Skip to content

CompTIA A+ (220-1201 and 220-1202) - Practice Questions

20 original scenario questions for A+ prep. Questions 1-10 cover Core 1 (mobile devices, networking, hardware, virtualization and cloud, hardware and network troubleshooting). Questions 11-20 cover Core 2 (operating systems, security, software troubleshooting, operational procedures).

Cert page: exams/comptia/a-plus/

Question 1

Scenario: A user replaced their laptop's display assembly at a repair shop. Since then, Wi-Fi signal is very weak even next to the access point, but a USB Wi-Fi adapter works fine.

A. Switch the router to 2.4 GHz only, because the lower band penetrates walls better and so improves a weak signal B. Replace the wireless card with a new one, since weak reception next to the access point means the card has failed C. Update the wireless driver to the latest version from the manufacturer, in case the repair left an older driver loaded D. Check that the Wi-Fi antenna leads in the display lid were reconnected to the card

Answer **Correct: D** **Why:** Laptop Wi-Fi antennas run through the display lid, so a screen replacement is the classic moment for a lead to be left unplugged or pinched. The timing points to the repair, not the card or driver. A USB adapter working proves the network itself is fine.

Question 2

Scenario: A company lets staff read work email on personal phones. When someone leaves, IT must remove company data without touching personal photos.

A. MDM with a work profile or container and a selective wipe that removes only company data B. A full remote wipe through MDM, which removes company data quickly but also erases the employee's personal photos C. Ask the employee to delete the mail app and sign out of the work account D. Disable the user's cellular data in the carrier portal, which blocks mail sync but leaves the company data on the phone

Answer **Correct: A** **Why:** BYOD management separates business apps and data into a managed container or work profile. A selective wipe removes only that container. A full wipe would destroy personal data on a device the company does not own, and asking the user relies on trust rather than control.

Question 3

Scenario: A user wants to read the same mailbox on a phone, a laptop, and a tablet, with read status and folders staying in sync.

A. POP3 on port 110, which downloads mail to one client and usually removes it from the server B. IMAP on port 143 (or IMAPS on 993), which keeps mail on the server and syncs state to every device C. SMTP on port 25, which relays outgoing mail between servers, not a synced mailbox view D. LDAP on port 389, which looks up directory entries such as contacts but does not store or synchronize mail messages

Answer **Correct: B** **Why:** IMAP keeps mail on the server and syncs state to every client. POP3 downloads messages and usually removes them from the server, so other devices miss them. SMTP sends mail between servers, and LDAP queries directories.

Question 4

Scenario: Several PCs on one floor suddenly cannot browse the web. ipconfig shows addresses in the 169.254.0.0/16 range and no default gateway.

A. The NIC drivers are corrupt on every PC B. The proxy settings are wrong C. The PCs cannot reach a DHCP server D. The DNS server is down

Answer **Correct: C** **Why:** A 169.254.x.x address is APIPA, which Windows assigns itself when no DHCP server answers. Because it affects a whole floor, check the DHCP server, its scope, or the switch and VLAN serving that floor. A DNS failure would leave a valid IP address in place.

Question 5

Scenario: A new access point must be mounted on a warehouse ceiling 60 m from the network closet. There is no power outlet at the mounting point, and the cable will run through an air-handling space.

A. Plenum-rated Cat 6 with PoE from the switch or an injector, rated for air-handling spaces B. Direct burial Cat 6a with a power injector, which suits underground runs but is not rated for air-handling spaces C. Multimode fiber with a local power adapter, but the ceiling has no outlet D. Cat 5 UTP with an extension cord run along the cable, which supplies power but ignores fire code and the speed the access point needs

Answer **Correct: A** **Why:** Air-handling spaces require plenum-rated cable for fire safety, 60 m is within copper's 100 m limit, and PoE delivers power over the same cable. Fiber carries no power, and direct burial cable is for underground runs, not plenum spaces.

Question 6

Scenario: A small office wants a NAS with four drives. It must keep working if any two drives fail at the same time.

A. RAID 0 across four drives, which stripes data for speed and capacity but loses everything when any one drive fails B. RAID 6, which uses double parity across the four drives C. RAID 1 with four drives in mirrored pairs, which survives some failures but loses data if the two drives of one pair fail D. RAID 5 with four drives, which stripes data with single parity and so survives one drive failure but not two

Answer **Correct: B** **Why:** RAID 6 uses double parity and survives any two drive failures, with at least four drives. RAID 5 survives only one. RAID 0 has no redundancy at all. RAID 10 would also use four drives, but it survives two failures only if they are in different mirror pairs, not any two.

Question 7

Scenario: A technician tries to create a 64-bit virtual machine in a Type 2 hypervisor on a new desktop. The hypervisor reports that hardware virtualization is unavailable.

