CompTIA · Free Practice Questions · Last reviewed May 2026
23real exam-style questions organised by domain, each with the correct answer highlighted and a plain-English explanation of why it's right — and why the others are wrong.
A user reports that their laptop's touchpad cursor jumps erratically whenever they rest their palms on the laptop while typing. The laptop is running Windows 11 and the touchpad driver is up to date. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the erratic cursor behavior?
The touchpad is configured for a left-handed user.
Palm detection is disabled or not functioning properly in the touchpad settings.
Palm detection is a feature that ignores large contact areas, such as the base of the palm, when typing. If disabled or malfunctioning, resting palms on the touchpad generates unintended cursor movement. The scenario describes classic palm detection failure. Enabling or adjusting palm detection settings in the touchpad driver utility resolves the issue.
The touchpad sensitivity is set too high, causing accidental input from palm contact.
The touchpad driver needs to be rolled back to a previous version.
A field technician is configuring a ruggedized Windows tablet for a client. The client requires that the tablet automatically connect to a specific Bluetooth headset whenever it is turned on and in range, without user intervention. Which of the following should the technician do to meet this requirement?
Configure the headset to be discoverable at all times.
Enable Bluetooth tethering on the tablet.
Pair the headset and enable the option to automatically connect when in range.
After pairing a Bluetooth device, Windows provides an option to automatically connect when the device is in range. Enabling this setting allows the tablet to establish a connection without user action each time the headset is powered on and nearby. This directly fulfills the requirement for automatic connection and is the standard configuration for such scenarios.
Set the headset as the default audio device in the sound settings.
A user with an Android smartphone reports that the device's battery drains unusually fast, even when the screen is off. The technician suspects that one or more apps are keeping the device awake. Which of the following actions should the technician take to identify the cause? (Choose two.)
Review the list of apps with permission to run in the background.
Android allows users to restrict background activity for specific apps. Reviewing which apps have permission to run in the background can highlight apps that may be waking the device unnecessarily. The technician can then limit or revoke background permissions for suspicious apps, potentially resolving the battery drain.
Use a third-party task killer to automatically kill background apps.
Perform a factory reset of the device.
Disable Bluetooth and GPS to save battery.
Check the battery usage statistics in the device settings.
Android's battery usage statistics show which apps and services have consumed the most battery since the last charge. This can reveal apps with high background usage or that have kept the device awake. The technician can identify problematic apps and take further action, such as restricting background activity or uninstalling the app.
A user wants to use their smartphone to make contactless payments at retail stores. The phone supports NFC. Which of the following must be configured on the phone to enable this functionality?
Install a QR code scanner app.
A mobile payment service with a linked credit card.
To make contactless payments, the user must set up a mobile payment service such as Google Wallet or Apple Pay and link a credit or debit card. The service stores a tokenized version of the card and uses NFC to transmit payment data securely. Without a configured payment service, the phone cannot act as a payment method even if NFC is enabled.
Bluetooth pairing with the payment terminal.
Enable USB OTG on the phone.
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Practice this domainA technician is configuring a small office wireless router for a client. The client wants the network to be as secure as possible while still allowing employees to connect easily with a pre-shared key. The router supports WPA2, WPA3, WPA, and WEP. Which security protocol should the technician select?
WPA2-PSK with AES
WPA-PSK with TKIP
WPA3-Personal
WPA3-Personal is the most secure option among those listed and is supported by the router. It uses SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) to provide forward secrecy and resistance to offline dictionary attacks, which WPA2-PSK lacks. It still allows easy connection with a pre-shared key, satisfying the client's requirement. Therefore, it is the best choice.
WEP with 128-bit key
A user reports that they cannot access any websites by typing domain names, but they can access websites by entering IP addresses directly. The technician suspects a DNS issue. Which command should the technician use first to verify the DNS server settings on the user's Windows 10 computer?
ipconfig /all
ipconfig /all displays the full TCP/IP configuration for all adapters, including the DNS servers that are configured. This allows the technician to verify whether the correct DNS server addresses are assigned via DHCP or manually. Since the user can access sites by IP but not by name, checking DNS settings is the logical first step, making this command appropriate.
ping
netstat -an
nslookup
A small business wants to add a guest wireless network that allows visitors to access the internet but prevents them from reaching internal company resources. The existing network uses a single wireless router with a default configuration. Which of the following should a technician implement?
