- 1
A user reports that their laptop screen is very dim even though the brightness setting is at maximum. The display works fine when connected to an external monitor. What is the most likely cause?
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Answer: C
If the screen shows an image (visible under bright light) but is very dim, the backlight or its inverter (on older CCFL displays) has likely failed. A failed LCD panel would show no image at all or visible damage. A disconnected cable would produce no signal. The external monitor working rules out the graphics card.
- 2 Select all that apply
Which TWO of the following are advantages of solid-state drives (SSDs) over traditional hard disk drives (HDDs)? (Select two.)
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Answer: B, D
SSDs are significantly faster than HDDs and have no moving parts, making them durable and silent. HDDs still offer better cost per gigabyte and higher maximum capacities at lower price points. SSD lifespan is limited by write cycles (TBW — terabytes written), though modern SSDs last well beyond typical use.
- 3
Which connector type is used by modern smartphones and tablets for both charging and data transfer, and supports USB Power Delivery for fast charging?
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Answer: A
USB-C is the current standard for smartphones, tablets, and laptops — it's reversible, supports high-speed data (USB 3.2 and USB4), and USB Power Delivery for fast charging up to 240W. Micro-USB is the older Android standard. Lightning is Apple's proprietary connector (being phased out for USB-C). Mini-USB is largely obsolete.
- 4
DDR4 RAM modules are physically compatible with DDR3 slots and can be used interchangeably.
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Answer: B
Each DDR generation has a different notch position on the module to prevent incorrect installation. DDR4 has 288 pins with the notch in a different position than DDR3's 240 pins. They are not physically or electrically compatible. Always match the RAM type to what the motherboard supports.
- 5
A technician needs to connect a computer to a network using a wired connection. The cable has an 8-pin modular connector. What type of connector is this?
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Answer: D
RJ-45 is the standard 8-pin connector used for Ethernet networking (Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a cables). RJ-11 is the smaller 6-pin connector used for telephone lines. DB-9 is a serial port connector. BNC is a coaxial connector used in older network installations and video.
- 6
What is the maximum data rate of a USB 3.0 (USB 3.2 Gen 1) connection?
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Answer: B
USB 3.0 (now officially called USB 3.2 Gen 1) supports up to 5 Gbps. USB 2.0 tops out at 480 Mbps. USB 3.2 Gen 2 reaches 10 Gbps. USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 reaches 20 Gbps. The USB naming is notoriously confusing — focus on the Gbps speed when comparing.
- 7 Select all that apply
Which THREE of the following are functions of a SOHO (small office/home office) wireless router? (Select three.)
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Answer: A, C, E
A typical SOHO router combines several functions: DHCP server (assigns IP addresses), NAT (translates private IPs to a public IP for internet access), and wireless access point (provides Wi-Fi). Most SOHO routers do not provide PoE (that requires a PoE switch or injector) and do not filter email spam.
- 8
A user's laser printer produces pages with vertical black lines running down the entire length of every page. What is the most likely cause?
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Answer: C
Vertical lines running the full length of the page are typically caused by a damaged or dirty imaging drum — a scratch or debris on the drum creates the same mark on every rotation. Low toner causes faded output. Worn pickup rollers cause paper feed issues. A faulty fuser causes smudging or toner that rubs off the page.
- 9
Which wireless networking standard operates on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and has a maximum theoretical throughput of approximately 600 Mbps?
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Answer: A
802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) was the first standard to support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands with a maximum theoretical speed of 600 Mbps using four spatial streams. 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) is 5 GHz only with speeds up to several Gbps. Wi-Fi 6 supports both bands with even higher throughput. 802.11g is 2.4 GHz only at 54 Mbps.
- 10 Put these in order
Place the following laser printing steps in the correct order.
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Correct order
- D Charging — the drum is given a uniform negative charge
- B Exposing — a laser writes the image onto the charged drum
- A Transfer — the toner image is transferred from the drum to the paper
- C Fusing — heat and pressure bond the toner permanently to the paper
The laser printing process follows this order: Charging (uniform charge applied to drum by charge roller) → Exposing (laser discharges areas of the drum to form the image) → Developing (toner sticks to discharged areas — implied) → Transfer (toner image moves from drum to paper) → Fusing (heat and pressure melt toner onto paper). Cleaning then prepares the drum for the next cycle.
- 11
A technician is building a PC and needs to connect the power supply to the motherboard. Which connector provides the main power to a modern ATX motherboard?