A. Install more RAM, because the hypervisor needs memory for a 64-bit guest and reports unavailable hardware when it is short on the host B. Enable Intel VT-x or AMD-V in the UEFI settings, since hardware virtualization is often switched off by default in firmware C. Switch to a Type 1 hypervisor, which runs directly on the hardware and so does not need CPU virtualization features, at the cost of reinstalling the host D. Convert the disk from MBR to GPT, since 64-bit guests need GPT partitioning on the host to be created

Answer **Correct: B** **Why:** Hardware virtualization support is often disabled by default in firmware. Enabling it in UEFI is the fix. Changing the hypervisor type does not help, because both types need the CPU feature, and neither RAM nor the partition style affects this error.

Question 8

Scenario: A startup wants to deploy its web application without managing operating systems, patches, or runtime versions. It only wants to upload code.

A. PaaS, where the platform runs the OS and runtime and the customer uploads only code B. IaaS C. Private cloud D. SaaS

Answer **Correct: A** **Why:** PaaS provides the OS and runtime, and the customer supplies the application and data. IaaS would leave the team patching VMs. SaaS is a finished application that the customer uses, not a platform for their own code. Private cloud is a deployment model, not a service model.

Question 9

Scenario: An office desktop loses the correct date and time whenever it is unplugged overnight. Several websites then show certificate warnings.

A. Reinstall Windows to rebuild the system clock service, since the OS is keeping the time wrongly after each shutdown B. Replace the power supply, because a weak supply fails to keep the clock powered while the computer is unplugged C. Replace the network card, since time synchronization through NTP fails and so the clock drifts after each restart D. Replace the CMOS battery

Answer **Correct: D** **Why:** The coin-cell CMOS battery keeps the real-time clock running without mains power. When it dies, the clock resets. A clock far in the past or future makes valid certificates appear expired or not yet valid, which explains the browser warnings.

Question 10

Scenario: Pages from a laser printer show toner that smears and rubs off when touched.

A. Low toner, which would show as faded or streaked prints, not toner that rubs off B. A wrong printer driver, which usually produces garbled text, not smeared toner C. A worn pickup roller, which causes misfeeds and jams but does not affect toner adhesion D. A failing fuser assembly, which no longer bonds the toner to the paper using heat and pressure

Answer **Correct: D** **Why:** The fuser uses heat and pressure to bond toner to the paper. If it fails, toner sits loose on the page and smears. Low toner causes faded prints, a wrong driver causes garbled output, and worn pickup rollers cause feeding problems.

Question 11

Scenario: A technician needs to copy a 7 GB video file to a USB flash drive that must work on both Windows and macOS. The copy fails with "file too large."

A. Reformat the drive as APFS, Apple's native format, with no file size limit on macOS B. Reformat the drive as NTFS, which handles large files and is read-write on Windows but only read-only by default on macOS C. Reformat the drive as exFAT, which has no 4 GB file limit and is read-write on both systems D. Compress the file with a zip tool until it is under 4 GB, if the video shrinks enough

Answer **Correct: C** **Why:** The drive is almost certainly FAT32, which has a 4 GB maximum file size. exFAT removes that limit and is read-write on both Windows and macOS. macOS cannot write NTFS by default, and Windows cannot read APFS without extra software.

Question 12

Scenario: A domain user's newly assigned drive mappings and desktop settings have not appeared, although other users in the same OU have them. The technician wants to apply the policy immediately and then confirm which policies applied.

A. net user, then whoami, which list account details and the signed-in identity but do not refresh or report Group Policy settings B. gpupdate /force to reapply policy now, then gpresult /r to confirm which policies applied to the user and computer C. ipconfig /renew, then nslookup, which refresh the IP lease and test name resolution, not Group Policy D. sfc /scannow, then chkdsk, which check system files and the disk but do not apply Group Policy

Answer **Correct: B** **Why:** `gpupdate /force` reapplies all Group Policy settings, and `gpresult /r` reports which policies applied to the user and computer. The other commands repair files, check disks, or deal with networking and accounts, not policy.

Question 13

Scenario: A Linux administrator must let the owner read, write, and execute a script, while the group and everyone else can only read and execute it.

A. chmod 777 script.sh, which gives the owner what is needed but also gives group and others write permission B. chown 755 script.sh, which looks like the correct mode but chown sets file ownership rather than permissions C. chmod 644 script.sh, which lets the owner read and write and everyone else read, but nobody can run the script D. chmod 755 script.sh

Answer **Correct: D** **Why:** Read is 4, write is 2, and execute is 1. Owner rwx is 7, and group and others r-x is 5 each, so 755. 777 gives everyone write access, 644 removes execute, and `chown` changes ownership rather than permissions.

Question 14

Scenario: A shared folder grants Everyone "Full Control" at the share level. The NTFS permissions give the Sales group "Read." A Sales user tries to save a file to the share over the network.

