A technician installs an NVMe M.2 solid-state drive in a laptop. Which interface does the drive use to communicate with the system?
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About this test
This free CompTIA A+ practice test has 15 questions, written by the StudyPDF team from the published V15 exam objectives. It samples both exams: Core 1 on hardware, networking, mobile devices and virtualization, and Core 2 on operating systems, security, troubleshooting and operational procedures. You will meet multiple choice, select all that apply and fill in the blank. Answer all 15 questions, then check your score and read the explanation for every question.
All 15 questions at a glance
Prefer to read before you play? Every question in the sampler is listed below. Answers and explanations stay collapsed until you open them.
1.A technician installs an NVMe M.2 solid-state drive in a laptop. Which interface does the drive use to communicate with the system?
- A. SATA
- B. IDE
- C. PCIe
- D. Parallel SCSI
Answer: C. PCIe
NVMe is a protocol designed for flash storage that runs over PCIe lanes, which is why NVMe drives are much faster than SATA drives. The M.2 slot is only the physical form factor, and some M.2 drives use SATA instead, so check whether a drive is labeled NVMe or SATA before you buy one. IDE and parallel SCSI are old interfaces for hard drives.
2.A laptop on the office Wi-Fi shows the IP address 169.254.37.12 and cannot reach the internet. What is the most likely cause?
- A. The laptop could not get an address from a DHCP server
- B. The laptop has a static address outside the network range
- C. The DNS server has the wrong hostname for the laptop
- D. The wireless router has run out of public IP addresses
Answer: A. The laptop could not get an address from a DHCP server
An address that starts with 169.254 is an APIPA, or link-local, address. A device gives itself one when it asks for an address through DHCP and gets no answer. The laptop is on the network but no server told it its address, gateway or DNS settings. The first checks are whether the DHCP server or router is running and whether the laptop is really connected. APIPA addresses are not static and are not something DNS hands out.
3.Which of the following IPv4 addresses are in the private address ranges?
Select all that apply.
- A. 10.4.7.2
- B. 172.32.0.1
- C. 192.168.1.50
- D. 8.8.8.8
- E. 172.20.0.9
- F. 169.254.1.1
Answer: A. 10.4.7.2, C. 192.168.1.50, E. 172.20.0.9
The private IPv4 ranges are 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255 and 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255. So 10.4.7.2, 192.168.1.50 and 172.20.0.9 are private. 172.32.0.1 is just outside the 172.16 to 172.31 block and is public, 8.8.8.8 is a public address, and 169.254.1.1 is a link-local address, which is a different range from the private ones.
4.A phone makes a contactless payment when the user holds it within a few centimeters of a payment terminal. Which technology makes this possible?
- A. Infrared
- B. NFC
- C. Wi-Fi Direct
- D. Cellular data
Answer: B. NFC
Near-field communication works only over a few centimeters, which is the reason it is used for contactless payments, transit passes and quick pairing. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi cover much longer distances. Cellular data is used to reach carrier towers, not to talk to a terminal an inch away. The short range is also a security feature, since someone would have to be right next to the phone.
5.Which type of hypervisor runs directly on the server hardware and has no host operating system underneath it?
- A. Type 2
- B. Hosted
- C. Container
- D. Type 1
Answer: D. Type 1
A Type 1, or bare-metal, hypervisor is installed directly on the hardware and manages the virtual machines itself, which is the usual choice in data centers. A Type 2, or hosted, hypervisor runs as an application on top of a normal operating system, which suits a desktop used for testing. A container shares the host's kernel and is not a hypervisor at all.
6.Pages printed on a laser printer look fine at first, but the toner smears when rubbed. Which component is most likely failing?
- A. Pickup roller
- B. Imaging drum
- C. Fuser
- D. Toner cartridge seal
Answer: C. Fuser
The fuser heats and presses the toner so that it bonds to the paper. If it is not hot enough or its rollers are worn, the toner sits on the surface and smudges. A bad pickup roller causes paper feed problems. A damaged imaging drum causes repeating marks or streaks, and a problem with the toner cartridge would show up as faded or missing print before smearing.
7.Complete the sentence.
In the troubleshooting methodology, once you have tested your theory, the next step is to _____ a plan of action, and the last step is to _____ your findings, actions and outcomes.
Options for blank 1: establish, document, escalate
Options for blank 2: verify, document, escalate
Answer: establish, document
The sequence is to identify the problem, establish a theory of probable cause, test the theory, establish a plan of action and implement the solution, verify full system functionality and take preventive measures, and finally document what you found and did. Escalating is what you do if the theory is not confirmed and you cannot continue. Verification comes before the last step, not instead of it.
