MD-102 Manage and maintain devices Practice Question
Exhibit
Get-MgDeviceManagementManagedDevice -Filter "operatingSystem eq 'Windows'" | Select-Object id, deviceName, complianceState, lastSyncDateTime
Refer to the exhibit. You run the PowerShell cmdlet in Microsoft Graph to list managed Windows devices. The output shows that several devices have a complianceState of 'noncompliant' but lastSyncDateTime is recent. What is the most likely reason for noncompliance?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume a recent sync timestamp implies the device is healthy or compliant, when in fact sync and compliance are separate attributes—a device can be fully synced yet persistently noncompliant due to policy violations.
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 devices do not meet the assigned compliance policies.
A device's complianceState is determined by evaluating its configuration against assigned compliance policies. Even if lastSyncDateTime is recent, the device will be marked 'noncompliant' if it fails any of the policy checks (e.g., missing required updates, encryption not enabled, or a required antivirus solution not running). The sync timestamp only indicates when the device last communicated with Intune, not whether it meets policy requirements.
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 devices are running a non-Windows OS.
Why it's wrong here
The cmdlet lists managed Windows devices, so the returned records are Windows; a non-Windows OS would not appear in this filtered result. It is tempting because OS mismatch can cause noncompliance, but the query scope already excludes other platforms, leaving policy configuration as the likely cause.
- ✗
The devices have not synced recently.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows lastSyncDateTime is recent, so the devices have checked in and the noncompliant state reflects a failing compliance policy rule, not stale data. It is tempting because unsynced devices do report stale compliance, and it would be correct if the timestamps were days or weeks old.
- ✓
The devices do not meet the assigned compliance policies.
Why this is correct
A recent lastSyncDateTime confirms the device checked in and evaluated policy, so the noncompliant state reflects an actual policy failure rather than stale reporting. Microsoft Entra ID marks a device noncompliant when its settings breach the assigned compliance policy conditions, such as missing updates, disabled encryption, or absent antivirus.
- ✗
The admin lacks permissions to view compliance details.
Why it's wrong here
Insufficient admin permissions would hide compliance detail from the portal, but Microsoft Graph returned the noncompliant state and recent sync timestamps, so the data is visible and the cause lies in policy evaluation. It is tempting because role-based access control genuinely restricts reporting, and it would be correct if the cmdlet returned authorisation errors or empty results.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Securing Devices with Endpoint Security Policies
Key term
Intune
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service that helps organizations manage their users' devices and applications, ensuring security and compliance without needing to own or control the physical hardware.
Key term
General Data Protection Regulation
A European Union law that gives individuals control over their personal data and sets strict rules for how organizations collect, store, and process that data.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This MD-102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft 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 MD-102 exam.