MD-102 Manage and maintain devices Practice Question
This MD-102 practice question tests your understanding of manage and maintain devices. 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.
You are troubleshooting a Windows 10 device that is not receiving Intune policies. The device is enrolled and shows as 'Active' in the Intune admin center. You run the Get-MgDeviceManagementManagedDevice cmdlet and the device's managementAgent is 'mdm'. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the issue?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The device's last sync time is more than 24 hours ago.
Option C is correct because the device's last sync time being more than 24 hours ago indicates that the device has not checked in with Intune within the required interval. Intune policies are delivered during a sync cycle, and if the device hasn't synced recently, it will not receive new or updated policies. The managementAgent being 'mdm' confirms the device is MDM-managed, so the sync interval is critical for policy delivery.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 device is co-managed and the workload is set to Configuration Manager.
Why it's wrong here
The managementAgent is 'mdm', not 'ccm'.
✗
The device's enrollment certificate has expired.
Why it's wrong here
If the certificate expired, the device would show as 'Not enrolled'.
✓
The device's last sync time is more than 24 hours ago.
Why this is correct
A device that has not synced recently will not receive new policies.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The device is retired from Intune.
Why it's wrong here
The device shows as 'Active', not 'Retired'.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume an 'Active' status means the device is fully communicating, but Intune's 'Active' status only indicates successful enrollment, not recent policy sync; the last sync time is the key metric for policy delivery.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
If the certificate expired, the device would show as 'Not enrolled'.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Intune uses a scheduled sync interval of approximately 8 hours for Windows 10 devices, but if a device misses multiple sync attempts, the last sync time can exceed 24 hours. The Get-MgDeviceManagementManagedDevice cmdlet retrieves the 'lastSyncDateTime' property, which is compared to the current time to determine if the device is overdue. In real-world scenarios, network connectivity issues, proxy configurations, or firewall blocks on port 443 to *.manage.microsoft.com can cause sync failures without affecting the enrollment status.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this MD-102 question in full detail.
Manage and maintain devices — This question tests Manage and maintain devices — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The device's last sync time is more than 24 hours ago. — Option C is correct because the device's last sync time being more than 24 hours ago indicates that the device has not checked in with Intune within the required interval. Intune policies are delivered during a sync cycle, and if the device hasn't synced recently, it will not receive new or updated policies. The managementAgent being 'mdm' confirms the device is MDM-managed, so the sync interval is critical for policy delivery.
What should I do if I get this MD-102 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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