MS-102 Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant Practice Question
An administrator adds the custom domain 'adatum.com' to a new Microsoft 365 tenant. In the Microsoft 365 admin center, the domain status shows 'Pending verification'. Which type of DNS record must the administrator add to the public DNS zone to complete the domain ownership verification?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse the TXT record used for domain verification with the TXT record used for SPF or DKIM, or assume an MX record is required because email is involved, but Microsoft 365 uses a dedicated verification TXT record separate from any email-related records.
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
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TXT record
To verify domain ownership in Microsoft 365, you must add a TXT record containing a unique verification string provided by the Microsoft 365 admin center to the public DNS zone. The DNS provider checks for this TXT record, and when found, Microsoft 365 confirms you control the domain. This is a standard domain verification method defined in RFC 1035 and used by many cloud services.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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TXT record
Why this is correct
Microsoft 365 generates a unique verification code and instructs you to add it as a TXT record in your domain's DNS. The service then queries DNS for that exact string; if found, it confirms you control the domain and can use it for Exchange Online, Teams, or SharePoint. TXT records are the standard mechanism for proving ownership because they can hold arbitrary text, which the verification token is.
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MX record
Why it's wrong here
MX records define the mail exchange servers that accept inbound email for your domain, specifying their hostnames and priority values. Verifying domain ownership is a separate administrative step that requires a uniquely generated TXT token, not mail routing configuration. Even if your MX records are correctly configured, the domain remains unverified until the TXT verification record is added, because MX records do not prove you control the DNS zone.
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CNAME record
Why it's wrong here
CNAME records create an alias from one hostname to another, commonly used to point subdomains like autodiscover or www to service endpoints. They do not contain the domain-verification token and are not stored in a way that uniquely ties to a tenant ownership confirmation. The verification process never examines CNAME records because they redirect DNS queries rather than assert control over the root domain.
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SPF record
Why it's wrong here
SPF records, despite also being TXT records, are specific to email authentication by listing authorized sender IP addresses for your domain. Microsoft 365's verification check looks for an exact TXT record whose value matches the unique verification token, not a generalized SPF string like 'v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com'. An SPF record without that token will not satisfy the ownership requirement, even though it is a valid DNS record for mail-routing purposes.
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DNS Records for Microsoft 365 Services
Key term
Domain verification
Domain verification is the process of proving that you own or control a specific domain name so that you can use it with a service like Microsoft 365.
Key term
Microsoft 365 tenant
A Microsoft 365 tenant is a dedicated, isolated instance of Microsoft 365 services created for an organization when they sign up for a subscription.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This MS-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 MS-102 exam.