CompTIA · Free Practice Questions · Last reviewed May 2026
36real 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.
13% of exam · 6 sample questions below
Which of the following is the binary representation of the decimal number 5?
0100
0011
0110
0101
0101 is binary for 5.
A technician needs to identify a network interface on a device. Which notational system is most commonly associated with MAC addresses?
Hexadecimal
Hexadecimal is the standard representation for MAC addresses.
Binary
Octal
Decimal
A digital image is stored in a file that retains all original data without any loss. Later, the file is compressed using a technique that discards some data to reduce file size, but the image quality is lower. Which type of compression was applied?
Archive compression
Lossless compression
File compression
Lossy compression
Lossy compression discards data, reducing quality.
A user notices that their computer runs slowly when multiple applications are open simultaneously. Which hardware component is most likely insufficient for the current workload?
GPU
CPU
Hard drive
RAM
RAM provides temporary storage for active programs; insufficient RAM leads to slowdowns.
An IT professional is explaining to a client the difference between an HDD and an SSD. Which statement best describes a key advantage of an SSD over an HDD?
SSDs require a constant power supply to retain data.
SSDs provide larger storage capacities at a lower cost per gigabyte.
SSDs are more resilient to physical shock because they have no moving parts.
SSDs are solid-state and withstand shock better.
SSDs use laser technology to read and write data.
A technician is troubleshooting a computer that fails to boot. The technician checks the system's low-level software stored on a chip on the motherboard. Which type of software is being inspected?
Firmware
Firmware (BIOS/UEFI) is stored on a chip and controls initial boot.
Device driver
Application software
Operating system
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Practice this domainA technician is upgrading a desktop computer's memory. Which component would the technician most likely replace to improve system performance using dual-channel architecture?
GPU
Storage drive
CPU
RAM
RAM modules are installed in pairs for dual-channel operation.
A user wants to transfer files from a smartphone to a laptop. The smartphone supports USB-C with USB 3.0, and the laptop has both USB-A and USB-C ports. Which cable type is most appropriate for maximum transfer speed?
USB-A to USB-C cable
USB-C to Thunderbolt cable
USB-C to USB-C cable
Both devices have USB-C ports supporting USB 3.0 for maximum speed.
USB-A to USB-A cable
A company issues smartphones to employees and needs to enforce security policies such as remote wipe and mandatory encryption. Which technology should the IT department implement?
Antivirus software
VPN
MDM
MDM is specifically for managing mobile devices, including security policies.
Firewall
A network administrator is setting up a small office network with 20 computers. The network must be easy to troubleshoot and resilient to a single cable failure affecting only one device. Which topology is most appropriate?
Ring
Bus
Star
Star topology isolates failures per device and is easy to troubleshoot.
Mesh
Which wireless standard operates on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, providing faster speeds and better performance in crowded environments compared to its predecessor?
802.11n
802.11g
802.11ax
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) is the latest standard with dual-band support and improved performance.
802.11ac
A user's laptop has a SATA SSD, and they want to upgrade to a faster storage solution. Which interface technology would provide the most significant performance improvement?
Hybrid drive (SSHD)
NVMe M.2
NVMe uses PCIe lanes, providing significantly faster data transfer rates.
External USB 3.0 SSD
SATA M.2
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Practice this domain18% of exam · 6 sample questions below
Which of the following is the correct file extension for a macOS installer package?
.msi
.pkg
.pkg is an installer package on macOS.
.exe
.dmg
A user wants to install software on a Linux system. Which file types are most commonly used for installing applications?
.dmg and .pkg
.app and .apk
.deb and .rpm
.deb and .rpm are standard Linux package formats.
.exe and .msi
A technician needs to install software on 50 company computers without user interaction. Which installation method should be used?
Manual installation
Installation from an app store
Silent installation
Runs without user prompts, ideal for bulk deployment.
Trial installation
A developer writes code in Python and runs it without compiling. This is an example of which type of language?
Compiled language
Scripting language
Python is interpreted, also called scripting.
Markup language
Query language
A user is selecting a web browser for everyday use. Which of the following is NOT a web browser?
Microsoft Teams
Teams is collaboration software.
Apple Safari
Mozilla Firefox
Google Chrome
Which of the following best describes a web application?
An application that runs only on mobile devices
An application installed locally that has direct hardware access
An application that runs within a web browser and processes data on a server
Web apps are browser-based with server-side logic.
An application that connects services using APIs
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Practice this domain13% of exam · 6 sample questions below
A software development team follows a methodology where work is divided into fixed sequential phases: requirements, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. Changes to requirements are difficult once a phase is completed. Which development methodology is being used?
Spiral
Waterfall
Waterfall follows sequential phases and is suited for predictable projects.
Scrum
Agile
A product manager creates a list of user stories for a new feature. The development team estimates effort for each story and selects a set to complete in a two-week iteration. Daily standup meetings are held to discuss progress. At the end of the iteration, the team demonstrates working software to stakeholders. Which development framework is being used?
