220-1201 Practice Test 43 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that powers on for a few seconds then shuts off. The technician removes the 24-pin connector and jumps the green wire to a black wire; the PSU fan spins and stays on. What does this indicate?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

The motherboard has a short circuit causing the PSU to shut down.. The paperclip test confirms the PSU can power on independently. If the fan runs continuously, the PSU is likely functional. The issue is probably elsewhere, such as a short on the motherboard or a faulty component drawing too much power.

Answer

The power supply is definitely faulty and should be replaced.

Answer

The CPU is overheating and triggering thermal shutdown.

Answer

The power supply fan is defective, causing it to overheat and shut off.

Question 2

A technician is setting up a new office with 20 workstations. The cabling is Cat6, and all runs are under 90 meters. After terminating the cables at the patch panel and wall jacks, the technician tests each run with a cable certifier. One run fails the test for near-end crosstalk (NEXT). What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The cable pairs are untwisted too much at the termination point.. This question tests understanding of cable termination quality and crosstalk. The correct answer is that the untwisting of pairs at the termination point is too long, which can cause NEXT failures.

Answer

The cable is too long for Cat6 specifications.

Answer

The cable is not properly shielded.

Answer

The cable is damaged from being pulled too hard during installation.

Question 3

A user reports that their monitor displays a distorted image with wavy lines. The monitor uses a VGA connection. The technician checks the cable and finds it is not fully tightened. After securing the thumbscrews, the image is still distorted. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The VGA cable has a broken pin. VGA is an analog signal and can suffer from interference. Damaged or loose pins in the VGA connector can cause distortion even if the cable appears secure. The pins may be bent or broken.

Answer

The monitor's refresh rate is set too high

Answer

The graphics driver needs to be updated

Answer

The monitor's power cable is loose

Question 4

A technician is replacing a failed hard drive in a server. The new drive has a SATA III connector, but the server's backplane only supports SATA II. What will be the result of using this drive?

Accepted Answer

The drive will operate at SATA II speeds. SATA III is backward compatible with SATA II, so the drive will work but at SATA II speeds (3 Gbps). This tests knowledge of SATA generation compatibility and performance limitations. The drive will not be damaged but will not achieve its maximum speed.

Answer

The drive will not be recognized

Answer

The drive will operate at SATA III speeds

Answer

The drive will be damaged

Question 5

A user complains that their external monitor flickers intermittently. The monitor is connected via a DVI cable to a graphics card that has both DVI-I and DVI-D ports. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the flickering?

Accepted Answer

The DVI cable is loose or damaged. A loose or damaged DVI cable is a common cause of intermittent flickering, as poor contact can disrupt the signal. DVI-I and DVI-D are compatible, so port type is less likely the issue. This tests troubleshooting skills for display connection problems.

Answer

The graphics card driver is outdated

Answer

The monitor's refresh rate is set too high

Answer

The DVI port is incompatible with the cable

Question 6

A user complains that their laptop, which has 8 GB of RAM soldered on the motherboard, is running slowly when multitasking. They ask if they can add more RAM. The laptop has one empty SO-DIMM slot. What is the best recommendation?

Accepted Answer

Recommend adding a SO-DIMM module of the same type and speed as the soldered RAM.. The laptop has a single empty slot, so adding a SO-DIMM module will increase total RAM. However, mixing a soldered module with a SO-DIMM may force single-channel operation, but the capacity gain outweighs this. The technician should recommend adding a compatible DDR4 or DDR5 SO-DIMM (depending on laptop) to improve performance.

Answer

Advise the user to replace the laptop because soldered RAM cannot be upgraded.

Answer

Suggest removing the soldered RAM and replacing it with a larger module.

Answer

Tell the user to install two SO-DIMM modules for dual-channel.

Question 7

A technician is tasked with upgrading the RAM in a laptop that uses SO-DIMM modules. The laptop currently has 4 GB of RAM soldered on the motherboard and one empty SO-DIMM slot. The technician installs an 8 GB SO-DIMM, but the system only reports 8 GB total. What is the most likely reason?

Accepted Answer

The laptop's BIOS is configured to use only the SO-DIMM slot when populated.. Some laptops with soldered RAM have a limitation where the SO-DIMM slot cannot be used simultaneously with the onboard memory, or the system may disable the onboard RAM when a module is installed. This is a design constraint, not a hardware failure.

Answer

The SO-DIMM module is incompatible with the laptop's chipset.

Answer

The soldered RAM is faulty and has been disabled.

Answer

The SO-DIMM is not seated properly in the slot.

Question 8

A user complains that their computer with a 256 GB NVMe SSD is running out of storage space. They want to add more internal storage but only have one M.2 slot. What is the best solution to expand capacity without sacrificing performance?

Accepted Answer

Replace the NVMe SSD with a larger capacity NVMe SSD.. Replacing the existing NVMe SSD with a larger capacity model is the most direct and universally applicable way to increase internal storage while maintaining NVMe performance, suitable for both laptops and desktops. While adding a second M.2 drive via a PCIe adapter card (Option D) is a viable solution for desktops with available PCIe slots, it adds complexity and cost (requiring an adapter card in addition to the drive) and is not an option for laptops. Adding a SATA SSD via a 2.5-inch bay (Option B) is also viable but slower than NVMe. External drives (Option C) are not internal storage.

