CompTIA Tech+ Certification Exam Study Guide

Which component is responsible for storing the operating system and applications on a computer?

Hard Drive

A user reports that their laptop battery drains quickly. Which troubleshooting step should be performed first?

Check the power settings

Which of these is a cybersecurity best practice?

Enabling multi-factor authentication

A user needs to connect a new wireless printer. What should they check first?

Wi-Fi network compatibility

What is the purpose of a surge protector?

Protects devices from power surges

What is a common symptom of a failing hard drive?

Slow performance and unusual noises

A user needs to transfer large files quickly between two devices. Which connection type is best?

USB-C

Which of the following is volatile memory?

RAM

What does a VPN do?

Encrypts internet traffic for privacy

Which of these is NOT an operating system?

Microsoft Office

A user wants to store large amounts of data with fast access speeds. Which storage type is best?

SSD

What is the purpose of an HDMI port?

Transfers audio and video signals

What is the function of a firewall?

Blocks unauthorized access to a network

Which file system is typically used on USB flash drives for compatibility across different operating systems?

FAT32

What is the primary function of a router in a network?

Assigns IP addresses and directs traffic

Which of the following is an example of an input device?

Keyboard

A user forgets their Windows login password. What is the best solution?

Use a password reset disk or administrator account

What does "IP" stand for in networking?

internet Protocol

Which device is responsible for converting AC power from an outlet into DC power for computer components?

Power Supply Unit (PSU)

Which type of network connection offers the most stable and fastest data transfer rates?

Ethernet

A developer is testing a new application feature in isolation to avoid affecting the main system. What environment are they using?

Sandbox environment

A network administrator needs to remotely configure a switch. Which protocol should they use?

SNMP

A computer's USB ports stop functioning, but other components work fine. What should the technician check first?

USB drivers

A security analyst detects a website redirecting users to malicious pages. What type of attack is this?

Cross-site scripting

A database administrator needs to automate an action, such as logging changes when a record is updated. What should they create?

Database trigger

A GIS analyst needs software to map environmental data for a city. Which software type should they use?

GIS software

A network administrator configures a system where multiple servers share incoming web traffic. What device are they using?

Load balancer

A company needs a storage solution for long-term archival of legal documents. Which storage type is most suitable?

Optical disc

A programmer needs to repeat a task until a condition is met. Which programming structure should they use?

Loop

A security team wants to ensure data is unreadable if a laptop is stolen. What should they implement?

Full disk encryption

A computer runs slowly during multitasking, and the technician notices high disk activity. What should they upgrade?

RAM

A network technician is setting up a topology that combines star and ring configurations for flexibility. Which topology is this?

Hybrid

An IT manager is purchasing software and needs to ensure compliance with usage limits. What should they review?

Software license agreement

A user accesses a website, but the browser warns of an invalid security certificate. Which protocol is likely involved?

HTTPS

A computer's clock is consistently incorrect, even after manual resets. What should the technician replace?

CMOS battery

A developer needs to track changes to a project's codebase across multiple team members. Which tool should they use?

Version control system

A database administrator is designing a table and wants to ensure data is not redundant. Which process should they apply?

Data normalization

A company needs software to integrate financial, HR, and inventory management. Which software type should they choose?

ERP software

An employee needs a device to back up sensitive project files offsite. What is the best portable storage option?

External HDD

A user reports that their external speakers produce no sound. What should the technician check first?

Sound card drivers

A network technician needs to configure a device to assign IP addresses dynamically to new devices. Which device should they set up?

DHCP server

A company needs to deploy software across multiple workstations without manual intervention. Which installation method should they use?

Silent installation

A computer produces a single beep on startup but fails to display anything. What is the most likely issue?

Loose monitor cable

A network administrator notices that file transfers between departments are slow. What should they configure to optimize bandwidth allocation?

Bandwidth shaper

A technician is troubleshooting a computer that boots slowly and shows multiple error messages. What should they check first to identify outdated hardware compatibility?

BIOS version

An IT team needs to ensure critical systems remain operational during a power outage. What should they implement?

Business continuity plan

A developer creates a class that inherits methods from a parent class. Which programming concept is this?

Inheritance

A computer fails to power on, and no lights are visible. What should the technician check first?

Motherboard connections

A warehouse manager needs software to track stock levels and shipments. Which software type should they use?

SCM software

A web server is placed in a network zone to protect the internal network. What is this zone called?

DMZ

A user reports no video output despite the computer powering on. What component should the technician check first?

Video card

A company requires employees to use fingerprints to access their workstations. What security measure is this?

Biometric authentication

A data analyst needs to organize historical sales data for reporting in a star structure. Which database concept should they use?

Data warehouse schema

A development team adopts a methodology allowing frequent updates based on user feedback. Which methodology are they using?

Agile

A user connects a legacy keyboard, but it does not work. Which port is likely used?

PS/2

A developer writes a function to validate individual code components before integration. What are they performing?

Unit testing

A network administrator needs to ensure all devices have synchronized clocks for accurate logging. Which protocol should they configure?

NTP

A computer produces no display output, but the fans are running. What should the technician check first?

