220-1202 CompTIA A+ Core 2 (2026 Exam Update) Free Practice Exam Questions (2026 Updated)

The completed configuration:

1. Wireless AP (LAN side)

1. LAN IP: 192.168.10.1

2. Encryption: WPA2 PSK

2. Router (port-forward rule)

1. Allow TCP Any 3389

This forwards inbound RDP traffic (TCP/3389) from the Internet to the Windows PC, enabling Remote Desktop access.

3. Firewall (screened subnet side)

1. LAN IP: 10.100.0.1

4. Device placement

1. PC: place behind the router (where the port-forward rule points).

2. Game console: place on the Wireless AP (so it can use chat and extra services over WPA2 PSK).

3. Firewall: place in front of the screened subnet (with its 10.100.0.1 IP facing that subnet).

The Windows PC is placed in the screened subnet (behind the firewall) for enhanced security. Remote access to this PC requires port forwarding of TCP port 3389 (RDP), which is correctly configured through the router.

The Game Console is placed on the Wireless AP LAN, using WPA2 PSK for a secure wireless connection. Game consoles typically use peer-to-peer chat and online services that require open access without firewall restrictions, which is why the console is not placed behind the firewall.

CompTIA A+ 220-1102 Reference Points:

Objective 3.4: Given a scenario, implement best practices associated with data and device security.

Objective 2.4: Given a scenario, use appropriate tools to support and configure network settings.

Study Guide Reference: CompTIA A+ Core 2 guides recommend using screened subnets (a type of DMZ) for systems needing controlled external access, such as remote desktops, while placing gaming and media devices on less restricted networks for full functionality.

Host 2, Host 3, Host 4 , Host 5 ,Host 6, Host 7, Host 8 , Media Server - Stop All unwanted and malicious service (Persistance.j1zpxn Installer Service) from all the listed host and Media servers

Refer screenshot below on the required service started/stopped on host2, same service to be started and stopped across all host servers.

A screenshot of a computer AI-

A screenshot of a computer AI-

First Chat Response:When the user mentions setting up a new router, the best initial response to maintain a helpful and professional tone is:

> Select reply: " I am happy to assist you today. "

Second Chat Response:When the user states that they need to set up basic security settings:

> Select reply: " Is this the first router in your office? "

Third Chat Response:After learning it ' s a replacement router and the user is logged into the router ' s web page:

> Select reply: " The first thing you need to do is change the default password. "

Fourth Chat Response:For the response about password settings:

> Select reply: " Create a new password with an uppercase, a lowercase, and a special character. "

Fifth Chat Response:When the router prompts to reboot:

> Select reply: " Yes, reboot please. "

Study Guide Reference: The CompTIA A+ Core 2 guide highlights the importance of changing default credentials and using strong password policies, particularly in SOHO environments where routers are often targeted.

Inbox mail 1 -Account Locked- Phishing - Report email to Information Security

Inbox mail 2 -Share your feedback - Legitimate - Perform no additional actions

Inbox mail 3 –Employee orientation - Legitimate - Perform no additional actions

Inbox mail 4 –Security Update – Spam - Report email to Information Security

Inbox mail 5 –Interview - Legitimate - Perform no additional actions

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Issue: Limited network connectivity

Resolution: Refresh DHCP

Verify/Resolve: ipconfig

Issue (drop-down)

Limited network connectivity

Why this matches:

“Internet Down” most commonly indicates the workstation has lost valid Layer 3 connectivity (bad/expired DHCP lease, APIPA address, wrong gateway, etc.). In CompTIA A+ terms, this aligns best with limited connectivity symptoms (can’t reach internet resources).

Resolution (drop-down)

Refresh DHCP

Why this is the most efficient fix:

If the client has:

an expired lease

an APIPA address (169.254.x.x) because DHCP failed

an incorrect IP/gateway from a bad lease

…then the fastest first remediation is to renew DHCP to obtain a correct IP address, default gateway, and DNS servers. This is a standard CompTIA A+ troubleshooting action (quick, low-risk, high-success).

Verify/Resolve (drop-down)

ipconfig

Why this is the correct verification tool:

ipconfig is the primary Windows CLI tool to:

check current IP settings (ipconfig /all)

release/renew DHCP (ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew)

confirm you received a valid IP + gateway + DNS, which is required for internet access.

What you would do (mapped to those choices)

Using ipconfig to complete “Refresh DHCP” and confirm the fix:

Check current addressing

ipconfig /all

Look for:

Valid IPv4 (not 169.254.x.x)

Valid Default Gateway

DNS servers present

Refresh the DHCP lease

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

Verify outcome

Run ipconfig again to confirm:

You now have a correct IP for the network

Default gateway is populated

If the gateway/DNS populate correctly, internet access typically returns.

The Local Users and Groups Manager (lusrmgr.msc) is the utility for managing user accounts, including renaming the default Administrator.

From Quentin Docter – Complete Study Guide:

“The lusrmgr.msc snap-in allows renaming and managing local user accounts, including the default administrator.” .

To display a file’s contents in Linux, the standard command is cat. Quentin Docter states: “Sometime you just need to view the contents of a file. To view the contents of a file, use the cat command,” and shows an example cat /etc/hosts displaying the file output. He also lists essential Linux commands and explicitly defines cat as: “Displays the contents of a file.”