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Answer: B
The 24-pin ATX connector is the primary power connector for modern motherboards. Most boards also require an additional 4-pin or 8-pin EPS connector for the CPU. Molex is a legacy peripheral connector. 6-pin PCIe powers graphics cards. SATA power connects to storage drives.
- 12
RAID 1 mirrors data across two drives, providing redundancy but no increase in usable storage capacity compared to a single drive.
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Answer: A
RAID 1 writes identical data to two (or more) drives. If one drive fails, the other has a complete copy. The trade-off is that you only get the capacity of a single drive — two 1 TB drives in RAID 1 give you 1 TB of usable space. For increased capacity with redundancy, RAID 5 or RAID 10 are alternatives.
- 13
A user reports that their desktop PC powers on, the fans spin, but nothing appears on the display and there is a series of beeps from the motherboard speaker. What should the technician check first?
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Answer: D
POST (Power-On Self-Test) beep codes typically indicate a hardware issue detected during startup. A series of beeps most commonly points to a RAM problem — a module may be improperly seated, faulty, or incompatible. The fans spinning confirms the power supply is working. Hard drive and network issues don't prevent POST from completing with display output.
- 14 Select all that apply
Which TWO of the following use the 5 GHz wireless frequency band? (Select two.)
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Answer: A, D
802.11a (1999) and 802.11ac/Wi-Fi 5 both operate on the 5 GHz band. 802.11b and 802.11g operate on 2.4 GHz only. Bluetooth uses 2.4 GHz. Remember: 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) support both bands.
- 15
What is the purpose of a BIOS/UEFI POST (Power-On Self-Test)?
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Answer: C
POST runs immediately when the computer powers on — before any operating system loads. It checks that critical hardware (CPU, RAM, graphics, keyboard) is present and functional. If POST fails, the system halts and may produce beep codes or LED error indicators. The OS boot process begins only after POST succeeds.
- 16
A technician needs to terminate an Ethernet cable with an RJ-45 connector. Which tool is required to attach the connector to the cable?
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Answer: A
A crimping tool presses the RJ-45 connector's metal contacts down onto the individual wires inside the cable, creating a permanent connection. A punchdown tool is used for terminating cables at patch panels and wall jacks. A cable tester verifies the connection after termination. Wire strippers remove the cable jacket but don't attach connectors.
- 17
Which RAID level requires a minimum of three drives and uses distributed parity to allow the array to survive a single drive failure?
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Answer: B
RAID 5 stripes data across three or more drives with distributed parity — if one drive fails, the array continues operating and the data can be rebuilt. RAID 0 stripes without parity (no redundancy). RAID 1 mirrors two drives. RAID 10 requires four drives minimum and combines mirroring and striping.
- 18 Select all that apply
A user cannot access any websites from their desktop computer, but other devices on the same network work fine. Which TWO troubleshooting steps should the technician try first? (Select two.)
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Answer: B, C
Since other devices work fine, the problem is isolated to this PC — the ISP, modem, and router are not the issue. Start with the basics: check the physical connection (cable seated properly, link light active) and verify the PC has a valid IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS. If the IP starts with 169.254.x.x, the PC isn't getting a DHCP address.
- 19
An M.2 SSD can use either a SATA or NVMe interface depending on the drive and the motherboard slot, but NVMe offers significantly faster performance.
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Answer: A
M.2 is a physical form factor (the slot shape), not a protocol. An M.2 slot can support SATA-based SSDs (limited to ~550 MB/s, same as a 2.5" SATA SSD) or NVMe-based SSDs (which use PCIe lanes and can exceed 7,000 MB/s on Gen 4). Check the motherboard specifications — some M.2 slots support both, some only support one protocol. The key notch on the drive indicates compatibility.
- 20 Put these in order
Place the following troubleshooting steps in the correct order according to the CompTIA troubleshooting methodology.
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Correct order
- C Identify the problem by gathering information from the user
- A Establish a theory of probable cause
- D Test the theory and implement a fix
- B Verify full system functionality and document findings
The CompTIA troubleshooting methodology follows a structured approach: Identify the problem (gather symptoms, question the user, reproduce the issue) → Establish a theory (consider the most likely cause) → Test the theory and implement a fix (if the theory is confirmed, resolve it; if not, go back and form a new theory) → Verify and document (confirm the fix resolved the issue, document what was done).