Answer

Install a SATA SSD in an available 2.5-inch drive bay.

Answer

Use an external USB SSD for additional storage.

Answer

Add a second M.2 drive using a PCIe adapter card.

Question 9

A user reports that their laptop's 1TB hard drive is making a clicking sound and the system is running very slowly. The technician runs a diagnostic and finds multiple bad sectors. What should the technician do first?

Accepted Answer

Back up all important data to an external drive or cloud storage.. This question tests understanding of hard drive failure symptoms and proper troubleshooting steps. A clicking sound (often called the 'click of death') and bad sectors indicate imminent mechanical failure. The priority is to back up data immediately before the drive fails completely. Replacing the drive is necessary, but data backup comes first.

Answer

Run a surface scan to mark bad sectors and continue using the drive.

Answer

Replace the hard drive immediately and reinstall the operating system.

Answer

Update the hard drive firmware to fix the clicking noise.

Question 10

A technician is configuring a high-performance workstation with 128 GB of RAM using eight 16 GB DDR5 modules. The system boots but only shows 64 GB in the BIOS. The technician has reseated all modules and verified they are in the correct slots. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The CPU does not support 128 GB of RAM.. With high-capacity RAM configurations, the CPU's memory controller may have limitations. Some CPUs, especially mainstream models, may not support 128 GB (e.g., 64 GB max per channel). The technician should check the CPU specifications for maximum supported RAM. Another possibility is a BIOS limitation or incorrect slot population, but the CPU limit is a common oversight.

Answer

The RAM modules are not all the same speed.

Answer

The motherboard only supports up to 64 GB of RAM.

Answer

The RAM is not properly seated in the slots.

Question 11

A technician is tasked with upgrading a workstation that uses DDR3 RAM. The technician purchases DDR3L modules (low voltage) and installs them. The system fails to boot. What is the most likely reason?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard does not support the lower voltage of DDR3L.. DDR3L modules operate at 1.35V, while standard DDR3 operates at 1.5V. Many older motherboards do not support DDR3L, or they require specific BIOS settings to handle the lower voltage. The technician should verify motherboard compatibility before installation.

Answer

The DDR3L modules are physically incompatible with DDR3 slots.

Answer

The technician installed the modules in the wrong slots.

Answer

The DDR3L modules are defective.

Question 12

A help desk ticket reports that a user's PC fails to boot and emits a series of long beeps. The system has two 8 GB DDR4 modules installed. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

One of the RAM modules is faulty or not seated properly.. Long beeps during POST typically indicate a memory failure, such as a faulty or improperly seated RAM module. This is a common hardware troubleshooting scenario where the beep code points directly to RAM issues. The technician should reseat or replace the RAM modules first.

Answer

The power supply is failing.

Answer

The CPU is overheating.

Answer

The hard drive has failed.

Question 13

A small business has a single router with four built-in switch ports. They need to connect 12 wired devices. They have a 24-port unmanaged switch. Which configuration will provide the best network performance and connectivity?

Accepted Answer

Connect the switch to one of the router's LAN ports, then connect all 12 devices to the switch.. Connecting the 24-port unmanaged switch to one of the router's LAN ports extends the network, allowing all 12 devices to connect via the switch. The router handles routing and DHCP, while the switch provides ample ports and wire-speed forwarding at Layer 2, ensuring optimal performance without collisions or bandwidth contention.

Answer

Connect all 12 devices directly to the router's four ports using splitters.

Answer

Connect half the devices to the router and half to the switch, then connect the switch to the router.

Answer

Use the router as a switch by disabling its routing functions.

Question 14

A customer complains that their external USB 3.0 hard drive is only transferring files at USB 2.0 speeds (about 30-40 MB/s). They have confirmed the drive supports USB 3.0. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The USB cable is only rated for USB 2.0.. If a USB 3.0 device is plugged into a USB 2.0 port or a cable that only supports USB 2.0, it will fall back to slower speeds. The cable or port is the most common bottleneck. Driver issues are less likely, and the drive itself is not faulty.

Answer

The external drive is failing and needs to be replaced.

Answer

The drive is formatted with FAT32, which limits transfer speeds.

Answer

The computer's USB drivers are outdated.

Question 15

A small office manager wants to upgrade the RAM in several identical workstations from 8 GB to 16 GB. The current modules are DDR3-1600. The company has a box of unused DDR3-1333 modules from an older system. Can they use these modules to upgrade the workstations?

Accepted Answer

Yes, they can add the DDR3-1333 modules, but all RAM will run at 1333 MHz.. DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1600 are both DDR3, so they are physically compatible. However, mixing speeds forces all modules to run at the slower 1333 MHz, which may slightly reduce performance. The upgrade is possible but not optimal.

Answer

No, because the speeds are different and will cause system instability.

Answer

Yes, but only if they replace the existing modules entirely with the DDR3-1333 modules.

Answer

No, because DDR3-1333 is not compatible with DDR3-1600 slots.