MS-102 Practice Question: Implement and manage Microsoft Entra identity and access
This MS-102 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage microsoft entra identity and access. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Your organization is migrating from on-premises Active Directory to Microsoft Entra ID. You need to ensure that users can use their existing on-premises passwords to log in to cloud services, while maintaining password policy enforcement on-premises. Which feature should you implement?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Password Hash Synchronization (PHS)
Password Hash Synchronization (PHS) synchronizes the hash of on-premises Active Directory user passwords to Microsoft Entra ID, enabling users to log in to cloud services with the same password. It enforces password policies on-premises because the on-premises domain controller remains the authoritative source for password complexity, expiration, and lockout rules. PHS does not require additional infrastructure beyond Azure AD Connect and works even if the on-premises network is temporarily unavailable.
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.
✓
Password Hash Synchronization (PHS)
Why this is correct
PHS synchronizes password hashes to Entra ID, enabling same-password use.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Pass-through Authentication with Seamless SSO
Why it's wrong here
PTA validates passwords on-premises but doesn't synchronize hashes.
✗
Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS)
Why it's wrong here
Federation is complex and not required for simple password sync.
✗
Install Azure AD Connect with default settings
Why it's wrong here
Azure AD Connect is the tool, but the feature needed is Password Hash Synchronization.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Pass-through Authentication with Seamless SSO as the only way to avoid storing passwords in the cloud, but the question does not require avoiding cloud storage—it only requires using existing passwords and maintaining on-premises policy enforcement, which PHS achieves with less complexity.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Password Hash Synchronization uses the MS-DRSR (Directory Replication Service Remote Protocol) to replicate password hashes from on-premises domain controllers to Azure AD Connect, which then hashes the hashes (using MD4, then SHA-256, and finally a per-user salt) before sending them to Microsoft Entra ID. This ensures that the original plaintext password is never transmitted or stored in the cloud. A subtle behavior is that PHS can also enable Identity Protection by detecting leaked credentials, as Microsoft compares the synchronized hashes against known compromised password databases.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this MS-102 question in full detail.
Implement and manage Microsoft Entra identity and access — This question tests Implement and manage Microsoft Entra identity and access — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Password Hash Synchronization (PHS) — Password Hash Synchronization (PHS) synchronizes the hash of on-premises Active Directory user passwords to Microsoft Entra ID, enabling users to log in to cloud services with the same password. It enforces password policies on-premises because the on-premises domain controller remains the authoritative source for password complexity, expiration, and lockout rules. PHS does not require additional infrastructure beyond Azure AD Connect and works even if the on-premises network is temporarily unavailable.
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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