business needs, so (D)-(III). Option B is correct.
Given a project that uses the COCOMO model
with an estimated effort of 2000 person-months
and a productivity rate of 5 person-month per
KLOC, what is the estimated size of the project in
KLOC ?
A200
B400
C100
D50
Answer:(B)400
Explanation
Dividing effort by the productivity rate gives 2000 person-months ÷ 5 person-months per KLOC = 400 KLOC, so option B is correct.
The key idea is stated in the problem: Test suite is consist of :. The correct answer is C: Set of test cases. It follows the governing definition, algorithm, or calculation in this software engineering item; the other choices fail to satisfy one or more stated conditions.
The key idea is stated in the problem: Level - 0 DFD is also called as :. The correct answer is C: Context Diagram. It follows the governing definition, algorithm, or calculation in this software engineering item; the other choices fail to satisfy one or more stated conditions.
The key idea is stated in the problem: The selection of Spiral Model based on characteristics of requirements :
A. Are requirements easily understandable and defined ?
B. Do we change requirements quite often ?
C. Can we define requirements early in the cycle ?
D. Requirements are indicating a . The correct answer is C: B and D only. It follows the governing definition, algorithm, or calculation in this software engineering item; the other choices fail to satisfy one or more stated conditions.
Evaluate these statements: Statement I: The friend function and the member functions of a friend class directly access the private and protected data. Statement II: The friend function can access the private data through the member functions of the base class In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below :
ABoth Statement I and Statement II are correct
BBoth Statement I and Statement II are incorrect
CStatement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
DStatement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct
Answer:(A)Both Statement I and Statement II are correct
Explanation
The key idea is stated in the problem: Evaluate these statements: Statement I: The friend function and the member functions of a friend class directly access the private and protected data. Statement II: The friend function can access the private data through the member functions of the base class . The correct answer is A: Both Statement I and Statement II are correct. It follows the governing definition, algorithm, or calculation in this software engineering item; the other choices fail to satisfy one or more stated conditions.
Which of the following join is used to get all the tuples of relation X and Y with Null values of corresponding missing values ?
X (S, Si, C)
Y (S, P, D)
(J, 1, M)
(B, 2, N)
(R, 3, H)
(T, 4, G)
(J, S₁, CA)
(B, P₁, AB)
(R, D₁, DC)
(A, H₁, MD)
ALeft outer join
BRight outer join
CNatural join
DFull outer join
Answer:(D)Full outer join
Explanation
The key idea is stated in the problem: Which of the following join is used to get all the tuples of relation X and Y with Null values of corresponding missing values ?. The correct answer is D: Full outer join. It follows the governing definition, algorithm, or calculation in this software engineering item; the other choices fail to satisfy one or more stated conditions.
Use-case diagrams describe the actors and required system functionality without modelling a time-ordered execution. Collaboration, state-chart, and activity diagrams are behavioural or interaction views.
Perfective maintenance improves internal design, maintainability, efficiency, or other quality attributes after delivery; restructuring is a typical perfective change. Corrective maintenance fixes faults, while adaptive maintenance responds to a changed environment.
A company can use languages L₁ and L₂; an application needs three times as many LOC in L₂ as in L₁. The project has 10 years of maintenance. For what LOC in L₁ are the total development-plus-maintenance costs equal?
Parameter
L₁
L₂
Man-years for development
LOC/1000
LOC/1000
Development cost
Rs. 70,000
Rs. 90,000
Maintenance cost per year
Rs. 1,00,000
Rs. 40,000
A2000
B6000
C3000
D5000
Answer:(C)3000
Explanation
For x lines of L₁, development costs are 70x and 270x rupees for L₁ and L₂ respectively, since the rates are per 1,000 LOC and L₂ needs 3x lines. Ten-year maintenance costs are Rs. 10,00,000 and Rs. 4,00,000; equating totals gives 70x + 10,00,000 = 270x + 4,00,000, hence x = 3,000 LOC.
A software project is estimated at 864 function points. A six-person team has one requirements gatherer (Rs. 50,000/month), one designer (Rs. 70,000/month), two programmers (Rs. 60,000/month each), and two testers (Rs. 60,000/month each). Team productivity is 12 FP per person-month. What is the projected cost?
