MD-102 Protect devices Practice Question
Your organization uses Microsoft Intune to manage Windows 10 devices. You need to ensure that devices are compliant with a new security policy that requires Windows Defender Antivirus to be enabled and up-to-date. You create a device compliance policy with the setting 'Require' for Windows Defender Antivirus. After assigning the policy, you see that 90% of devices are compliant. The remaining 10% show 'Not evaluated'. You check the devices and find that they are online, enrolled, and have Windows Defender Antivirus enabled. What is the most likely reason for the 'Not evaluated' status?
⚠ Common exam trap
MD-102 often tests the distinction between 'Not evaluated' (policy not yet processed) and 'Not compliant' (policy processed and failed), tricking candidates into troubleshooting device configuration when the real issue is simply check-in timing.
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 have not checked in with Intune since the policy was assigned
A 'Not evaluated' compliance status in Intune means the device has not yet processed the assigned compliance policy — typically because it has not performed a device check-in (MDM sync) since the policy was assigned. Even though the device is online and enrolled, compliance evaluation only occurs during a scheduled or triggered check-in cycle, which can take up to 8 hours by default. Forcing a sync from the Company Portal or Intune console resolves this.
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 have not checked in with Intune since the policy was assigned
Why this is correct
Compliance status is calculated when a device checks in and evaluates the assigned policy. Devices that have not synced since assignment remain 'Not evaluated' despite being online and enrolled, so a manual or scheduled Intune sync triggers evaluation and resolves the status.
- ✗
The devices are offline
Why it's wrong here
The stem states the devices are online, enrolled and reporting, so connectivity cannot explain 'Not evaluated'. Compliance evaluation requires the device to check in and receive the assigned policy; offline devices would show stale or non-compliant states. Offline status is the correct diagnosis when devices genuinely cannot reach Intune.
- ✗
The policy is not assigned to the devices
Why it's wrong here
The stem states 90% of devices are compliant, proving the policy is assigned and evaluating; an unassigned policy would leave all targeted devices unevaluated. 'Not evaluated' on a subset typically reflects pending check-in or a missing Entra ID group membership. Non-assignment is correct when no devices report compliance at all.
- ✗
Windows Defender Antivirus is disabled
Why it's wrong here
The stem confirms Windows Defender Antivirus is enabled on these devices, so a disabled setting would produce 'Not compliant', not 'Not evaluated'. 'Not evaluated' means Intune has not yet processed the policy against the device. Disabled antivirus is the correct finding when the compliance policy reports an actual failure.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Updating Devices with Windows Update for Business
Key term
Windows 10
Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft that combines the familiarity of Windows 7 with the modern features of Windows 8, designed to run on a wide range of devices from desktops to tablets.
Key term
Compliance
Compliance is the process of ensuring that an organization follows laws, regulations, standards, and internal policies that apply to its operations and data handling.
About these practice questions
This MD-102 question is part of Courseiva's 556-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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.