BPS stands for what?

• A. Bytes Per Second
• B. Bits Per Second
• C. Bits Per Shift
• D. Binary Per Second

Answer: (B)

Bits per second is the standard way to express data transfer speed. The unit describes how many individual bits pass a point each second, which is exactly what network and communication speeds measure. In practice you’ll see speeds written as bps, Mbps, Gbps, etc., where the lowercase b stands for a bit. The other options don’t fit because Bytes Per Second would use a capital B to denote a byte (or be written as Bps/B/s), and Bits Per Shift or Binary Per Second aren’t recognized units for transmission rate. So BPS is understood as Bits Per Second.