MS-102 Deploy and manage a Microsoft 365 tenant Practice Question
You are deploying Microsoft 365 for a new subsidiary. The subsidiary has a single domain subsidiary.com. You need to configure a hybrid identity solution with Microsoft Entra ID. The on-premises Active Directory has a single domain and all user accounts are synchronized using Microsoft Entra Connect. You want to ensure that users can sign in to Microsoft 365 using their on-premises credentials without exposing the password hash to Microsoft. What should you do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse pass-through authentication with password hash synchronization, assuming both expose credentials, but PTA avoids any hash storage while still enabling cloud authentication.
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
✓
Enable pass-through authentication (PTA) with Microsoft Entra Connect.
Pass-through authentication (PTA) allows users to sign in to Microsoft 365 using their on-premises credentials without storing password hashes in Microsoft Entra ID. PTA validates passwords directly against on-premises Active Directory via an agent, ensuring no password hash is exposed to Microsoft, which meets the stated requirement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure password hash synchronization.
Why it's wrong here
Password hash sync stores password hashes in the cloud.
- ✗
Create cloud-only user accounts and disable on-premises authentication.
Why it's wrong here
This does not meet the requirement to use on-premises credentials.
- ✗
Implement Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) with Microsoft Entra ID.
Why it's wrong here
Federation still uses password hashes for backup authentication.
- ✓
Enable pass-through authentication (PTA) with Microsoft Entra Connect.
Why this is correct
PTA validates passwords on-premises without storing hashes in the cloud.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Microsoft 365 Tenant Setup
Key term
Microsoft Entra ID
Microsoft Entra ID is a cloud-based identity and access management service that lets employees sign in and access resources both inside and outside of your organization.
Key term
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based cloud service from Microsoft that combines productivity tools like Office apps with security, device management, and online storage.
About these practice questions
This MS-102 question is part of Courseiva's 241-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 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.