220-1202 Practice Test 3 — 25 Questions

Question 1

A technician is on a support call with a user who has a strong accent and is speaking quickly. The technician is having difficulty understanding the issue. What is the most professional way to handle this?

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

Accepted Answer

Ask the user to speak more slowly and repeat the problem, apologizing for the difficulty.. It demonstrates active listening and professional courtesy by politely asking the user to slow down and repeat the issue. This approach maintains rapport, ensures accurate information gathering, and avoids misdiagnosis that could lead to wasted time or incorrect troubleshooting steps. In a support context, clear communication is essential for identifying the root cause and applying the correct fix.

Answer

Pretend to understand and hope the issue becomes clear during troubleshooting.

Answer

Transfer the call to a different technician who might understand the accent better.

Answer

Tell the user that their accent is hard to understand and ask them to email the problem instead.

Question 2

A technician is configuring a new wireless network for a school. The network must support hundreds of student devices simultaneously and provide strong security. The school wants to use a single SSID with individual logins for students. Which security protocol should the technician choose?

Accepted Answer

WPA3-Enterprise with 192-bit encryption.. WPA3-Enterprise with 192-bit encryption is the correct choice because it provides the strongest security for a large-scale deployment with individual logins. It uses 802.1X authentication with a RADIUS server, supporting unique credentials for each student, and mandates 192-bit minimum-strength security suite (CNSA Suite) for encryption, offering enhanced protection against brute-force and dictionary attacks compared to WPA2-Enterprise.

Answer

WPA2-PSK with a long passphrase.

Answer

WPA2-Enterprise with 802.1X and RADIUS.

Answer

WPA3-Personal with SAE.

Question 3

A small office has a UPS that emits a loud beeping sound and a burning smell. The technician suspects the battery is overheating. What is the correct immediate action?

Accepted Answer

Unplug the UPS and move it to an open, well-ventilated area.. The correct immediate action is to unplug the UPS and move it to an open, well-ventilated area. A burning smell combined with loud beeping indicates a critical thermal runaway condition in the battery, which can lead to fire or explosion. Disconnecting the UPS from mains power stops the charging current that is likely exacerbating the overheating, and moving it to a ventilated area reduces the risk of toxic gas accumulation and fire spread.

Answer

Replace the battery while the UPS is still plugged in.

Answer

Reset the UPS by pressing the power button.

Answer

Spray the UPS with a fire extinguisher.

Question 4

A customer is returning a leased laptop that contains sensitive client data. The lease agreement requires that the data be irrecoverably destroyed, but the laptop must remain functional for the next lessee. Which method should you use?

Accepted Answer

Run a secure erase utility that overwrites all sectors with zeros.. A secure erase utility that overwrites all sectors with zeros (e.g., using ATA Secure Erase or a tool like DBAN) renders the data irrecoverable by standard forensic methods while leaving the drive functional for the next lessee. This satisfies the lease agreement's requirement for data destruction without damaging the hardware. Quick formats only remove file system pointers, leaving data recoverable, while degaussing or physical destruction would render the laptop non-functional.

Answer

Perform a quick format of the hard drive.

Answer

Use a degausser to demagnetize the drive.

Answer

Physically shred the hard drive.

Question 5

A user reports that their Windows 10 PC fails to boot and displays a 'Boot Configuration Data is missing' error. You need to repair the boot configuration using the Windows Recovery Environment. Which administrative tool should you run from the command prompt in the recovery environment?

Accepted Answer

bootrec /rebuildbcd. The 'Boot Configuration Data is missing' error indicates that the BCD store, which contains boot-time configuration parameters, is corrupted or missing. The `bootrec /rebuildbcd` command scans all disks for Windows installations and allows you to rebuild the BCD store from scratch, directly addressing the missing or corrupt boot configuration data.

Answer

sfc /scannow

Answer

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Answer

chkdsk /f

Question 6

A technician is setting up a wireless network for a home office. The client is concerned about neighbors accessing their internet. The technician enables WPA2-PSK with a strong passphrase. Which additional step should the technician take to ensure the network is as secure as possible?

Accepted Answer

Disable WPS on the router.. WPA2-PSK with a strong passphrase already provides robust encryption, but WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) introduces a significant vulnerability. WPS allows devices to connect via an 8-digit PIN, which can be brute-forced in a matter of hours using tools like Reaver, exposing the network to unauthorized access. Disabling WPS eliminates this attack vector, making the network as secure as possible.

Answer

Enable WPS for easy device pairing.

Answer

Disable SSID broadcast.

Answer

Enable MAC address filtering.

Question 7

A technician is preparing to deploy a security patch to 50 workstations. The change request has been approved, and the patch has been tested on a pilot group. During the deployment, five workstations fail to install the patch. What should the technician do next according to change management best practices?

