A+ Final Exam Student Exam
CompTIA A+ Comprehensive Final
Combined Core 1 & Core 2 Assessment
Certification Finale
FORM: 220-MIX-FINAL
Candidate Name
Examination Date
1. A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer producing ghost images on every page. Which component is most likely at fault?
A. Fuser assembly
B. Imaging drum
C. Pickup rollers
D. Transfer belt
2. A laptop screen is very dim, but an image is visible when a flashlight is held to it. Which component is likely failing?
A. GPU
B. LCD panel
C. Inverter
D. Digitizer
3. Which of the following ports is used by default for the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol?
A. 21
B. 22
C. 23
D. 3389
4. Which technology is required to host multiple virtual servers on a single physical machine?
A. Hypervisor
B. VDI
C. SaaS
D. BIOS
5. Which cloud model provides the highest level of control over the underlying hardware and OS?
A. SaaS
B. PaaS
C. IaaS
D. Public Cloud
6. Which wireless encryption standard provides the strongest security for a modern network?
A. WEP
B. WPA
C. WPA2-TKIP
D. WPA3
7. Which protocol should be used to synchronize email folders across multiple devices?
A. POP3
B. IMAP
C. SMTP
D. SNMP
8. Which tool allows a technician to manage startup apps and background processes in Windows?
A. Disk Mgmt
B. Event Viewer
C. Task Manager
D. Registry
Page 1 of 6
9. Which Linux command lists files with detailed information such as permissions and size?
A. ls -a
B. ls -l
C. pwd
D. grep
10. Which social engineering attack involves phone calls to trick users into revealing sensitive information?
A. Phishing
B. Vishing
C. Tailgating
D. Spoofing
11. Which RAID level provides striping across disks without any redundancy?
A. RAID 0
B. RAID 1
C. RAID 5
D. RAID 10
12. Which network service automatically assigns IP addresses to devices on a network?
A. DNS
B. DHCP
C. NAT
D. APIPA
13. What is the process of sharing a smartphone's cellular data connection via a USB cable?
A. Hotspot
B. Tethering
C. Roaming
D. Pairing
14. Which hypervisor type runs directly on top of an existing OS as an application?
A. Type 1
B. Type 2
C. Bare Metal
D. Native
15. An 80 Plus Platinum PSU rating refers to which characteristic of the power supply?
A. Voltage
B. Efficiency
C. Wattage
D. Capacity
Page 2 of 6
16. Password + Fingerprint login is an example of which security concept?
A. MFA
B. Biometrics
C. Single Sign-On
D. Least Privilege
17. Which Windows networking environment provides centralized management for users and PCs?
A. Workgroup
B. Domain
C. HomeGroup
D. Cluster
18. Unwanted browser redirections are most likely caused by which of the following?
A. Bad RAM
B. Malware
C. Low Disk Space
D. BIOS Error
19. Which process involves documenting and approving system changes to minimize downtime?
A. Change Mgmt
B. Risk Eval
C. Incident Rpt
D. DR Plan
20. What is the commercial name for the 802.11ax wireless standard?
A. Wi-Fi 5
B. Wi-Fi 6
C. Wi-Fi 6E
D. Wi-Fi 7
21. Which SSD interface connects directly to the PCIe bus for max speed?
A. SATA
B. NVMe
C. IDE
D. SAS
Page 3 of 6
22. Which security device prevents tailgating using two interlocking doors?
A. Smart Lock
B. Mantrap
C. Turnstile
D. Bollard
23. Which command is used to test connectivity to a remote server?
A. ipconfig
B. ping
C. netstat
D. nslookup
24. Where can a technician view application crash logs in Windows?
A. Device Mgr
B. Event Viewer
C. Task Manager
D. Registry
25. Which method is best for permanently destroying data on a magnetic HDD?
A. Format
B. Degaussing
C. Delete
D. Overwrite
26. Which protocol is the industry standard for corporate mobile email sync?
A. HTTP
B. Exchange ActSync
C. Telnet
D. ICMP
27. Which of the following is a valid global unicast IPv6 address?
A. 192.168.1.1
B. 2001:db8::1
C. fe80::1
D. 127.0.0.1
28. Which UEFI feature ensures only trusted OS loaders are booted?
A. Fast Boot
B. Secure Boot
C. TPM
D. Overclock
Page 4 of 6
29. What is the social engineering tactic of looking over a user's shoulder to see their PIN?
A. Phishing
B. Shoulder Surfing
C. Tailgating
D. Spoofing
30. Which command opens the Windows Registry Editor?
A. msconfig
B. regedit
C. gpedit
D. cmd
31. What is the first troubleshooting step for rapid battery drain on a mobile device?
A. Replace Battery
B. Check Usage Stats
C. Reset OS
D. Dark Mode
32. Which tool is best to prevent ESD when working inside a PC?
A. Wear Gloves
B. Ground Strap
C. Unplug Only
D. Rubber Mat
33. Which substance improves heat transfer between a CPU and heatsink?
A. Glue
B. Thermal Paste
C. Alcohol
D. Grease
34. Which Windows feature reverts system settings to a previous state?
A. Windows Reset
B. System Restore
C. Safe Mode
D. Refresh
35. Which network technology segments a physical switch logically?
A. VPN
B. VLAN
C. WLAN
D. DMZ
