Common Information. Research activities at CDS are categorised into two streams: Computational Science (CD-CP) and Computer and Data systems (CD-CS). Candidates shortlisted for the interview will have to select one of these two streams before the interview by completing a Preference Sheet. Candidates must carefully review their research interests, labs they are interested, and their eligibility before selecting one of these streams. The written component and oral interview topics will depend on the stream that is selected.
CD-CS Research Admission Brochure 2019: Details for the CD-CS stream are given in this brochure. It includes the interview procedure, research labs that are admitting students this year, interview syllabus, and the combined preference sheet.
Combined Preference Sheet for both CD-CP and CD-CS for the Aug 2019 Admission Cycle.
This optional session is open to everyone, and will provide details in-person of the admissions process and various labs at CDS.
Date & Time: TBA, Venue: Seminar Hall (102) of CDS, IISc, Bangalore.
Shortlisted students will be called for interview on one of the 5 days, and in either the morning or afternoon session.
The interview process for the CD-CS Computer Systems stream has two stages: Written and Oral, both conducted in the same session.
Written component (Duration: 30 minutes): A written exam consisting of short answer questions is conducted first to test the candidate's suitability for the research programs at CDS. The questions will be from the following subjects: Programming in C, Data Structures, Algorithms, Discrete Mathematics, Probability and Statistics. The level of preparation expected will be at the final year engineering undergraduate level.
Basic Area Subjects: Programming in C, Data Structures, and Algorithms. Students are expected to be prepared in all these subjects for the oral examination. The level of preparation expected will be at the final year engineering undergraduate level.
Lab-related Topics and Suggested Paper Readings: You will then be asked questions on topics and papers for the labs selected in preference sheet. Candidates choosing a lab are required to be prepared on the lab-related topics, and encouraged to read the suggested papers for the lab, if any. These are given in the lab listing in the brochure.
Note: Preference will be given to the PhD candidates, including Direct PhD. See "Why do a Ph.D. at CDS?" for more information. Candidates for PhD are strongly advised to prepare well on their fundamentals, come with a focus and knowledge of the research areas they would like to target in their PhD, and have clarity on the preferred lab(s) and the kind of work done in those labs in the targeted research areas. Review the research topics and the papers from the labs you are interested in. Responses like "I would like to work in a specific area. But I do not know anything about the field and can pick up if admitted" are not helpful.
CDS is participating in the Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme. If you are interested in applying to CD-CS through PMRF, then in the PMRF online application, please select "Computer Science" as one of your preferences, and within that select "Computer & Data Systems, IISc Bangalore".
Model question paper for the written component of the CD-CS test/interview.
For research admissions page from earlier year, see here .