ARM Cortex-M Practice Exam
ARM Cortex-M Practice Exam
About ARM Cortex-M Exam
The ARM Cortex-M Exam evaluates your expertise in programming and designing embedded systems using ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers. Widely used in low-power, high-performance embedded applications, Cortex-M processors are the backbone of many consumer electronics, industrial devices, and IoT systems. This exam is designed for embedded developers, electronics engineers, and students seeking to validate their knowledge of ARM architecture, CMSIS libraries, peripheral interfacing, and real-time systems programming.
Who should take the Exam?
This exam is ideal for:
- Embedded software developers
- Electronics and computer engineers
- IoT system designers
- Firmware engineers
- Students studying microcontrollers or embedded systems
Skills Required
- Knowledge of C/C++ programming
- Understanding of digital electronics and microcontroller basics
- Familiarity with IDEs like Keil, STM32CubeIDE, or IAR
- Basic grasp of real-time operating systems (RTOS)
Knowledge Gained
- Working with ARM Cortex-M architecture and instruction sets
- Peripheral configuration and interfacing (GPIO, UART, ADC, etc.)
- Using CMSIS and hardware abstraction layers (HAL)
- Writing interrupt-driven and low-power firmware
- Real-time task scheduling with or without an RTOS
Course Outline
The ARM Cortex-M Exam covers the following topics -
Domain 1 – Introduction to ARM Cortex-M
- Overview of ARM architecture
- Cortex-M series comparison (M0/M3/M4/M7)
- Development tools and environment setup
Domain 2 – ARM Programming Fundamentals
- Instruction set and memory architecture
- Register operations and bit manipulation
- CMSIS and startup code overview
Domain 3 – Peripheral Interfacing
- Configuring GPIO, UART, SPI, I2C
- ADC/DAC and timer modules
- Interrupt handling and NVIC
Domain 4 – Power and Clock Management
- Power modes and optimization
- Clock configuration and PLL
- Using the system tick timer (SysTick)
Domain 5 – Real-Time Systems and RTOS
- Introduction to RTOS concepts
- Task management and scheduling
- Synchronization and inter-task communication
Domain 6 – Debugging and Optimization
- Using breakpoints and watch variables
- Code profiling and performance tuning
- Flashing and in-system debugging