Waterfall
Scrum
Scrum includes sprints, user stories, daily standups, and sprint reviews.
V-Model
Kanban
A developer writes a set of instructions to sort an array of numbers in ascending order. The instructions include steps like 'compare first two numbers, swap if out of order, move to next pair, repeat until no swaps are needed.' This step-by-step procedure is known as a(n):
Pseudocode
Flowchart
Algorithm
An algorithm is a set of steps to solve a problem.
Data structure
A developer needs to represent the logic of a program that decides whether a user is eligible for a discount. The process includes conditions (e.g., 'is member?') and actions (e.g., 'apply 10% discount'). Which tool would best visually represent this logic using standardized symbols like diamonds for decisions and rectangles for processes?
Pseudocode
Data flow diagram
Flowchart
Flowcharts use symbols for decisions and processes.
UML class diagram
A developer needs to store a collection of student names and their corresponding grades. The data should be accessed quickly by student name. Which data structure is most appropriate?
Array
Queue
Stack
Dictionary
Dictionary stores key-value pairs for fast access by key.
A software tester writes tests to verify that individual functions in a module return correct results when given specific inputs. These tests are isolated from other parts of the system. Which type of testing is being performed?
Integration testing
User acceptance testing
Unit testing
Unit testing tests individual units/functions in isolation.
System testing
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Practice this domain13% of exam · 6 sample questions below
Which of the following is a primary advantage of using a database over a flat file system for storing customer records?
Simpler to set up and manage
Supports simultaneous multi-user access
Databases are designed for concurrent access with transaction controls.
Stores data in a non-structured format
No need for a query language
A database administrator wants to enforce that every record in the 'Orders' table must have a non-null unique value in the 'OrderID' column. Which database concept ensures this?
Referential integrity
Entity integrity
Entity integrity is enforced by the primary key constraint.
Input validation
Domain integrity
In a relational database, a foreign key in the 'Enrollments' table references the primary key of the 'Students' table. What does this relationship primarily enforce?
Referential integrity
Foreign keys maintain referential integrity between tables.
Entity integrity
Normalization
Domain integrity
A company stores product data in a MongoDB database. Each product document contains fields like 'name', 'price', and 'tags' (an array). What type of NoSQL database is MongoDB?
Document store
MongoDB stores documents (JSON-like objects) with flexible schemas.
Wide-column store
Graph database
Key-value store
Which SQL statement is used to retrieve all columns from a table named 'Customers' where the city is 'London'?
SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE city = 'London';
This correctly uses SELECT with WHERE clause.
RETRIEVE * FROM Customers WHERE city = 'London';
SELECT * FROM Customers HAVING city = 'London';
GET * FROM Customers WHERE city = 'London';
A database designer wants to split a table into two to reduce data redundancy and avoid update anomalies. This process is known as:
Normalization
Normalization splits tables to eliminate redundancy.
Denormalization
Indexing
Partitioning
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Practice this domainWhich of the following best describes the principle of confidentiality in the CIA triad?
Data is not altered unexpectedly
Systems are accessible when needed
Ensuring data is backed up regularly
Preventing unauthorized access to information
Confidentiality is about preventing unauthorized access.
A company implements a policy requiring employees to use a password and a one-time code sent to their mobile phone when logging into the corporate network. Which security concept is being employed?
Role-based access control
Single sign-on
Multi-factor authentication
Password and phone code are two different factors.
Biometrics
A user receives an email that appears to be from their bank, asking them to click a link and verify their account details. The email contains urgent language and threats of account closure. What type of attack is this?
Spear phishing
Smishing
Phishing
Phishing exploits social engineering by masquerading as a trusted entity—here, the user’s bank—to trick the recipient into clicking a fraudulent link. The urgent language and threat of account closure create a false sense of crisis, bypassing rational scrutiny. This satisfies the constraint of unauthorised credential harvesting via deceptive communication, distinguishing it from technical exploits like malware injection.
Vishing
Which of the following is the strongest password?
12345678
P@ssw0rd
MyD0g!sF1d0
12 characters, mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, symbol.
password
A security analyst discovers that a file on a server has been modified without authorization. However, the system logs show that the modification was made by an authenticated user who had legitimate access to the file. Which aspect of the CIA triad has been violated?
Non-repudiation
Integrity
Unauthorized modification violates integrity.
Availability
Confidentiality
Which of the following malware types is characterized by self-replication without needing to attach to a host file?
Worm
Worms self-replicate without host files.
Virus
Trojan
Ransomware
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Practice this domainThe FC0-U71 exam has 75 questions and must be completed in 60 minutes. The passing score is 650/1000.
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 6 domains: Tech Concepts and Terminology, Infrastructure, Applications and Software, Software Development Concepts, Data and Database Fundamentals, Security. 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 FC0-U71 exam objectives. They are not copied from the real exam. Courseiva focuses on genuine understanding, not memorisation of braindumps.
Courseiva tracks your accuracy per domain and routes you toward weak areas automatically. Free, no account required.