Accepted Answer

Halt the deployment and execute the rollback plan for the failed workstations. According to change management best practices, when a deployment encounters failures, the immediate priority is to halt the deployment to prevent further issues and then execute the rollback plan to restore the failed workstations to their previous known-good state. This ensures stability and minimizes disruption, as the rollback plan was already defined and approved as part of the change request. Continuing or forcing the patch could lead to system instability or security vulnerabilities.

Answer

Continue deploying to the remaining workstations and troubleshoot the failures later

Answer

Force the patch to install using administrative tools

Answer

Submit a new change request for the failed workstations

Question 8

A technician needs to deploy a configuration change to 50 Windows 10 computers using a script. The script must check if a specific registry key exists before modifying it. Which scripting construct should be used?

Accepted Answer

An if-else statement. The script needs to conditionally execute code based on whether a registry key exists. An if-else statement is the correct construct for this because it evaluates a condition (e.g., Test-Path 'HKLM:\Software\MyKey') and executes one block if true (modify the key) and another if false (skip or create). Loops are for repetition, not conditional branching, and try-catch handles runtime errors, not existence checks.

Answer

A for loop

Answer

A while loop

Answer

A try-catch block

Question 9

A small business uses a shared iMac for customer check-ins. The manager wants to restrict which apps users can open and prevent changes to system settings without creating separate user accounts. Which macOS feature should you configure to meet this requirement?

Accepted Answer

Configure Parental Controls (Screen Time) for the user account. Parental Controls (Screen Time) allows administrators to restrict app usage and system settings changes on a per-user basis without creating separate user accounts. This feature can limit which applications a user can open and prevent modifications to system preferences, meeting the manager's requirement directly.

Answer

Enable FileVault full-disk encryption

Answer

Use the Guest User account

Answer

Apply a firmware password

Question 10

A technician is tasked with removing a persistent malware infection that survives reboots and re-infects the system even after a full antivirus scan in Safe Mode. The malware appears to hide in the Master Boot Record (MBR). Which removal method should the technician use?

Accepted Answer

Use the Windows Recovery Environment to run bootrec /fixmbr.. The malware is hiding in the Master Boot Record (MBR), which is the first sector of the boot drive and loads before the operating system. Running `bootrec /fixmbr` from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) overwrites the MBR code with a clean Windows bootloader, effectively removing the malware that persists there. This method targets the infection at its source, unlike antivirus scans that run after the OS loads and cannot access the MBR while it is in use.

Answer

Run a system file checker (sfc /scannow) from within Windows.

Answer

Perform a clean installation of Windows without formatting the drive.

Answer

Disable System Restore and delete all restore points.

Question 11

A user calls the help desk because their Windows 10 laptop will not connect to any Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi adapter is enabled in Device Manager and shows no errors, but the network list is empty. Other devices connect fine. Which command should be run first to reset the network stack?

Accepted Answer

Run 'netsh winsock reset' from an elevated Command Prompt.. The 'netsh winsock reset' command is the correct first step because it resets the Winsock catalog, which manages network I/O and API calls. When the Wi-Fi adapter shows no errors but the network list is empty, the issue is often a corrupted Winsock configuration rather than a driver or service failure. This command restores the Winsock stack to a clean state without requiring a reboot, making it the most direct fix for this specific symptom.

Answer

Run 'ipconfig /release' followed by 'ipconfig /renew'.

Answer

Run 'sfc /scannow' to check system files.

Answer

Run 'net start wlansvc' to start the WLAN AutoConfig service.

Question 12

A technician is updating the documentation for a network printer that was moved to a different floor. The technician updates the asset tag in the inventory system. Which additional documentation should the technician also update to ensure accurate records?

Accepted Answer

The network diagram showing device locations and connections. When a network printer is moved to a different floor, its physical location and network connectivity change. The network diagram is the authoritative document that records device locations, switch ports, IP addresses, and cabling paths. Updating it ensures that troubleshooting, asset tracking, and future moves remain accurate, directly supporting change management and documentation best practices.

Answer

The user manual for the printer

Answer

The company’s acceptable use policy

Answer

The printer’s warranty information

Question 13

During a security audit, a technician finds that a user's workstation was infected with malware after the user inserted a USB drive found in the parking lot. The drive was labeled 'Employee Salary Info Q4'. What social engineering principle did the attacker exploit?

Accepted Answer

Baiting. Baiting is the correct answer because the attacker exploited the victim's curiosity by leaving a malware-infected USB drive in a visible location, labeled with an enticing message ('Employee Salary Info Q4'). When the user inserted the drive, the malware executed automatically (e.g., via Autorun.inf in Windows), compromising the workstation. This is a classic baiting attack, which relies on offering something desirable to trick the victim into performing a risky action.

