220-1201 Timed Practice Test 1 — 10 Questions

Question 1

A customer reports that their laptop's touchpad is unresponsive after they spilled a small amount of liquid on the keyboard. The laptop still powers on and the keyboard works. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The touchpad ribbon cable is damaged or disconnected.. The touchpad is likely disconnected or shorted due to liquid ingress, even though the keyboard still works. In many laptops, the touchpad connects via a separate ribbon cable that can be damaged by liquid. The first step should be to inspect and reseat or replace the touchpad cable.

Answer

The touchpad driver is corrupted.

Answer

The battery is swollen and pressing on the touchpad.

Answer

The touchpad is disabled in the BIOS.

Question 2

A technician is replacing a cracked screen on a smartphone. After removing the old screen, they notice a small, flat, rectangular component with a metal shield is loose near the battery connector. What should they do?

Accepted Answer

Reattach it using double-sided adhesive tape.. The loose component is likely the vibrator motor, which is often a small rectangular module that can become dislodged during disassembly. It should be securely reattached to prevent rattling and ensure proper vibration function. Ignoring it could lead to customer complaints about missing vibration alerts.

Answer

Discard it as it is not needed for the screen replacement.

Answer

Solder it back onto the motherboard.

Answer

Leave it loose; it will not affect screen operation.

Question 3

A user complains that their tablet's battery drains very quickly, even when not in use. The device is one year old and was working normally until last week. Which hardware component is most likely failing?

Accepted Answer

The battery has degraded or is failing.. A lithium-ion battery that drains quickly, especially when idle, often indicates the battery has degraded or developed an internal short. Batteries have a finite lifespan and can fail after a year of use. Replacing the battery is the standard fix.

Answer

The charging port is loose.

Answer

The power management IC is faulty.

Answer

The screen brightness is set too high.

Question 4

A technician is installing a new SSD into a customer's laptop. After removing the bottom cover, they see the existing hard drive is held in place by a metal bracket and a single screw. What is the correct next step?

Accepted Answer

Remove the screw and bracket, then gently lift the drive out of the SATA connector.. Removing the bracket and screw allows the drive to be lifted or slid out of its connector. This is standard procedure for 2.5-inch drives in laptops. The technician must also disconnect any attached cables before removal.

Answer

Pull the drive straight out with force to disconnect it.

Answer

Use a plastic spudger to pry the drive from the connector.

Answer

Remove the battery first to avoid electrical shock.

Question 5

A technician is troubleshooting a laptop that will not charge. The battery is removable, and the power adapter works on another laptop. When the battery is inserted, the laptop powers on but shows '0% available (plugged in, not charging)'. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The battery is defective and needs replacement.. The 'plugged in, not charging' message often indicates a failed battery that cannot accept a charge, even though the system detects it. A defective battery cell will prevent charging. The power adapter and charging circuit are likely fine since the laptop powers on.

Answer

The charging port is loose.

Answer

The power management driver is outdated.

Answer

The CMOS battery is dead.

Question 6

A customer brings in a smartphone with a broken charging port. They want the port replaced. During disassembly, the technician finds that the charging port is soldered directly to the main board. Which tool is essential for this repair?

Accepted Answer

A soldering iron with a fine tip.. A soldered charging port requires desoldering to remove it and reflow soldering to install the new one. A soldering iron with a fine tip is necessary for this precision work. Using a heat gun alone could damage nearby components.

Answer

A heat gun with a narrow nozzle.

Answer

A Phillips-head screwdriver.

Answer

A plastic spudger.

Question 7

A technician is upgrading the RAM in a laptop. After installing two new 8GB sticks, the laptop fails to boot and emits a series of beeps. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The RAM modules are not fully seated in the slots.. Beep codes usually indicate a memory error. The most common cause is improperly seated RAM modules. Even if the modules are compatible, they must be fully inserted and locked into place. Reseating the RAM often resolves the issue.

Answer

The RAM is not compatible with the motherboard.

Answer

The laptop's BIOS needs to be updated.

Answer

The RAM was installed in the wrong orientation.

Question 8

A user reports that their laptop's keyboard types random characters when certain keys are pressed. The laptop has not been dropped or spilled on. What is the most likely hardware issue?

Accepted Answer

The keyboard has an internal short or faulty controller.. A faulty keyboard controller or a short in the keyboard matrix can cause random character output. This is a hardware failure within the keyboard assembly. Replacing the keyboard is the standard fix, as individual key repairs are not practical.

Answer

The keyboard driver is corrupted.

Answer

The keyboard ribbon cable is loose.

Answer

The operating system has a malware infection.

Question 9

A technician is repairing a tablet that has a cracked digitizer. The LCD panel is intact and displays correctly. After replacing the digitizer, the touch input is unresponsive. What is the most likely oversight?

Accepted Answer

The digitizer flex cable is not fully seated in the connector.. The digitizer connects via a separate flex cable that must be properly seated. If the LCD works but touch does not, the digitizer cable is likely not fully inserted or the connector is damaged. This is a common error during digitizer-only replacements.

Answer

The digitizer is not compatible with the tablet model.

Answer

The LCD panel was damaged during the repair.

Answer

The tablet's touch controller needs to be calibrated.

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting a laptop that shuts down randomly after a few minutes of use. The fan is spinning, and the vents are clear. The CPU temperature reaches 95°C quickly. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink has dried out.. High CPU temperature despite a spinning fan indicates poor thermal transfer, often due to dried-out thermal paste or a heatsink that is not making proper contact. Reapplying thermal paste and reseating the heatsink is the solution. The fan working rules out a fan failure.

Answer

The fan is running at low speed due to a faulty fan controller.

Answer

The CPU is faulty and needs replacement.

Answer

The BIOS is set to an aggressive power-saving mode.