ARs. 33,20,000
BRs. 43,20,000
CRs. 33,10,000
DRs. 22,10,000
Answer:(B)Rs. 43,20,000
Explanation
The effort is 864/12 = 72 person-months, or 72/6 = 12 calendar months for six people. Monthly payroll is 50,000 + 70,000 + 2(60,000) + 2(60,000) = Rs. 3,60,000, so the project cost is 12 × 3,60,000 = Rs. 43,20,000; it is not based on treating 864 as calendar months.
Software reliability may be described with respect to
A. execution time,
B. calendar time, and
C. clock time.
A(A) and (B) only
B(B) and (C) only
C(A), (B), and (C)
D(A) and (C) only
Answer:(C)(A), (B), and (C)
Explanation
Reliability growth and failure intensity can be modelled against CPU/execution time, elapsed calendar time, or operational clock time. The appropriate time base depends on the system and measurement model.
To create an object-behavioural model, an analyst
A. evaluates use cases,
B. builds a state-transition diagram,
C. reviews the model for accuracy and consistency, and
D. identifies events that do not drive an interaction sequence.
A(A), (B), and (C) only
B(A), (B), and (D) only
C(B), (C), and (D) only
D(A), (C), and (D) only
Answer:(A)(A), (B), and (C) only
Explanation
Use cases reveal the events and object responses, then state transitions model behaviour and the result is reviewed. Events that do not drive an interaction sequence are not part of that normal modelling step.
Which are behavioural (black-box) testing techniques?
A. Equivalence partitioning
B. Graph-based testing
C. Boundary-value analysis
D. Data-flow testing
E. Loop testing
A(B) and (D) only
B(A), (B), and (C) only
C(D) and (E) only
D(A), (C), and (E) only
Answer:(B)(A), (B), and (C) only
Explanation
Equivalence classes, boundary values, and graph-based tests derive tests from externally visible requirements or behaviour. Data-flow and loop testing require knowledge of program structure and are white-box techniques.
With reference to CMM developed by Software Engineering Institute (SEI)
List I List IT
A. INITIAL () Process measurement
B. REPEATABLE (Il) Process definition
C. DEFINED (ID Project management
D. MANAGED (Iv) ADHOC
List I
List II
Items are listed in the question stem.
Match each item to its stated description or complexity.
AAIT, B-IV, C-II. D-I
BA-IV, B-IIl. C-I, D-II
CA-IV, B-III, C-IL, D-I
DALIII, B-IV, C-I, D-II
Answer:(C)A-IV, B-III, C-IL, D-I
Explanation
CMM progresses from ad-hoc initial practice to repeatable project management, defined processes, and measured/managed processes. Option C matches those maturity descriptions.
Arrange the following types of Cohesion from best to worst type.
A. B. C. D. E. Logical Cohesion
Sequential Cohesion
Communication Cohesion
Temporal Cohesion
Procedural Cohesion
AOCR review required
BOCR review required
COCR review required
DOCR review required
Answer:(D)OCR review required
Explanation
Among the listed cohesion types, sequential is strongest, followed by communicational, procedural, temporal, and logical cohesion. The option with that best-to-worst sequence is D.
Statement I: Quality control involves the series of inspections. reviews and tests used
throughout the software process, to ensure each work product meets the
requirements placed upon it.
Statement II: Quality assurance consists of auditing and reporting functions of
management.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below
qd)
AOCR review required
BOCR review required
COCR review required
DOCR review required
Answer:(A)OCR review required
Explanation
Quality control is the product-focused inspection, review, and testing activity. Quality assurance is the management-facing audit and reporting function that ensures the process is being followed; both statements are true.
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Frequently asked questions
How many Software Engineering questions have been asked in UGC NET Computer Science?
35 Software Engineering questions appear in the UGC NET Computer Science papers held between 2020–2025, and all of them are on this page with their answer key.
Are the answers on this page free?
Yes. Every question, its options, and the correct answer are free to read with no account. Signing in additionally unlocks the detailed explanation under each question.
Is Software Engineering an important topic for UGC NET Computer Science?
Software Engineering appears in every recent UGC NET Computer Science paper, across all 4 sittings covered here. Its share of the paper makes it worth revising thoroughly rather than sampling.
How should I practise Software Engineering after reading these questions?
Attempt the Software Engineering topic-wise sets, which put the same questions into a timed interface with instant scoring and weak-area analysis afterwards.