LPIC-1 Essential System Services and Networking Practice Question
A system administrator notices that the system time is incorrect by several minutes. Which command should be used first to check the status of NTP synchronization?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse `ntpdate` as a diagnostic tool because it can query an NTP server, but it is not designed to show the ongoing synchronization status of the system's NTP service.
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
✓
timedatectl
The `timedatectl` command is the correct first step because it shows the current system time, time zone, and NTP synchronization status in a single output. It directly reports whether NTP is active and whether the clock is synchronized, making it the standard diagnostic tool on modern systemd-based Linux distributions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
timedatectl
Why this is correct
timedatectl reports the system clock, time zone, and whether NTP synchronisation is active, showing the service state and last sync. It satisfies the stem's requirement to check NTP status first, before adjusting configuration with chronyc or restarting services.
- ✗
ntpdate
Why it's wrong here
ntpdate sets the clock from an NTP server immediately but reports no synchronisation status, and is deprecated on modern systems. It is tempting because it queries NTP servers directly, and would be correct for one-off manual clock correction rather than diagnosing ongoing synchronisation.
- ✗
date
Why it's wrong here
The date command only prints the current system clock reading; it exposes no NTP synchronisation state, peer selection, or stratum. It is tempting because it confirms the time is wrong, and would be the right first step to verify the offset before investigating the NTP daemon itself.
- ✗
hwclock
Why it's wrong here
hwclock reads and sets the hardware clock, not the running NTP daemon's synchronisation state, so it cannot reveal whether ntpd or chronyd is tracking a source. It is tempting because it does display a time, and it is the right tool for syncing the hardware clock to system time after NTP has already corrected the system.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This LPIC-1 practice question is part of Courseiva's free LPI 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 LPIC-1 exam.