8.A laptop gets very hot and shuts itself off after a few minutes of use. Which of the following are likely causes?
Select all that apply.
- A. Dust blocking the vents and heat sink
- B. A failing cooling fan
- C. A dead CMOS battery
- D. Dried-out thermal paste between the processor and the heat sink
- E. Too much memory installed
- F. A wrong time zone setting
Answer: A. Dust blocking the vents and heat sink, B. A failing cooling fan, D. Dried-out thermal paste between the processor and the heat sink
Overheating shutdowns come from anything that stops heat leaving the processor: clogged vents, a fan that is slow or stopped, and old thermal paste that no longer carries heat to the heat sink. A dead CMOS battery makes the clock and some settings reset. Extra memory does not cause heat problems in this way, and a time zone setting has nothing to do with hardware temperature.
9.A Linux administrator wants the owner of a script called backup.sh to be able to run it. Which command does this?
- A. chmod u+x backup.sh
- B. chown u+x backup.sh
- C. ls -l backup.sh
- D. grep x backup.sh
Answer: A. chmod u+x backup.sh
The chmod command changes permissions, and u+x adds execute permission for the user who owns the file. The chown command changes the owner of a file and does not take a permission string like this. The ls -l command only lists a file with its permissions, and grep searches inside a file for text.
10.Complete the sentence.
On a Windows NTFS volume, a file that is moved within the same volume _____ its original permissions, while a file that is copied _____ the permissions of the destination folder.
Options for blank 1: keeps, loses, doubles
Options for blank 2: inherits, ignores, deletes
Answer: keeps, inherits
A move inside one NTFS volume only changes where the file is listed, so it keeps its permissions. A copy creates a new file, which inherits the permissions of the folder it lands in. A move to a different volume behaves like a copy followed by a delete, so the file takes on the destination's permissions in that case too.
11.A small office wants the strongest wireless security its modern router supports for staff devices. Which choice should the technician pick?
- A. WEP
- B. WPA
- C. WPA2 with TKIP
- D. WPA3
Answer: D. WPA3
WPA3 is the newest of these and has the strongest protections, including better protection against offline password guessing. WEP is broken and can be cracked in minutes. The original WPA and WPA2 with TKIP are older and weaker. Devices that do not support WPA3 can often connect to a router in a mixed mode that falls back to WPA2 with AES, which is better than any of the older options.
12.Which of the following are physical security measures?
Select all that apply.
- A. A cable lock on a laptop
- B. An access control vestibule at the server room door
- C. Antivirus software on workstations
- D. A badge reader on the office entrance
- E. A firewall rule that blocks port 23
Answer: A. A cable lock on a laptop, B. An access control vestibule at the server room door, D. A badge reader on the office entrance
Physical security keeps people from reaching equipment: cable locks, access control vestibules, which hold one person at a time between two doors, badge readers, and cameras or guards. Antivirus software and firewall rules are logical or technical controls that protect systems through software. A strong plan layers both, since a locked door does not stop malware and a firewall does not stop someone who walks off with a laptop.
13.A technician has confirmed that a workstation shows signs of malware. According to the standard malware removal steps, what should be done next?
- A. Run a full scan on the machine while it is on the network
- B. Quarantine the infected system
- C. Enable System Restore and create a restore point
- D. Reinstall the operating system
Answer: B. Quarantine the infected system
After identifying and verifying the symptoms, the next step is to quarantine the infected system so the malware cannot spread or reach other machines. Disabling System Restore, remediating, scheduling scans and updates, and then re-enabling System Restore and educating the user follow. Scanning while connected risks the spread, and reinstalling the operating system is a last resort, not the second step.
14.A technician is about to install a major update on a business-critical system. What should be prepared so the change can be undone if it fails?
- A. A backout plan
- B. An acceptable use policy
- C. An incident report
- D. An asset tag
Answer: A. A backout plan
A change request normally states the purpose and scope of the change, a risk analysis, the plan, and a backout plan, which are the steps to return the system to its earlier state. An acceptable use policy covers what users may do on company systems, an incident report records something that has already gone wrong, and an asset tag only identifies a piece of equipment.
15.Complete the sentence.
The 3-2-1 backup rule calls for _____ copies of the data, on _____ different types of media, with one copy kept offsite.