Monitor connection

A security team discovers that attackers are exploiting unpatched software vulnerabilities. What type of attack is this?

Exploit attack

A database user needs to simplify access to complex query results without modifying the underlying tables. What should they create?

Database view

An architect needs software to design a new building. Which software type should they use?

CAD software

A network engineer designs a topology where every device connects to all others for maximum redundancy. Which topology is this?

Mesh

An enterprise needs a storage solution for high-speed database access. Which storage type should they choose?

NVMe SSD

A programmer needs to store a list of user inputs for processing. Which data structure should they use?

Array

A security analyst notices unauthorized login attempts in the system logs. What should they implement to detect future incidents?

Log auditing

A computer overheats during gaming, causing performance throttling. What should the technician install to address this?

Heatsink upgrade

A network technician is designing a topology where all devices connect to a central hub for easy troubleshooting. Which topology should they use?

Star

An IT manager is deploying new software and wants to ensure it meets hardware requirements. What should they perform first?

Compatibility check

A user reports that their secure website loads slowly. What protocol should the IT team verify is properly configured?

HTTPS

A computer emits a loud grinding noise during operation. What is the most likely cause?

Failing case fan

Which database feature allows you to retrieve and generate results or reports based on searches you performed earlier to locate specific information?

Predefined queries

Which data type can effectively transform unstructured data into semi-structured or structured data?

Metadata

Which logical component of a relational database consists of one or more fields that uniquely identify each record in a table, such as a cust_ID?

A primary key

Which of the following is NOT an example of a database constraint or constraint enforcement in a relational database?

Creating foreign keys with NULL or duplicate values and linking them to the primary key within a schema.

In a key–value database, how many times can the same key exist within a given collection?

Only once

When a file is created or modified in Windows, its archive bit is set to 1 to indicate that it needs to be backed up. What does it mean when the archive bit for a file is set to 0?

The file is backed up.

You want to back up files that have been created or modified since the previous backup. Which backup type is most suitable for this operation?

Incremental

Vulnerability to physical destruction; inability to access data remotely.

Local storage

Single point-of-failure; high initial costs; complex setup.

Network-attached storage

Cloud-based storage

Dependency on speed and access; reduced control over data

Flash drives and SD cards are often used for quick and inexpensive backups of personal data. Despite their convenience, what is the most significant drawback of relying on these devices for data backup?

They are easily lost or damaged due to their small size

An individual contacts the human resources department from an external phone line, claims to be a long-time vendor, and requests that the employee phone list be emailed to him without providing proper identification. Which type of attack does this scenario represent?

Social engineering

Which cookies may be exempt from GDPR privacy requirements if they are determined to be critical to a website’s functionality?

Essential first-party cookies

To improve security, a company requires employees to change their passwords monthly and to register a mobile number that receives a one-time password (OTP) each time they log in to company servers. What type of authentication method is being used in this scenario?

Multi-factor

How does the least privilege model ensure top-notch security for a network?

By granting users only the minimum permissions needed to perform their tasks

A company deploys user access accounting across all its offices across continents. They decided to install software in laptops that would use GPS satellites to track the device’s movements by gathering latitude, longitude, and elevation of the location. What type of tracking is explained in this scenario?

Location tracking

A user receives an email that appears to be from their bank. The message claims that suspicious activity has been detected on the account and instructs the user to click a link and confirm their login credentials immediately. The link directs the user to a website that closely resembles the bank’s official site but uses a slightly altered URL.
Which type of attack is being attempted?

Phishing

A technician is researching a security vulnerability and needs to ensure the information being used is accurate and trustworthy before applying a fix in a production environment.
Which action best helps validate that the source is legitimate?

Confirming the source is an official vendor, standards body, or reputable organization

Windows and macOS are proprietary operating systems that require purchasing a license to install and use them. What type of licensing is required to use NetBSD?

Open source

Which of the following is NOT an example of an effective password?

Asdf12345

An organization is reviewing its password policy to better protect user accounts and comply with security best practices. Which policy change would most effectively reduce the risk of unauthorized access due to compromised passwords?

Requiring passwords to be at least 14 characters long and unique per system

An organization is redesigning its password reset process for highly sensitive systems. Due to strict security requirements, the company wants to minimize the risk of social engineering and unauthorized resets.

Which password reset approach best meets this requirement?

Requiring administrator approval and identity verification for all password resets

Which type of programming language produces a program that is converted into machine-level instructions specific to the target computer before execution?

Compiled language

Integer

4 or 400000

String

“Hello World”

Char

‘A’ or ‘a’

Floats

4.5 or 4.000001

Why are Boolean values especially important in computer programs?

They determine which path a program follows based on conditions.

Identify the float data types declared in the following code. (Choose two.) 
temperature = 36.5

pi_value = 3.14159

average = (temperature + pi_value) / 2

 print(average)

temperature, and Pi_value

A program generates two random integers, A and B, and evaluates the Boolean expression A > B. Based on the result of this comparison, the program either executes a block that displays “Access Granted” or a different block that displays “Access Denied”.

Which explanation best describes how Boolean values control the program’s behavior in this scenario?

The Boolean result determines which conditional branch of the program is executed.