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FC0-U71 Practice Question: That their laptop cannot connect to the corporate…
A user reports that their laptop cannot connect to the corporate Wi-Fi. Other devices in the same area work fine. The network technician checks the laptop and sees that the wireless adapter is enabled and shows available networks, but the connection attempt to the corporate SSID fails with an authentication error. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse an authentication error with a connectivity issue like DHCP failure, but authentication errors are strictly tied to credential validation during the 802.11 handshake, not IP-layer 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 pre-shared key is incorrect
The authentication error specifically indicates that the laptop failed to verify its credentials with the access point. Since the wireless adapter is enabled and the SSID is visible, the most common cause is an incorrect pre-shared key (PSK), which prevents the 4-way handshake in WPA2/WPA3 from completing successfully.
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 MAC address is filtered on the access point
Why it's wrong here
MAC filtering typically prevents association entirely or blocks traffic after association, not an authentication error at the credential stage.
- ✗
The DHCP lease has expired
Why it's wrong here
DHCP lease expiration affects IP assignment, not authentication.
- ✓
The pre-shared key is incorrect
Why this is correct
An incorrect PSK causes authentication failure while the network is still visible.
- ✗
The wireless adapter is disabled in Device Manager
Why it's wrong here
A disabled adapter would not show available networks.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This FC0-U71 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-U71 exam.