Quick Answer
The answer is diagnostic analysis. This is correct because diagnostic analysis focuses on understanding the root cause of an observed outcome, such as the 15% sales increase, by drilling into the data to explain why it happened—in this case, identifying which customer segment contributed most. On the CompTIA Data+ DA0-001 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analysis; a common trap is confusing diagnostic with descriptive analysis, which would only report the increase without investigating its cause. To remember this, think of a doctor diagnosing an illness: you already know the symptom (the sales jump), and now you need to find the underlying reason (the specific customer segment). A helpful mnemonic is “Dx for Why,” where Dx stands for diagnostic and the goal is to answer “why” something occurred.
This DA0-001 practice question tests your understanding of analyzing and modeling data. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
After a marketing campaign, sales increased by 15%. The analyst wants to understand which customer segment contributed most to the increase. Which type of analysis is this?
Predictive analysis
Why wrong: Predictive analysis forecasts future outcomes, not explains past ones.
Diagnostic analysis
Diagnostic analysis investigates the cause of the outcome—here, which segment drove the increase.
Prescriptive analysis
Why wrong: Prescriptive analysis recommends actions based on predictions.
Descriptive analysis
Why wrong: Descriptive analysis would simply report the increase, not explain which segment contributed.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Diagnostic analysis
Diagnostic analysis is used to understand the root cause of an event or change. In this scenario, the analyst already knows sales increased by 15% and wants to determine which customer segment drove that increase, which is a classic diagnostic question. This type of analysis goes beyond describing what happened to explain why it happened.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Predictive analysis
Why it's wrong here
Predictive analysis forecasts future outcomes, not explains past ones.
Diagnostic analysis
Why this is correct
Diagnostic analysis investigates the cause of the outcome—here, which segment drove the increase.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Prescriptive analysis
Why it's wrong here
Prescriptive analysis recommends actions based on predictions.
Descriptive analysis
Why it's wrong here
Descriptive analysis would simply report the increase, not explain which segment contributed.
Common exam traps
The trap here is confusing diagnostic analysis with descriptive analysis, as both deal with past data, but descriptive only summarizes what happened while diagnostic explains why it happened.
Detailed technical explanation
Diagnostic analysis often involves techniques such as drill-down, data mining, and correlation analysis to isolate contributing factors. For example, an analyst might use cohort analysis or segmentation to compare sales growth across different customer groups, applying statistical tests like chi-square or ANOVA to determine significance. In a real-world scenario, this could involve querying a data warehouse with SQL to aggregate sales by segment and compute contribution percentages.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the DA0-001 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
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FAQ
Analyzing and Modeling Data — This question tests Analyzing and Modeling Data — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Diagnostic analysis — Diagnostic analysis is used to understand the root cause of an event or change. In this scenario, the analyst already knows sales increased by 15% and wants to determine which customer segment drove that increase, which is a classic diagnostic question. This type of analysis goes beyond describing what happened to explain why it happened.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This DA0-001 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 DA0-001 exam.
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