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A+ · Practice questions

Ten A+ scenario questions across both cores, and why the runner-up answer loses

By Mustafa K. Al-Dori · Edition 2026.2, verified 9 October 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer

Try the ten questions below in 12 minutes, counting only your first answer. They are original, not CompTIA questions. Five are mapped to Core 1 (220-1201) and five to Core 2 (220-1202), each with its objective. Then sort your misses by habit with the table at the end. Three or more misses in one core means more hands-on work before you book that core.

Candidates who fail A+ by a few points rarely lack knowledge. They choose the answer that is true but not the first step, or they know the parts but not the order. These ten questions are written to expose both habits, and each explanation says why the runner-up loses.

How should you use these questions?

CompTIA scores each core on a scale of 100 to 900, with 675 needed for Core 1 and 700 for Core 2. Those are scaled scores, so no percentage on a practice set converts to a pass mark. What a set like this does show is which habits cost you marks. Answer on paper, count only your first choice and read every explanation, including those for questions you got right.

The ten questions below are original, each mapped to a V15 objective. Allow 12 minutes. Facts were drawn from CompTIA's objectives and the CredenTrek book in October 2026.

Performance-based questions are not shown here, because they need an environment to work in. Practise those in your home lab, using the plan in the study hours guide.

Core 1 (220-1201): five questions

Question 1 · Mobile Devices (Core 1) · 1.1

A technician is about to replace the memory module in a laptop. Which preparation is correct?

A. Put the laptop in sleep mode and leave the charger connected for grounding
B. Shut it down, unplug the charger, disconnect or remove the battery and use an ESD strap
C. Wear an ESD strap and leave the charger connected so the strap has a ground
D. Hibernate the laptop and open the case at once to save time

Show answer
Answer: B. Objective 1.1 covers monitoring mobile hardware and replacing parts. Power must be removed before you open the case, and static protection comes on top of that, not instead of it. C is the runner-up: an ESD strap is right, but a connected charger leaves power in the board.

Question 2 · Networking (Core 1) · 2.1

A technician must open a firewall port so staff can use Remote Desktop to reach a Windows PC. Which port is used by default?

A. 22
B. 443
C. 3389
D. 445

Show answer
Answer: C. Objective 2.1 covers ports and protocols. Remote Desktop uses 3389. D is the runner-up: 445 is SMB file sharing, which also runs on Windows machines and is easy to confuse. A is SSH, the equivalent tool on Linux.

Question 3 · Hardware (Core 1) · 3.4

A small office wants a file server that keeps working if one drive fails, and wants more usable capacity from four identical drives than a mirror would give. Which level should be used?

A. RAID 0
B. RAID 1
C. RAID 5
D. RAID 10

Show answer
Answer: C. Objective 3.4 covers storage and RAID. RAID 5 stripes data with parity, survives one failed drive and uses three of the four drives for data. D is the runner-up: RAID 10 also survives a failure but gives only half the capacity.

Question 4 · Hardware and Network Troubleshooting (Core 1) · 5.5

A laptop says it is connected to Wi-Fi, but no web pages load. Pinging 8.8.8.8 works, and pinging a website by name fails. What is the most likely cause?

A. The default gateway is wrong
B. The DNS server setting is wrong or unreachable
C. The wireless adapter has failed
D. The router has no internet connection

Show answer
Answer: B. Objective 5.5 covers diagnosing network faults. Reaching an address by number but not by name points to name resolution. A is the runner-up: a wrong gateway would also stop the ping to 8.8.8.8, which succeeded.

Question 5 · Hardware and Network Troubleshooting (Core 1) · 5.1

A desktop that worked for months now restarts on its own under load, and the case fans are clogged with dust. What should the technician do first?

A. Reinstall the operating system
B. Replace the power supply
C. Clean the fans and heat sink and check temperatures
D. Replace the RAM

Show answer
Answer: C. Objective 5.1 covers diagnosing crashes and overheating. Dust and a restart under load are a classic heat fault, and cleaning is cheap and quick. B is the runner-up: a failing power supply can restart a PC, but you only replace parts after the cheaper, more likely cause is ruled out.

Core 2 (220-1202): five questions

Question 6 · Operating Systems (Core 2) · 1.4

A technician wants a history of the application errors and warnings that appeared before last night's crash. Which Windows tool should be used?

