CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202) practice questions
220 free questions with answers and explanations.
- 1.A small business is setting up a new wireless network. They want to ensure strong encryption for all data transmitted over the air and require a robust authentication method that uses a pre-shared key, but also supports stronger individual authentication if they decide to upgrade in the future. Which wireless security protocol should they implement?Security
- 2.A data center wants to prevent an unauthorized person from following an authorized employee through a secured entrance. Which physical security control is specifically designed to allow only one person through at a time?Security
- 3.A managed service provider wants to monitor patch status, disk health, and CPU performance across hundreds of client endpoints from a single console and remotely execute maintenance scripts as needed. Which of the following tools BEST meets this need?Operational Procedures
- 4.A technician must move a heavy server chassis from the floor onto a rack shelf. Which of the following actions BEST reduces the risk of personal injury during the lift?Operational Procedures
- 5.A user roots their Android phone using a custom recovery tool to install a third-party ROM. Afterward, their banking app displays an error stating the device is not supported and refuses to open, while all other apps work normally. What is the MOST accurate explanation for this behavior?Software Troubleshooting
- 6.A system administrator needs to manage user accounts, installed software, and system services on a Windows Server 2022 machine without directly logging into the server's desktop environment. Which tool allows remote, centralized management of these aspects from a client workstation?Operating Systems
- 7.A user receives an email that appears to be from their company's HR department, asking them to click a link to update their benefits information. The email has a slightly off-brand logo, a generic greeting, and contains several grammatical errors. The link directs to a website that looks similar to the company's internal portal but has a different URL. What type of social engineering attack is MOST likely being attempted?Security
- 8.An employee purchased a personal, single-user license for a productivity suite and installed it on their home computer. The employee's manager now wants to install the same license key on ten computers in the office. Which licensing violation would this represent?Operational Procedures
- 9.A technician confirms that a workstation is infected with ransomware. According to standard malware removal best practices, which step should be performed immediately after identifying the infection and before remediation?Security
- 10.After a technician changes the SATA controller mode from AHCI to RAID in BIOS/UEFI, a Windows 11 workstation now boots to a blue screen displaying INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE. What is the MOST likely cause?Software Troubleshooting
- 11.A company is deploying new Linux-based kiosks that need to boot quickly and consistently. The kiosks will run a single, embedded application and have minimal storage. The technician is considering using a file system that is highly optimized for read-only operations and embedded systems, while also providing good compression. Which file system best fits these requirements?Operating Systems
- 12.A user on a macOS system reports that their computer is running extremely slowly, and applications are frequently freezing. They suspect a particular application is consuming excessive system resources. Which macOS utility should the user open to identify which processes are using the most CPU, memory, or disk I/O?Operating Systems
- 13.An IT manager is reviewing security logs and notices a high volume of failed login attempts for several user accounts on the company's external-facing web server. These attempts are occurring rapidly from various IP addresses around the world, systematically trying common usernames and password combinations. What type of attack is MOST likely occurring?Security
- 14.A client's mobile app freezes and becomes unresponsive every time it is opened, even after the device has been restarted. Which of the following should the technician try NEXT?Software Troubleshooting
- 15.A server's data must be restored after a failure. Backups were performed as follows: a full backup every Sunday, and an incremental backup every other day of the week. The server failed on Thursday morning before that day's backup ran. In what order should the technician restore the backups?Operational Procedures
- 16.A user is experiencing issues with their Windows 11 system where certain system files appear to be corrupted, causing applications to crash. They have already run 'sfc /scannow' but it reported that it could not fix all corrupted files. Which command-line tool should the technician use next to attempt to repair the Windows image?Operating Systems
- 17.A client's Windows 10 desktop is experiencing random application crashes and system instability, but no malware has been detected, and disk checks show no errors. The technician suspects corrupted system files. Which command-line utility should the technician use FIRST to attempt to repair these files?Software Troubleshooting
- 18.A user reports that their mobile phone is behaving erratically: apps are crashing frequently, the battery drains unusually fast, and there are strange pop-ups appearing even when no browser is open. They also notice that unfamiliar apps have been installed without their consent. The device's security software is not detecting any viruses. What is the MOST likely cause of these issues?Security
- 19.A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 workstation that is experiencing slow boot times and frequent application crashes. After running a diagnostic, it is suspected that the hard drive may have bad sectors. Which command-line utility should the technician use to scan for and attempt to repair these errors?Operating Systems
- 20.A user's macOS computer is experiencing slow performance and occasional application freezes. The technician suspects that there might be issues with the permissions of system files or user applications. Which utility is commonly used in macOS to verify and repair disk permissions, which can sometimes resolve these types of issues?Operating Systems
- 21.A company is upgrading its wireless network to meet higher security standards. The security team requires a protocol that provides strong encryption, uses Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) for enhanced password-based authentication, and offers individual data encryption for each client. Which wireless security protocol should the company implement?Security
- 22.A support technician needs to remotely view and interact with a client's screen to demonstrate a software configuration during a live training session, without requiring the client to expose any inbound firewall ports. Which remote access solution is BEST suited for this scenario?Operational Procedures
- 23.A network administrator wants to upgrade the firmware on a critical firewall during business hours. According to standard change management practices, which of the following should occur BEFORE the change is implemented?Operational Procedures
- 24.A user needs to install a new application on their Windows 11 Home edition laptop. The application's requirements state that it needs to be installed using Group Policy for centralized management. What is the most likely reason the user is unable to install the application using Group Policy?Operating Systems
- 25.A user wants to create a bootable USB drive for installing a new Linux distribution. They have downloaded the ISO image and need a command-line tool in Linux to write this image directly to the USB drive, overwriting all existing data. Which command should they use?Operating Systems
