Quick Answer
The answer is RAID 5, as it is the only configuration among the options that provides fault tolerance for a single drive failure while maximizing storage capacity with three identical drives. RAID 5 achieves this through block-level striping with distributed parity, meaning data and parity information are spread across all three drives; if one drive fails, the remaining two drives can reconstruct the missing data using the parity calculations, allowing the array to continue operating. On the CompTIA ITF+ FC0-U61 exam, this question tests your understanding of basic RAID levels and their trade-offs, often appearing in scenarios about balancing redundancy and usable space. A common trap is confusing RAID 5 with RAID 0 (which offers no fault tolerance) or RAID 1 (which mirrors data but wastes half the capacity). Remember the memory tip: “RAID 5 keeps you alive with just one drive’s parity—three drives give you two-thirds capacity and single-drive security.”
This FC0-U61 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure. 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 company wants to protect against data loss if a single hard drive fails. They have three identical drives. Which RAID configuration provides fault tolerance while maximizing storage capacity?
RAID 0
Why wrong: RAID 0 provides no redundancy; any drive failure loses data.
JBOD
Why wrong: JBOD is a span of drives without redundancy.
RAID 1
Why wrong: RAID 1 mirrors data, but with three drives it only gives capacity of one drive.
RAID 5
RAID 5 stripes data with parity, allowing one drive to fail without data loss.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
RAID 5
RAID 5 uses block-level striping with distributed parity, so if one of the three drives fails, the data can be rebuilt from the remaining drives plus the parity information. With three drives, RAID 5 provides fault tolerance for a single drive failure while using only one drive's worth of capacity for parity, maximizing usable storage (2/3 of total raw capacity).
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.
RAID 0
Why it's wrong here
RAID 0 provides no redundancy; any drive failure loses data.
JBOD
Why it's wrong here
JBOD is a span of drives without redundancy.
RAID 1
Why it's wrong here
RAID 1 mirrors data, but with three drives it only gives capacity of one drive.
RAID 5
Why this is correct
RAID 5 stripes data with parity, allowing one drive to fail without data loss.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse RAID 5 with RAID 0 or RAID 1, mistakenly thinking striping alone (RAID 0) provides redundancy or that mirroring (RAID 1) maximizes capacity, when in fact RAID 5 is the only option among these that balances fault tolerance and storage efficiency with three drives.
Detailed technical explanation
RAID 5 distributes parity blocks across all drives in a round-robin fashion, so no single drive holds all parity; the parity is computed using XOR operations across the data blocks. In a three-drive RAID 5 array, each stripe consists of two data blocks and one parity block, allowing the array to survive any single drive failure. A real-world scenario is a small business server using three 1 TB drives in RAID 5, yielding 2 TB of usable space with single-drive fault tolerance, whereas RAID 1 would only provide 1 TB.
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 FC0-U61 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
Infrastructure — This question tests Infrastructure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: RAID 5 — RAID 5 uses block-level striping with distributed parity, so if one of the three drives fails, the data can be rebuilt from the remaining drives plus the parity information. With three drives, RAID 5 provides fault tolerance for a single drive failure while using only one drive's worth of capacity for parity, maximizing usable storage (2/3 of total raw capacity).
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 25, 2026
This FC0-U61 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 FC0-U61 exam.
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