Options for blank 1: 2, 3, 4
Options for blank 2: 1, 2, 3
Answer: 3, 2
The rule is three copies in total, which includes the original, stored on two different kinds of media such as a local disk and a cloud service, with one copy offsite. The spread protects against one device failing, one type of media failing, and a disaster that destroys the building. A backup you have never restored is untested, so practice restoring too.
What the A+ exams cover and what this page practices
CompTIA A+ is an entry-level IT support certification, and you earn it by passing two exams. When this page was last checked, in October 2026, CompTIA listed version V15: Core 1 (exam code 220-1201) and Core 2 (exam code 220-1202), both launched on March 25, 2025. They must come from the same version, so you cannot mix a V15 Core 1 with an older Core 2. Each exam has a maximum of 90 questions, which mix multiple choice, drag-and-drop and performance-based questions, and lasts 90 minutes. The passing score is 675 for Core 1 and 700 for Core 2, on a scale of 900. CompTIA recommends 12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support role, and says V15 usually retires about three years after launch.
Core 1 has five domains: mobile devices 13 percent, networking 23 percent, hardware 25 percent, virtualization and cloud computing 11 percent, and hardware and network troubleshooting 28 percent. Core 2 has four: operating systems 28 percent, security 28 percent, software troubleshooting 23 percent, and operational procedures 21 percent. Troubleshooting is the biggest domain on Core 1, and operating systems and security share the top spot on Core 2.
This sampler uses 15 questions spread over both exams. It cannot reproduce the performance-based questions, which are hands-on simulations. Check CompTIA's own pages for the current objectives, price and retirement date before you book anything.
How to use this sampler and what to practice first
Take all 15 questions in one sitting without notes, then read the explanation for every question, including the ones you got right. Treat each miss as a topic. If you missed the IP address question and the private range question, that points to networking addressing, not to two separate facts.
A+ questions are usually short scenarios: a symptom, a setting or a tool, and you pick the best next step. Name the category before you read the choices. Is this a hardware fault, a network configuration problem, a security issue or a process question? Then use the order CompTIA teaches. Troubleshooting follows a fixed sequence, and so does malware removal, and many questions ask which step comes next. Answers that skip ahead, such as replacing a part before you have a theory, are usually wrong.
For the weeks before each exam, build short lists in your own words: common ports and what they carry, the private IPv4 ranges, the file system permission rules, the order of the troubleshooting steps, and the parts of a change request. Then practice with a real machine. Open a command prompt, a terminal and the disk tools on a computer you can safely experiment on, because the performance-based questions ask you to do things, not just recognize them.
How StudyPDF builds full practice tests from your own study material
Fifteen questions can show you which domain needs the most work. They cannot get you ready on their own, and a generic set does not know which course or study guide you use.
StudyPDF works from your material instead. Upload your A+ study guide, your course slides or your own notes. Then press New material, pick a practice test, choose those files as the sources and set how long it should be. You get a test written from those exact pages, and every explanation cites where the answer comes from. Narrow one to a single domain, such as networking, and run it again after you review.
Bo is the tutor for the rest. Ask why an answer is right and Bo explains it from your own pages, with a hint first if you want one.
You do not have to upload anything to start. Name a topic instead, for example printer troubleshooting or Windows command line tools, and you get practice questions on it. Starting is free.
Written by the StudyPDF team. Last updated August 19, 2026.
Good to know
Is this CompTIA A+ practice test really free?
Yes. All 15 questions, the score screen and every explanation are free to play in your browser, and there is no paywall on this page.
How many exams are there for A+, and what score do I need?
When this page was last checked, CompTIA listed two exams for V15: Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202), each with a maximum of 90 questions and 90 minutes. The passing score was 675 for Core 1 and 700 for Core 2 on a scale of 900. The two exams must be from the same version. CompTIA can change these details, so confirm the current version, objectives and price on CompTIA's own site before you book.
Are these real A+ questions, and are you affiliated with CompTIA?
No. The StudyPDF team wrote all 15 questions and explanations from the published exam objectives. None comes from the real exam, from a vendor's bank or from recalled exam items. StudyPDF is not affiliated with CompTIA, and CompTIA and A+ are marks of CompTIA, Inc. Use the official CompTIA objectives to check what is on the current exam.
Can I get more A+ questions from my own study material?
Yes. Upload your A+ study guide, course slides or notes to StudyPDF, and Bo builds full-length practice tests from those exact pages, with explanations that cite where each answer came from. If you only have a paper book, name a topic instead, for example Windows command line tools or printer troubleshooting, and Bo writes a test from that.
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