easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: A user's laptop screen flickers intermittently,…
A user's laptop screen flickers intermittently, but the external monitor works fine. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between backlight failures (which cause dim/no light) and signal failures (which cause flickering or no image), leading candidates to confuse inverter/backlight issues with display cable problems.
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
✓
The display cable connecting the motherboard to the screen is loose or damaged.
The most likely cause is a loose or damaged display cable because the external monitor works fine, which rules out a GPU or driver issue. The display cable carries video signals from the motherboard to the LCD panel; intermittent flickering on the internal screen only indicates a physical connection problem at the hinge or connector. This is a common failure point in laptops due to repeated opening and closing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The graphics driver is outdated.
Why it's wrong here
An outdated or corrupt graphics driver typically affects the rendering capabilities of the GPU, impacting all displays connected to it, including both the laptop's internal screen and any external monitors. Since the external monitor functions correctly, the issue is unlikely to be a software-level problem with the graphics driver, which would manifest universally across all output devices.
- ✗
The LCD panel is failing.
Why it's wrong here
A failing LCD panel typically exhibits persistent visual anomalies such as dead pixels, stuck pixels, permanent lines, discoloration, or complete image distortion. Intermittent flickering, especially when the external display is unaffected, is less characteristic of a panel defect itself, which would usually present as a consistent hardware fault within the display matrix.
- ✗
The inverter or backlight is failing.
Why it's wrong here
In older CCFL-backlit laptops, a failing inverter would cause the screen to be dim or completely dark, or flicker with a distinct power-related pattern, rather than intermittent data signal flickering. For modern LED-backlit displays, a backlight issue typically results in a dim screen or complete loss of illumination, not the intermittent visual disruption described, as the backlight primarily provides light, not image data.
- ✓
The display cable connecting the motherboard to the screen is loose or damaged.
Why this is correct
The display cable, often an eDP (embedded DisplayPort) or LVDS (Low-Voltage Differential Signaling) cable, transmits video data and power specifically to the laptop's internal LCD panel. If this cable is loose at either the motherboard or screen connection, or if it's physically damaged (e.g., pinched in the hinge), it can cause intermittent signal loss, resulting in flickering, distortion, or temporary blackouts on the internal screen while the external display, using a separate video output, remains unaffected.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Laptop Hardware and Components
Key term
GPU
A GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a specialized processor that handles the rendering of images, video, and animations for display output and can also be used for general-purpose parallel computing tasks.
Key term
Laptop
A portable personal computer that integrates a display, keyboard, touchpad, battery, and internal components into a single clamshell device for mobile computing.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 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 220-1201 exam.