36. Granting users only the minimum access needed for their job is the Principle of ______.
A. Admin Access
B. Least Privilege
C. Implicit Deny
D. User Control
37. Error: 'OS Not Found' is most likely caused by which of the following?
A. Bad RAM
B. Wrong Boot Order
C. Driver Error
D. CMOS Death
38. How do you force quit an unresponsive app on macOS?
A. End Task
B. Cmd+Opt+Esc
C. Alt+F4
D. Reboot
39. Which socket type has pins on the motherboard rather than the CPU?
A. PGA
B. LGA
C. BGA
D. SEC
40. Where should technicians document complex solutions for the rest of the team?
A. Spreadsheet
B. Knowledge Base
C. Notepad
D. Email
Page 5 of 6
Performance Based Questions
PBQ 1: Secure SOHO Router Setup
Requirements: Hidden SSID, strongest encryption, allow MACs: 00:0A:95:9D:68:16 & 17.
PBQ 2: Driver Recovery Steps
List 3 steps to recover a BSODing system after a failed driver update.
PBQ 3: Network Diagnosis
Pinging google.com... Request timed out. (IP: 142.250.190.46 resolved)
PBQ 4: Remote Security Actions
List 3 remote MDM actions for a lost smartphone containing secrets.
PBQ 5: Heavy Virtualization Specs
Circle best specs: [4C/8T or 16C/32T CPU] [16GB or 128GB RAM] [SATA or NVMe SSD] [Home or Pro OS]
Page 6 of 6
A+ Final Exam Answer Key Teacher Guide
Answer Key & Rationales
Official Solution Guide
Restricted Access
Section I: Multiple Choice Answers
01. B: Drum failure causes leftover toner artifacts (ghosting).
02. C: Dim screen with visible image confirms backlight/inverter failure.
03. B: SSH uses Port 22 by default for secure shell traffic.
04. A: Hypervisors are the core virtualization management software.
05. C: IaaS offers raw infrastructure control including OS management.
06. D: WPA3 utilizes SAE handshakes to resist offline attacks.
07. B: IMAP maintains bi-directional synchronization with the server.
08. C: Task Manager handles process and startup management.
09. B: 'ls -l' provides the long-format listing with detailed metadata.
10. B: Vishing specifically refers to voice-based social engineering.
11. A: RAID 0 stripes data for performance but lacks any fault tolerance.
12. B: DHCP automates IP configuration (IP, Subnet, Gateway, DNS).
13. B: Tethering connects a PC to a phone's data via a physical link.
14. B: Type 2 hypervisors run as applications on top of a primary OS.
15. B: 80 Plus ratings measure energy conversion efficiency.
16. A: MFA requires two or more distinct authentication categories.
17. B: Domains provide central Active Directory/Policy control.
18. B: Browser hijacking is a primary symptom of adware/malware.
19. A: Change Management prevents unintended outages during upgrades.
20. B: Wi-Fi 6 is the consumer name for IEEE 802.11ax.
21. B: NVMe connects storage directly to PCIe lanes for max speed.
22. B: Mantraps use physical interlocking to isolate individuals.
23. B: Ping uses ICMP to verify reachability and latency.
24. B: Event Viewer stores detailed system and application error logs.
25. B: Degaussing clears magnetic storage by disrupting disk alignment.
A+ Study Circuit Guide
A+ Study Circuit Guide
Comprehensive Core 1 & Core 2 Review
Exam Prep
REFERENCE: APLUS-SG-V1
CompTIA 6-Step Troubleshooting Process
- 1 Identify the problem (Ask user, check logs)
- 2 Establish a theory of probable cause
- 3 Test the theory to determine cause
- 4 Establish a plan of action and implement solution
- 5 Verify full system functionality (Apply preventions)
- 6 Document findings, actions, and outcomes
Hardware & Mobile
- Storage: Know the difference between SATA (6Gbps) and NVMe (PCIe lanes).
- RAID: RAID 0 (Performance), RAID 1 (Mirroring), RAID 5 (Parity), RAID 10 (Striped Mirrors).
- Mobile: Troubleshoot dim screens (backlight/inverter) and rapid battery drain.
Networking Essentials
| Port | Protocol | Description |
|---|
| 22 | SSH | Secure Remote Access |
| 23 | Telnet | Unsecure Remote Access |
| 53 | DNS | Domain Name System |
| 80 / 443 | HTTP / S | Web Traffic |
| 3389 | RDP | Remote Desktop |
A+ Study Circuit Guide Page 1 of 4
Core 2: Security & Software
Social Engineering
Vishing (Voice), Phishing (Email), Shoulder Surfing (Visual Observation), Tailgating (Following auth users).
Malware Removal (7 Steps)
1. Identify, 2. Quarantining, 3. Disable System Restore, 4. Remediate, 5. Schedule scans, 6. Enable Restore, 7. Educate user.
Least Privilege
Always grant users only the minimum access levels required to perform their specific job functions.
Command Line Toolkit
ipconfig /all - Detailed NIC info
ping - Test host reachability
nslookup - Test DNS records
tracert - Trace path to host
sfc /scannow - Fix system files
chkdsk /f - Fix disk errors
# Linux Commands
ls -l - Detailed file list
sudo - Run as root
chmod - Change permissions
grep - Search text in files
Final Exam Strategies
Read Every Word