Change the default SSID and disable SSID broadcast to hide the guest network.
Set up MAC filtering to allow only known guest devices on the wireless network.
Configure a separate guest SSID and enable client isolation or a guest VLAN on the wireless router.
Creating a separate guest SSID with client isolation or a dedicated guest VLAN prevents guests from accessing internal company resources while still providing internet access. This is the standard method for guest network segmentation on a small business router. It meets both security and connectivity requirements without additional hardware.
Enable WPA3-Personal on the guest SSID and place it on the same VLAN as the corporate network.
A user reports that their workstation cannot connect to any network resources. The technician notices the network cable is plugged into the wall jack and the NIC, but the link light is off. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?
The IP address configuration on the workstation.
The firewall rules on the workstation.
The DNS server settings in the operating system.
The patch cable and wall jack for physical damage or loose connection.
The link light being off indicates a physical layer issue. The first step is to verify the cable is securely connected and undamaged, and that the wall jack is active. This is the most likely cause and the quickest to check. Reseating or replacing the cable often resolves the problem.
A company has a network with multiple VLANs. Users on VLAN 10 need to access a server on VLAN 20, but they cannot. The technician verifies that the switch ports are correctly assigned and the server is reachable from other VLANs. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
The router or Layer 3 switch is not configured to route between VLAN 10 and VLAN 20.
Inter-VLAN routing must be explicitly configured on a router or Layer 3 switch. If routing between VLAN 10 and VLAN 20 is not enabled, traffic cannot pass between them. The fact that other VLANs can reach the server suggests that routing works for those VLANs but not for VLAN 10. This is the most likely cause.
The default gateway on VLAN 10 is misconfigured.
The subnet mask on the server is incorrect.
The DNS server is not resolving the server's hostname for VLAN 10 clients.
A technician is configuring a wireless access point for a small office. The office needs to support both older laptops that only support 2.4 GHz and newer devices that support 5 GHz. The technician wants to ensure optimal performance and compatibility. Which two of the following should the technician configure? (Choose two.)
Disable SSID broadcast on both bands to improve security.
Set the 2.4 GHz band to use channel 1, 6, or 11.
In the 2.4 GHz spectrum, channels 1, 6, and 11 are the only non-overlapping channels. Using one of these minimizes interference from neighboring networks. This is a best practice for 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi deployment. It ensures stable performance for older devices.
Set the access point to use WEP encryption for backward compatibility.
Configure the 5 GHz band to use channel 36 at 80 MHz width.
Enable both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands on the access point.
Enabling both bands ensures that older 2.4 GHz-only devices can connect while newer 5 GHz-capable devices can use the less congested 5 GHz band for better performance. This provides compatibility and optimal throughput. It is a standard practice in mixed-device environments to dual-band operation.
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Practice this domainA user reports that a desktop PC randomly shuts down during intensive tasks such as gaming or video rendering. The technician notices the power supply is rated at 500W and the system includes a high-end GPU with a TDP of 250W and a CPU with a TDP of 125W. The PSU has a single 12V rail rated at 30A. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the shutdowns?
The PSU's 12V rail is insufficient to meet the combined power demand under load.
The 12V rail supplies power to the CPU and GPU, which are the primary consumers. A 30A rating on the 12V rail provides 360W (12V × 30A). The combined TDP of the GPU and CPU alone is 375W, exceeding the rail's capacity before accounting for other components. This causes voltage drops or overcurrent protection shutdowns during heavy loads. Thus, the 12V rail is insufficient, making this the most likely cause.
The PSU's total wattage of 500W is too low for the system's components.
The GPU requires a dedicated 12V rail that is not available on this PSU.
The CPU and GPU are drawing power from the 5V rail instead of the 12V rail.
A technician is troubleshooting a desktop that fails to boot. The system powers on, but no video appears and the motherboard emits a repeating beep pattern. The technician suspects a RAM issue. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to resolve the problem?
Replace the CMOS battery.
Reseat the memory modules in their slots.
Reseating the memory modules is the first step because beep codes often indicate poor contact between the RAM and the slot. Dust or slight movement can cause this. Reseating is quick, safe, and non-destructive, and it frequently resolves the issue without needing replacement parts. It also confirms whether the problem is physical connectivity before moving to more complex diagnostics.