A. The save succeeds because share permissions allow Full Control to Everyone, so NTFS Read is not consulted B. The save fails because the most restrictive of the share and NTFS permissions applies, leaving the user with Read only C. The save succeeds because NTFS permissions apply only to users signed in at the machine D. The save fails because the Everyone entry overrides the Sales group and removes all write access

Answer **Correct: B** **Why:** Network access passes through both share and NTFS permissions, and the effective permission is the more restrictive of the two. Read beats Full Control here. NTFS permissions apply both locally and over the network.

Question 15

Scenario: A technician has confirmed that a home user's PC shows malware symptoms and has disconnected it from the network. What should happen next in CompTIA's malware removal procedure?

A. Reimage the PC from a clean image right away, because a confirmed infection cannot be trusted B. Educate the end user about safe browsing and email habits, so the infection is not repeated C. Schedule scans and run updates, so definitions are current and later scans find leftover traces D. Disable System Restore in Windows so that infected restore points cannot bring the malware back after cleanup

Answer **Correct: D** **Why:** The order is investigate and verify, quarantine, disable System Restore, remediate (update anti-malware, scan and remove, reimage if needed), schedule scans and updates, re-enable System Restore and create a restore point, then educate the user. System Restore is disabled so infected restore points cannot bring the malware back.

Question 16

Scenario: A clinic is retiring laptops with SSDs that held patient data. It needs a method that makes the data unrecoverable and gives auditors proof.

A. Delete the patient folders and empty the Recycle Bin, which removes file entries but leaves the data recoverable with common tools B. Degauss the SSDs with a strong magnet, which erases magnetic platters but has no effect on flash memory C. Use a certified vendor to physically shred the drives and issue a certificate of destruction as audit evidence D. Run a standard format on each drive, which rebuilds the file system but leaves the data recoverable with freely available tools

Answer **Correct: C** **Why:** Shredding destroys any media, and the certificate is the audit evidence. Degaussing works only on magnetic media, so it does nothing to SSDs. A standard format or deleting files leaves data recoverable.

Question 17

Scenario: Right after a graphics driver update, a Windows PC shows a blue screen during every normal startup. It starts normally in Safe Mode.

A. Reinstall Windows from scratch, which would remove the faulty driver but also erases installed applications and settings B. Run chkdsk /r to scan the disk for bad sectors, which would help if the cause were disk damage rather than the driver C. Boot into Safe Mode and roll back the graphics driver, the least disruptive fix for the cause D. Replace the graphics card, though the timing points to the driver

Answer **Correct: C** **Why:** The timing points to the driver, and Safe Mode loads only basic drivers, which is why it boots there. Rolling back the driver is the least disruptive fix that addresses the cause. Reinstalling Windows or replacing hardware is premature.

Question 18

Scenario: A user's phone suddenly shows many full-screen ads, uses far more mobile data than usual, and the battery drains quickly. The user recently installed a flashlight app from a website link rather than the official store.

A. Remove the sideloaded app, scan the device, and factory reset if symptoms continue B. Reset network settings, which clears saved Wi-Fi and cellular configuration but leaves the offending app installed C. Turn off location services for all apps, which reduces some tracking but does not stop ads or background data use D. Replace the battery, since fast drain is a hardware fault and ads and data use are separate matters

Answer **Correct: A** **Why:** An app from an unofficial source, along with ads, high data use, and battery drain, points to adware or other malware. Remove the app first, then scan. A factory reset (after backing up data) is the fallback. The battery and network settings are symptoms, not the cause.

Question 19

Scenario: A company runs a full backup on Sunday and differential backups Monday through Saturday. The server fails on Thursday morning.

A. Sunday's full plus Monday's differential, which holds only the first day of changes B. Sunday's full only C. Sunday's full plus Wednesday's differential D. Wednesday's differential only

Answer **Correct: C** **Why:** Each differential contains every change since the last full, so only the latest differential is needed with the full. If these had been incrementals, every one since Sunday would be required, in order.

Question 20

Scenario: A help desk technician wants to paste a user's error log, which includes the user's name, email, and an internal server password, into a free public AI chatbot to get help diagnosing it.

A. Do not paste sensitive data into a public AI tool; remove personal and secret data or use an approved private tool, and verify any answer B. Paste it, but add a request in the prompt asking the chatbot not to store or learn from the content that is entered C. Email the log to a personal account and use the chatbot from a home computer, so the company network is not involved D. Paste it as written, because AI tools give accurate results and so the full log is needed to get a correct diagnosis

Answer **Correct: A** **Why:** Public AI tools may keep or train on what is entered, so pasting PII and credentials is a data security and privacy failure. Organizational AI policy and approved private tools exist for this reason. AI output can also be inaccurate or hallucinated, so any suggested fix must be checked before it is used.

Where to go deeper