Systems ArchitectureExam Tips

Exam Tips - MAR and MDR

Part of MAR & MDRGCSE Computer Science

This exam tips covers Exam Tips - MAR and MDR within MAR & MDR for GCSE Computer Science. Revise MAR & MDR in Systems Architecture for GCSE Computer Science with 15 exam-style questions and 10 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 7 of 7 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.

Topic position

Section 7 of 7

Practice

15 questions

Recall

10 flashcards

Exam Tips - MAR and MDR

The golden rule:

  • MAR = Address = WHERE = Address Bus
  • MDR = Data = WHAT = Data Bus

Common mistakes to avoid:

  • Mixing up MAR and MDR - this loses ALL marks for that question!
  • Forgetting which bus each connects to
  • Saying MAR holds data or MDR holds addresses

Top tip: If you're ever unsure, think "Address before Data" - MAR works first (says where), then MDR receives the result (the data).

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in MAR & MDR. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Practice Questions for MAR & MDR

What does MAR stand for?

  • A. Memory Access Register
  • B. Memory Address Register
  • C. Memory Arithmetic Register
  • D. Main Address Register
1 markfoundation

Explain the difference between the MAR and the MDR.

2 marksstandard

Quick Recall Flashcards

What does MAR hold?
The address of data to be read/written (WHERE)
What does MDR hold?
The actual data being transferred (WHAT)

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