This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft entra. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
A user reports that they cannot access the company's HR application, which requires Microsoft Entra ID authentication. The user can access other apps that also use Entra ID. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
The user's account is disabled.
Why wrong: If disabled, they couldn't access any apps.
The tenant is blocked for all sign-ins.
Why wrong: They can access other apps, so tenant-wide block is unlikely.
The user's password expired.
Why wrong: Password expiration affects all apps.
A conditional access policy is blocking access to that specific app.
Conditional Access policies can target specific apps.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
A conditional access policy is blocking access to that specific app.
The user can access other Microsoft Entra ID-integrated apps, which rules out account-level issues like a disabled account or expired password. A conditional access policy can target specific applications, so it is the most likely cause of the block on just the HR app.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
The user's account is disabled.
Why it's wrong here
If disabled, they couldn't access any apps.
The tenant is blocked for all sign-ins.
Why it's wrong here
They can access other apps, so tenant-wide block is unlikely.
The user's password expired.
Why it's wrong here
Password expiration affects all apps.
A conditional access policy is blocking access to that specific app.
Why this is correct
Conditional Access policies can target specific apps.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often assume a user-specific issue (like disabled account or expired password) when they see a single user blocked, but the key clue is that other apps work, pointing to an app-specific conditional access policy rather than a global or user-level problem.
Detailed technical explanation
Conditional access policies in Microsoft Entra ID evaluate sign-in signals such as user, device, location, and application before granting access. They can enforce granular controls like requiring MFA or blocking access for specific apps while allowing others, which explains the selective behavior seen here. Under the hood, these policies are evaluated during the authentication request via the OpenID Connect or SAML protocol, and the result is returned as an access token or an error.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
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FAQ
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra — This question tests Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: A conditional access policy is blocking access to that specific app. — The user can access other Microsoft Entra ID-integrated apps, which rules out account-level issues like a disabled account or expired password. A conditional access policy can target specific applications, so it is the most likely cause of the block on just the HR app.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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