Update the BIOS to the latest version.
Replace the power supply with a higher-wattage unit.
A user reports that their laptop display is extremely dim, but when connected to an external monitor, the image is bright and clear. The laptop is a few years old and has been used daily. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
The video cable is loose.
The inverter has failed.
The backlight is failing.
A failing backlight, especially in LED-backlit displays, often causes gradual dimming. The external monitor works because it uses its own backlight. The laptop's display remains functional but dim, indicating the backlight LEDs are degrading. This is common in older laptops. Replacing the backlight or the entire LCD panel is typically required. This is the most likely cause given the symptoms.
The GPU is overheating.
A user reports that their desktop PC randomly shuts down during intensive gaming sessions. The technician notices the CPU fan is spinning, but the air coming out of the rear exhaust is very hot. The system event log shows a critical thermal shutdown. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
The CPU cooler is not compatible with the CPU socket.
The thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink has dried out.
Dried thermal paste reduces heat transfer from the CPU to the heatsink, causing the CPU to overheat even if the fan spins. The hot exhaust air indicates the heatsink is getting heat but not efficiently enough, leading to thermal shutdown under load. Reapplying thermal paste is a common fix. The fan spinning does not guarantee proper heat dissipation if the paste is degraded.
The case fans are not providing enough airflow.
The power supply is failing under load.
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Practice this domain11% of exam · 3 sample questions below
A small accounting firm wants to run a legacy Windows XP application that is incompatible with Windows 11. The technician needs to provide the least disruptive solution that allows the application to run on the existing Windows 11 desktop without modifying the host OS or purchasing new hardware. Which of the following should the technician implement?
Type 1 hypervisor
Type 2 hypervisor
A Type 2 hypervisor runs as an application on top of the host OS, allowing a legacy OS like Windows XP to run in a VM without altering the Windows 11 host. This is the least disruptive because it requires no hardware changes or host OS modifications, and the VM can be isolated from the host.
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)
Application virtualization
A company is migrating its on-premises file server to a public cloud provider. The IT team must ensure that the shared storage remains accessible to multiple virtual machines simultaneously and that the data is replicated across multiple geographic regions for disaster recovery. Which two of the following should the team implement? (Choose two.)
Attach the same block storage volume to all VMs using iSCSI.
Deploy a VPN gateway between the on-premises network and the cloud.
Configure a cloud file storage service with SMB protocol support.
A cloud file storage service that supports SMB allows multiple VMs to mount the same file share concurrently, meeting the shared access requirement. It also integrates with identity services for permissions, and the provider can replicate the share across regions when configured, satisfying the disaster recovery need without managing a separate file server.
Create a RAID 5 array across multiple cloud availability zones.
Enable cross-region replication on the storage account or file share.
Cross-region replication asynchronously copies the file share to a secondary region, providing a disaster recovery copy. Combined with SMB access, it ensures the data remains available to VMs in another region if the primary fails. This directly addresses the geographic redundancy requirement and is a native feature of major cloud file services.
A user reports that their virtual machine running on a Type 2 hypervisor is performing poorly when running a graphics-intensive application. The host machine has a powerful GPU, but the VM only shows a basic display adapter. Which of the following should the technician configure to improve performance?
Configure a bridged network adapter for the VM.
Enable 3D acceleration and allocate more video memory in the VM settings.
Enabling 3D acceleration and increasing video memory allows the VM to use the host GPU for graphics rendering, significantly improving performance for graphics-intensive applications. This setting is available in Type 2 hypervisors like VirtualBox or VMware Workstation and directly addresses the lack of a capable display adapter.
Increase the number of virtual CPUs assigned to the VM.
Enable hardware-assisted virtualization in the VM settings.
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Practice this domain28% of exam · 6 sample questions below
A technician is troubleshooting a desktop PC that intermittently powers off after 15–20 minutes of use, especially under heavy load. The power supply is a 500 W unit that came with the case. The system has a high-end GPU and an overclocked CPU. The technician has already confirmed the wall outlet and power cable are good. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the shutdowns?
The power supply is undersized or failing, causing voltage rail sag under load.
Intermittent shutdowns under load with a high-end GPU and overclocked CPU point to inadequate or degrading PSU capacity. A 500 W unit may not supply stable +12 V rails when demand spikes, triggering protective shutdown. Replacing with a higher-wattage, quality PSU and verifying rail stability is the appropriate next step in this scenario.