- 26.A system administrator is setting up a new Windows workstation for a user who will be handling highly sensitive financial data. The administrator wants to ensure that, even if the user's account is compromised, the attacker cannot delete critical system files or install unauthorized software. Which security principle should be strictly enforced for this user's account?Security
- 27.A user reports that their Windows 11 computer is frequently displaying a blue screen of death (BSOD) and restarting unexpectedly. The technician suspects a driver issue. Which command-line tool would be most appropriate to analyze the crash dump files for diagnostic information?Operating Systems
- 28.A technician is submitting a change request to migrate a company's email server to a new platform. Which of the following should be included in the request to properly evaluate the potential effects of the change before approval?Operational Procedures
- 29.A user receives an urgent-looking email claiming to be from their bank, stating that their account has been compromised and they need to click a link to verify their details immediately. The email contains a generic greeting, several grammatical errors, and the link points to a suspicious-looking URL. Which social engineering technique is being employed?Security
- 30.A user's Android smartphone can make and receive phone calls and SMS text messages normally, but picture messages (MMS) fail to send or download over cellular data. Wi-Fi calling and internet browsing work fine. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?Software Troubleshooting
- 31.A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 11 desktop that takes over five minutes to reach the login screen after a normal shutdown. Task Manager shows several third-party applications with a 'High' startup impact rating. Which action should the technician take FIRST to improve boot performance?Software Troubleshooting
- 32.A user needs to encrypt an entire external hard drive on their Windows 10 Pro workstation to protect sensitive data. Which built-in Windows feature should the technician recommend for this purpose?Operating Systems
- 33.A network administrator configures domain user accounts to automatically lock for 30 minutes after five consecutive incorrect password attempts. Which security concept does this configuration implement?Software Troubleshooting
- 34.A technician needs to perform a clean installation of Windows 11 on a new solid-state drive (SSD) that will be used for a high-performance workstation. The drive is currently unallocated. What is the minimum number of partitions that Windows 11 typically creates during a clean installation on a UEFI-based system?Operating Systems
- 35.A system administrator needs to securely erase data from several solid-state drives (SSDs) that previously held highly confidential information. The company policy requires data destruction methods that make data unrecoverable, even with advanced forensic techniques. Which method is MOST appropriate for SSDs?Security
- 36.A small office manager wants to implement a physical security measure to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the server room by simply following an authorized employee through a door that requires badge access. Which physical security control would be MOST effective in mitigating this specific threat?Security
- 37.A company policy requires that all confidential data stored on mobile devices must be securely erased if the device is lost or stolen. Additionally, the IT department needs to be able to enforce screen lock settings and manage application installations centrally. Which mobile device management (MDM) capability directly addresses these requirements?Security
- 38.A system administrator is setting up a new Linux server that will act as a web server and file server. The administrator needs a file system that supports journaling, large file sizes, and is widely compatible with most Linux distributions. Which file system best meets these requirements?Operating Systems
- 39.A small business owner wants to secure their Wi-Fi network. They have several smart devices (IoT) that only support older Wi-Fi security protocols, but their new business laptops support the latest standards. To provide the best possible security for all devices while maintaining compatibility, which Wi-Fi security mode should be configured on their access point?Security
- 40.A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 desktop that fails to boot, displaying the error message 'Invalid Partition Table'. The technician has confirmed that the physical drive is detected in the BIOS/UEFI. Which command-line utility should be used to attempt to resolve this specific boot error?Software Troubleshooting
- 41.A small business uses several macOS workstations. A user reports that their Mac is running extremely slowly, and applications frequently become unresponsive. The technician suspects a runaway process consuming excessive system resources. Which macOS utility should the technician use to identify and potentially terminate such a process?Operating Systems
- 42.A Windows 10 PC free of malware experiences frequent application crashes. A technician suspects a corrupted protected system file is the cause. Which command should the technician run FIRST to attempt an automatic repair?Software Troubleshooting
- 43.A technician needs to dispose of a container of used printer toner. Before disposing of it, the technician should consult which document to determine proper handling and disposal procedures?Operational Procedures
- 44.A technician confirms that a workstation is infected with malware after a user reported unusual pop-ups and slow performance. According to malware removal best practices, which of the following should the technician do immediately after investigating and verifying the malware symptoms?Software Troubleshooting
- 45.A user is attempting to transfer a large number of files and directories, including empty subdirectories and NTFS permissions, from one network share to another. The transfer needs to be robust, capable of resuming interrupted transfers, and provide detailed logging. Which command-line utility is best suited for this task?Operating Systems
- 46.A company's remote employees connect to internal file servers using RDP directly exposed to the internet on port 3389. A security audit recommends reducing this exposure while still allowing remote access. Which solution should be implemented?Operational Procedures
- 47.A system administrator is configuring security for a new file server. They want to ensure that files stored on the server are protected at rest and that the entire volume is encrypted, even if the physical drive is removed from the server. Which Windows feature should the administrator implement to meet this requirement?Security
- 48.A user receives an email that appears to be from their bank, stating there's a security alert on their account and asking them to click a link to verify their details. The email contains the bank's logo and a seemingly legitimate sender address. However, the technician notices a slight misspelling in the domain name of the link provided. What type of social engineering attack is this?Security
- 49.A technician is preparing a bootable USB drive to install a custom Linux distribution on multiple identical systems. The distribution image needs to be copied to the USB drive in a way that makes it bootable and preserves the exact disk image structure, including partitions and bootloader. Which command-line utility in Linux is best suited for this task?Operating Systems
- 50.A company receives a legal hold notice requiring preservation of all emails related to a pending lawsuit. The company's standard email retention policy automatically purges messages older than 90 days. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?Operational Procedures