MS-102 Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant Practice Question
This MS-102 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage a microsoft 365 tenant. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
An administrator adds the custom domain 'contoso.com' to a new Microsoft 365 tenant and needs to verify domain ownership. Which type of DNS record must be added to the public DNS zone to complete verification?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
TXT record
To verify domain ownership in Microsoft 365, you must add a TXT record with a specific verification string provided by the Microsoft 365 admin center to the public DNS zone. The TXT record is used because it can store arbitrary text data, which the Microsoft 365 domain verification service queries to confirm that you control the domain. This is the standard method defined in RFC 1035 for domain ownership verification.
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.
✗
MX record
Why it's wrong here
MX records are used for mail routing, not for domain ownership verification.
✓
TXT record
Why this is correct
A TXT record with a unique verification string from Microsoft is the standard method to prove domain ownership.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
CNAME record
Why it's wrong here
CNAME records are used to alias one domain to another and are not used for domain verification.
✗
record
Why it's wrong here
A records map a domain to an IP address and are not used for domain ownership verification.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the TXT record used for domain verification with other DNS records like MX or CNAME, which are used for different purposes (mail routing or service aliasing) in Microsoft 365 configuration, but only the TXT record is required for the initial ownership proof.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The TXT record for domain verification must contain the exact verification string (e.g., 'MS=msXXXXXXXX') provided by the Microsoft 365 admin center, and it is typically placed in the root domain (e.g., contoso.com) or a specific subdomain. Microsoft's domain verification service performs a DNS query for the TXT record and compares the value to the expected token; if they match, ownership is confirmed. In real-world scenarios, DNS propagation delays can cause verification to fail initially, so administrators should wait for TTL expiry or use tools like nslookup to confirm the record is visible before retrying.
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 MS-102 question in full detail.
Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant — This question tests Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: TXT record — To verify domain ownership in Microsoft 365, you must add a TXT record with a specific verification string provided by the Microsoft 365 admin center to the public DNS zone. The TXT record is used because it can store arbitrary text data, which the Microsoft 365 domain verification service queries to confirm that you control the domain. This is the standard method defined in RFC 1035 for domain ownership verification.
What should I do if I get this MS-102 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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