Answer

Scarcity

Answer

Pretexting

Answer

Tailgating

Question 14

A user's iPhone is running iOS 15 and they are unable to install a new app from the App Store. The error message says 'Unable to Download App. This app requires iOS 16 or later.' However, the user's iPhone model supports iOS 16. Which built-in iOS feature should the technician use to resolve this?

Accepted Answer

Update iOS via Settings > General > Software Update.. The error message explicitly states that the app requires iOS 16 or later, and the user's iPhone model supports iOS 16. The correct resolution is to update the device's operating system via Settings > General > Software Update, which is the built-in mechanism for installing iOS updates. This directly addresses the compatibility requirement by upgrading the OS to a version that meets the app's minimum deployment target.

Answer

Offload the app and reinstall it.

Answer

Clear the App Store cache by force-closing the app.

Answer

Perform a factory reset.

Question 15

A user reports that a scheduled task runs a VBScript every morning, but the script fails with an 'ActiveX component can't create object' error. The script uses a COM object to interact with an application. What is the most likely cause of this error?

Accepted Answer

The COM object's DLL is not registered or the application is not installed. The 'ActiveX component can't create object' error occurs when the VBScript's CreateObject call fails because the COM class it references is not available. This typically means the DLL that implements the COM object is not registered (e.g., via regsvr32) or the application that provides the object is not installed on the system. Without the registered COM component, the script cannot instantiate the object, leading to this specific runtime error.

Answer

The script is running with insufficient permissions to create files

Answer

The script contains a syntax error in the CreateObject line

Answer

The scheduled task is set to run when the user is not logged in

Question 16

A company has a policy that all workstations must automatically lock after 10 minutes of inactivity. A user complains that their computer does not lock automatically. Which setting should you check and remediate?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the screen saver is enabled and set to 'On resume, display logon screen' with a 10-minute wait. The automatic lock behavior in Windows is controlled by the screen saver settings. When 'On resume, display logon screen' is enabled with a 10-minute wait, the screen saver triggers after inactivity and locks the workstation by requiring authentication upon resume. This is the standard mechanism for enforcing a lock timeout, not the power plan sleep timeout.

Answer

Check the power plan settings for sleep timeout

Answer

Ensure Windows Update is fully installed

Answer

Disable the Fast Startup feature

Question 17

A company policy requires that all USB flash drives be automatically scanned for malware when inserted. Which Windows security setting should be configured to enforce this?

Accepted Answer

Enable Windows Defender Real-time Protection. Windows Defender Real-time Protection (now part of Microsoft Defender Antivirus) automatically scans removable media, including USB flash drives, for malware upon insertion. This setting enforces the company policy by ensuring that any file accessed or executed from the drive is checked against known threat signatures in real time, without requiring manual scans.

Answer

Configure BitLocker To Go

Answer

Enable Windows Firewall

Answer

Set User Account Control to Always Notify

Question 18

A company policy requires that all workstations must have Windows Firewall enabled. You check a user's PC and find the firewall is off. Which Control Panel applet would you use to turn it back on?

Accepted Answer

Windows Defender Firewall. The Windows Defender Firewall applet (Option B) is the dedicated Control Panel interface for managing Windows Firewall settings, including turning the firewall on or off. Since the question specifically asks which applet to use to enable the firewall, this is the correct tool. Other applets may display firewall status but do not provide the direct toggle to enable or disable the firewall.

Answer

Security and Maintenance

Answer

Network and Sharing Center

Answer

System

Question 19

A small business owner asks you to configure their office computers so that employees cannot install unauthorized browser extensions. Which policy setting should you implement?

Accepted Answer

Use Group Policy to block extension installation and whitelist approved extensions.. Group Policy allows centralized management of browser settings in a domain environment. By configuring the 'Configure the list of force-installed extensions' and 'Block external extensions' policies, an administrator can whitelist approved extensions and prevent users from installing any others. This directly addresses the requirement to block unauthorized browser extensions.

Answer

Disable the browser's developer mode in the settings.

Answer

Set the browser to always use private browsing mode.

Answer

Install a pop-up blocker on each computer.

Question 20

A user reports that their computer is sending out a large amount of network traffic even when they are not using the internet. The antivirus detects a file named 'expl0rer.exe' in the startup folder. What type of malware is most likely causing this behavior?

Accepted Answer

Botnet. The file name 'expl0rer.exe' mimics the legitimate 'explorer.exe' but uses a zero in place of the 'o', a common obfuscation technique. The symptom of high outbound network traffic without user activity, combined with the file's presence in the startup folder, strongly indicates the computer is part of a botnet. Botnet malware connects to a command-and-control (C2) server to receive instructions, often used for DDoS attacks or spam relays, which generates constant network activity.

Answer

Spyware

Answer

Virus

Answer

Trojan