AZ-802 Practice Question: Monitor and Troubleshoot Windows Server Environments
Exhibit
Get-Counter -Counter "\Processor(_Total)\% Processor Time" -SampleInterval 2 -MaxSamples 5 Timestamp CounterSamples --------- -------------- 6/15/2023 10:00:02 AM \\SRV01\\processor(_total)\\% processor time : 85.2 6/15/2023 10:00:04 AM \\SRV01\\processor(_total)\\% processor time : 92.1 6/15/2023 10:00:06 AM \\SRV01\\processor(_total)\\% processor time : 88.5 6/15/2023 10:00:08 AM \\SRV01\\processor(_total)\\% processor time : 95.4 6/15/2023 10:00:10 AM \\SRV01\\processor(_total)\\% processor time : 91.2
Refer to the exhibit. An administrator runs a PowerShell command to monitor a server. Based on the output provided, which conclusion regarding the server's state is most accurate?
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 server has a sustained CPU bottleneck.
Analyzing performance counter output requires understanding both the metric and the duration of the sample. In this case, the CPU usage is consistently high over a ten-second period. While this might indicate a bottleneck, an administrator must determine if this is a transient spike or a sustained trend that requires further investigation into specific processes.
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 server is experiencing a critical memory leak.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit specifically shows processor time metrics, not memory-related counters like committed bytes or page faults. While high CPU can sometimes accompany memory swapping, there is no data in this output to support a conclusion regarding memory exhaustion or the health of the RAM subsystem.
- ✓
The server has a sustained CPU bottleneck.
Why this is correct
The output shows the total processor time consistently exceeding 85% and reaching up to 95% across all samples. While five samples is a short duration, the lack of variation below the 80% threshold suggests the processor is under heavy load and may be unable to handle additional requests efficiently.
- ✗
Disk I/O latency is causing the high CPU values.
Why it's wrong here
Although disk latency can cause 'IO Wait' which might keep a CPU busy, these counters do not measure disk queue length or latency. Without seeing the '\PhysicalDisk\Avg. Disk sec/Read' or Write counters, it is impossible to determine if the storage subsystem is the root cause of the observed load.
- ✗
The server is idling normally with background tasks.
Why it's wrong here
Normal idle behavior for a Windows Server typically involves CPU usage well below 10-20% unless a specific maintenance task is running. Sustained values in the 90th percentile indicate significant active processing and are not representative of an idle state or standard low-priority background activity.
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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 AZ-802 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 AZ-802 exam.