A. Task Manager
B. Event Viewer
C. Disk Management
D. Device Manager

Show answer
Answer: B. Objective 1.4 covers Windows features and tools. Event Viewer keeps logs of errors, warnings and information over time. A is the runner-up: Task Manager shows what is running now, not what happened earlier.

Question 7 · Security (Core 2) · 2.5

An email names the recipient, refers to a real supplier invoice and asks the finance assistant to change bank details urgently. The sender appears to be the finance director. What is this?

A. Spear phishing
B. Smishing
C. Tailgating
D. Shoulder surfing

Show answer
Answer: A. Objective 2.5 covers social engineering. A message tailored to a person and a real context is spear phishing. B is the runner-up: smishing is phishing by text message, and nothing here involves SMS.

Question 8 · Security (Core 2) · 2.6

A technician has identified malware symptoms on a Windows PC and quarantined it. According to CompTIA's procedure, what comes next?

A. Educate the user
B. Create a new restore point
C. Disable System Restore
D. Reconnect the PC to update definitions

Show answer
Answer: C. Objective 2.6 gives the order: investigate and verify, quarantine, disable System Restore, remediate, schedule scans and updates, re-enable System Restore with a new restore point, then educate the user. D is the runner-up: updating matters, but reconnecting a quarantined PC risks spreading the infection.

Question 9 · Software Troubleshooting (Core 2) · 3.1

After a user plugs in an external USB drive and restarts, a PC says "Operating system not found". The internal drive is healthy. What should the technician check first?

A. Reinstall Windows
B. Remove the USB drive and check the boot order
C. Replace the internal drive
D. Run a full malware scan

Show answer
Answer: B. Objective 3.1 covers Windows issues. A USB device earlier in the boot order can interrupt start-up, and removing it is the quickest test. A is the runner-up: reinstalling is a last resort and would hide the cause.

Question 10 · Operational Procedures (Core 2) · 4.10

A technician pastes a log containing a customer's name and account number into a public AI chatbot to help interpret an error. What is the main risk?

A. The chatbot may be slower on long logs
B. Sensitive customer data may be exposed outside the company
C. The chatbot cannot read log files
D. The company will lose its software licence

Show answer
Answer: B. Objective 4.10 covers AI basics and their risks, and 4.6 covers handling sensitive data. Anything pasted into a public tool leaves your control. A is the runner-up: it is a real limit of the tool, but the exam asks about the risk that matters, which is data exposure.

What does your score tell you?

Count first answers only, then sort your misses by habit.

If you missed The habit to fix
1 or 8 Skipping the safe first step when you know the fix
2 or 3 Confusing a neighbouring port or level for the one asked
4 or 5 Treating a symptom as a cause before reading the clue that rules it out
6 or 9 Choosing the live view or the big fix over the log or the cheap test
7 or 10 Reacting to the story instead of the term or risk the objective names

A miss in the first five is a Core 1 signal. A miss in the last five is a Core 2 signal. The exam map shows where each domain sits, and the study hours guide turns your misses into a dated plan.

Chapter 5 of CredenTrek For CompTIA A+ has you rate yourself on all 63 objectives, and Appendix G adds 18 more timed questions, nine for each core.

Your next step
  1. Answer all ten questions in 12 minutes, counting only your first choice.
  2. Write down the objective behind each miss and rate yourself from 1 to 5 on it.
  3. Reproduce one missed scenario in your home lab and fix it step by step.
  4. Check that your practice-test source names 220-1201 and 220-1202 and includes performance-based practice.

Questions readers ask

Are these real A+ exam questions?
No. They were written for this page and are not CompTIA questions. Each is mapped to a V15 objective. Use them to find weak objectives, not to predict the wording you will see.
What practice-test results show I am ready?
No single score does. Look for consistent results across two or three full practice exams for that core, no domain far behind the others and confidence with performance-based tasks.
How do I choose a practice-test source?
Choose one and use it thoroughly. Check that it names 220-1201 and 220-1202, follows the official objectives, includes performance-based practice and states its refund policy in writing.
Can I practise performance-based questions at home?
Yes. Use an old computer, virtual machines and a home router, and create faults on purpose. Reading alone does not prepare you for them.
Sources

This guide is independent and is not endorsed by CompTIA. Facts change: confirm them on the official page before you act.