The RAM is mismatched, causing memory errors that crash the system.
The motherboard BIOS is outdated and does not support the GPU.
The CPU cooler is loose, causing thermal throttling and automatic shutdown.
A technician is replacing a failed hard drive in a desktop PC. The user wants the fastest possible storage for the operating system and frequently used applications. The motherboard has available M.2 slots and SATA ports. Which of the following should the technician install?
A 5400 RPM SATA hard drive
An M.2 NVMe SSD
An M.2 NVMe SSD connects directly to the PCIe bus, delivering much higher throughput and lower latency than SATA SSDs or hard drives. This makes it the fastest option for booting the OS and launching applications. The motherboard has available M.2 slots, so this is the optimal choice for the user's performance requirement.
A 7200 RPM SATA hard drive
A SATA SSD
A user reports that their desktop PC powers on, but the monitor displays 'No Signal' and remains black. The PC's fans spin, and the power LED is solid. After reseating the video card and trying a different monitor cable, the issue persists. What is the MOST likely cause?
The power supply is failing to provide sufficient wattage to the GPU.
The CMOS battery is dead and the BIOS has reset.
The monitor's input source is set to the wrong port.
The motherboard's PCIe slot or the GPU itself is faulty.
After reseating the GPU and trying a new cable, the persistent 'No Signal' suggests the GPU or the PCIe slot is not functioning. The system powers on, so the issue is likely with the video output path. A faulty slot or GPU would prevent any display output, matching the symptoms. Testing the GPU in another slot or system would confirm.
A user complains that their laptop's wireless connection drops frequently when they move around their home office. The laptop is running Windows 11 and connects to a Wi-Fi 6 router. Which of the following should a technician check FIRST?
The router's channel width setting.
The signal strength and potential interference in different locations.
The drops occur when moving, indicating that signal coverage or interference varies by location. Checking signal strength and sources of interference (like walls, other APs, or appliances) is the most direct first step. This helps determine if the issue is due to dead zones or channel overlap. Tools like Wi-Fi analyzers can map coverage and identify problem areas.
The laptop's wireless adapter driver version.
The router's firmware version.
A user reports that their laser printer produces pages with vertical streaks and smudges. The technician suspects a problem with the printer's internal components. Which two components are MOST likely to cause this issue? (Choose two.)
Transfer roller
Fuser assembly
Drum unit
The drum unit, if separate from the toner cartridge, can cause vertical streaks if scratched or dirty. Even in cartridges that include the drum, damage to the drum surface leads to repeating marks or streaks. Cleaning or replacing the drum unit often fixes the problem. This is a primary suspect for vertical line artifacts.
Paper feed rollers
Toner cartridge
A toner cartridge with a scratched drum or uneven toner distribution can produce vertical streaks and smudges. The drum is part of the cartridge in many laser printers. If the drum is damaged or the toner is low, streaks appear. Replacing the cartridge often resolves the issue. This is a common cause of vertical artifacts.
A technician is configuring a small office network and needs to connect a new VoIP phone that requires Power over Ethernet (PoE). The existing switch does not support PoE. Which of the following is the BEST solution to provide power to the phone without replacing the switch?
Connect the phone to a power outlet using its AC adapter.
Use a PoE injector between the switch and the phone.
A PoE injector adds power to the Ethernet cable, allowing a non-PoE switch to power a PoE device. It is placed between the switch and the phone, injecting both data and power. This is a cost-effective solution without replacing the switch. It meets the requirement of providing power to the VoIP phone.
Replace the existing switch with a PoE switch.
Install a PoE-enabled network interface card (NIC) in the phone.
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Practice this domainThe 220-1201 exam has 90 questions and must be completed in 90 minutes. The passing score is 675/1000.
Multiple-choice and performance-based questions covering IT security, networking, and operations. Some questions are performance-based (PBQs), asking you to complete tasks in a simulated environment.
The exam covers 5 domains: Mobile Devices, Networking, Hardware, Virtualization and Cloud Computing, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting. Questions are weighted by domain — higher-weight domains appear more on your actual exam.
No. These are original exam-style practice questions written against the official CompTIA 220-1201 exam objectives. They are not copied from the real exam. Courseiva focuses on genuine understanding, not memorisation of braindumps.
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