- A
"You need to close some tabs and restart your laptop immediately."
Why wrong: This is too direct and dismissive; it can make the user feel blamed and defensive, harming professional rapport.
- B
"I understand that's frustrating. Let's look at what might be causing this. Have you noticed it happens when certain programs are open?"
This shows empathy and invites collaboration, aligning with best practices for professional communication.
- C
"That's because you never restart your computer. You should do that weekly."
Why wrong: This blames the user and is condescending, which can escalate frustration and damage trust.
- D
"Let me transfer you to our advanced support team for this issue."
Why wrong: This avoids addressing the user's immediate concern and is an unnecessary escalation, as the issue is likely manageable at tier 1.
220-1202 Communication and Professionalism Practice Question
This 220-1202 practice question tests your understanding of communication and professionalism. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A user calls the help desk, frustrated that their laptop 'keeps freezing' during video conferences. They admit they have 15 browser tabs open, are running a resource-heavy design app, and have not restarted the laptop in three weeks. The technician needs to recommend a solution while maintaining professionalism. What should the technician say first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
"I understand that's frustrating. Let's look at what might be causing this. Have you noticed it happens when certain programs are open?"
Option B is correct because it first validates the user's frustration (professionalism) and then uses a probing question to gather diagnostic data about the specific conditions causing the freezing. This aligns with the CompTIA A+ troubleshooting methodology (identify the problem) and maintains rapport, which is critical for customer satisfaction. The technician avoids premature blame or dismissal, instead focusing on correlating the symptom (freezing) with resource contention from the browser tabs and design app.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
"You need to close some tabs and restart your laptop immediately."
Why it's wrong here
This is too direct and dismissive; it can make the user feel blamed and defensive, harming professional rapport.
- ✓
"I understand that's frustrating. Let's look at what might be causing this. Have you noticed it happens when certain programs are open?"
Why this is correct
This shows empathy and invites collaboration, aligning with best practices for professional communication.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
"That's because you never restart your computer. You should do that weekly."
Why it's wrong here
This blames the user and is condescending, which can escalate frustration and damage trust.
- ✗
"Let me transfer you to our advanced support team for this issue."
Why it's wrong here
This avoids addressing the user's immediate concern and is an unnecessary escalation, as the issue is likely manageable at tier 1.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CompTIA often tests the candidate's ability to prioritize professional communication over technical action; the trap here is that many candidates jump to a technical fix (Option A or C) instead of first acknowledging the user's issue and gathering information, which is the correct first step in the troubleshooting process.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, freezing during video conferences often stems from CPU or memory exhaustion—15 browser tabs can consume several gigabytes of RAM, and a design app may push the GPU to its thermal limit. The technician's question targets whether the freezing correlates with specific workloads, which helps isolate whether the cause is memory pressure (paging to disk) or thermal throttling (CPU frequency reduction). In real-world scenarios, a three-week uptime can lead to memory fragmentation or driver state corruption, but the first step is always to confirm the symptom pattern before recommending a reboot.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 220-1202 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Communication and Professionalism — study guide chapter
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Communication and Professionalism practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 220-1202 question test?
Communication and Professionalism — This question tests Communication and Professionalism — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: "I understand that's frustrating. Let's look at what might be causing this. Have you noticed it happens when certain programs are open?" — Option B is correct because it first validates the user's frustration (professionalism) and then uses a probing question to gather diagnostic data about the specific conditions causing the freezing. This aligns with the CompTIA A+ troubleshooting methodology (identify the problem) and maintains rapport, which is critical for customer satisfaction. The technician avoids premature blame or dismissal, instead focusing on correlating the symptom (freezing) with resource contention from the browser tabs and design app.
What should I do if I get this 220-1202 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This 220-1202 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1202 exam.
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