The other options do not meet the requirement: chmod changes file permissions, ls lists directory contents (or file names), and sudo runs a command with elevated privileges—none directly display a file’s contents by themselves. A+ also expects you to know that cat can do more than display; it can concatenate files and redirect output, but for this question the key function is simply viewing a file.

Therefore, the correct command is cat (B).

Ticket #8675310

Issue: Limited network connectivity

Resolution: Refresh DHCP

Verify/Resolve: ipconfig /renew

For the Low priority ticket #8675310 (“A small yellow triangle appeared in the taskbar. I am no longer able to access network resources.”), the Windows yellow triangle on the network icon is the classic indicator of limited connectivity (often caused by a bad/expired DHCP lease, APIPA address, missing default gateway, or DNS info not being assigned).

Correct PBQ Selections (Ticket #8675310)

Issue

Limited network connectivity

Why (CompTIA logic):

That yellow warning triangle means the NIC is connected at Layer 2 (link is up), but the system likely doesn’t have valid Layer 3 config (IP/gateway/DNS), so it can’t reach network resources.

Resolution

Refresh DHCP

Why this is the most efficient fix:

When a Windows PC can’t access network resources and shows “limited connectivity,” the fastest, lowest-risk fix is to renew DHCP so the PC can pull:

a valid IP address

default gateway

DNS servers

This directly resolves the most common root cause behind that icon.

Verify / Resolve

ipconfig /renew

Why this is the correct verification/remediation command:

ipconfig /renew is the direct command to request a fresh DHCP lease. After renewal, the user should regain access to network resources if DHCP was the issue.

What this fixes (what you’d expect to see)

Before the fix, the attachment (Output.txt) in these PBQs typically shows symptoms like:

169.254.x.x (APIPA) → DHCP failed

Missing/blank Default Gateway

DNS not present or incorrect

After ipconfig /renew, you should see a normal private IP (like 192.168.x.x / 10.x.x.x / 172.16-31.x.x) and a valid gateway/DNS.

Older tablets may not support newer app versions due toincompatible or unsupported operating systems. App developers often drop support for outdated OS versions.

FromTravis Everett – CompTIA A+ All-in-One Exam Guide:

“When an app won ' t install on an older device, check the OS version. Most apps require a minimum OS level for compatibility and security.”

The correct answer is B. Task Manager, because Task Manager allows technicians to view, manage, and terminate running processes, including those that are frozen or unresponsive. If an application process is already running but not responding, launching it again will fail until the existing process is stopped.

According to the Quentin Docter – CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide, Task Manager is the primary Windows tool for troubleshooting application hangs, excessive resource usage, and nonresponsive programs. Technicians can end the task and relaunch the application cleanly.

The Travis Everett & Andrew Hutz – All-in-One Exam Guide explains that Resource Monitor provides detailed performance metrics but is not optimized for quickly terminating frozen applications. Event Viewer logs errors but does not resolve active process issues.

The Mike Meyers / Mark Soper Lab Manual reinforces that Registry Editor should never be used for live application troubleshooting due to the risk of system instability.

Because the issue involves an unresponsive background process, Task Manager is the fastest and safest tool to resolve the problem, making B the correct answer.

This is part of the user education step after a security incident to prevent future occurrences.

From Quentin Docter – Complete Study Guide:

“User education and awareness is a crucial part of preventing phishing attacks. After an incident, it is vital to train users on recognizing suspicious messages.” .

RAM is an electrostatic-sensitive component. When removing or transporting RAM modules, they should be stored in antistatic bags to protect against electrostatic discharge (ESD), which can damage the memory. This is a standard best practice in hardware handling.

A. Demagnetization is not applicable to RAM.

C. Plugging in power to ground is not safe or recommended for static protection.

D. Installing identical memory pairs is applicable for dual-channel configuration, but not directly related to transporting or handling RAM.

The correct answer is C. Personalization. In Windows, desktop appearance settings such as the background image, colors, themes, lock screen, fonts, Start menu, and taskbar are managed through Personalization. Quentin Docter’s Complete Study Guide explains that right-clicking the Windows desktop and selecting Personalize opens the display/personalization settings, and the Background section is used to select a picture, slideshow, or static color for the desktop. The All-in-One Exam Guide confirms that Personalization settings handle user preferences such as the background picture and interface colors, and the background screen lets the user choose a solid color or picture. Device Manager is used for hardware devices and drivers. Accounts controls user sign-in and account settings. Privacy controls app permissions and data-sharing options. Therefore, Personalization is the correct place to change the desktop background image.

This issue happens when Windows is hiding known file extensions. If extensions are hidden, the user may only be changing the visible name (for example, changing “Document” to “Document.xml”), while the real filename remains something like Document.xml.txt. Windows Explorer then displays “Document.xml,” but file properties still show the true type as Text Document (.txt) because the actual extension at the end is still .txt, and Windows determines file type by that extension. The fix is to show file extensions by turning off the “hide extensions” behavior—i.e., uncheck “Hide extensions for known file types” in File Explorer Options/View settings. Quentin Docter specifically calls out that “Hide Extensions For Known File Types” is commonly changed because seeing extensions is “really handy,” and shows steps to deselect “Hide File Extensions For Known File Types.” The All-in-One guide and Mike Meyers’ Lab Manual both reinforce that you toggle extensions by deselecting “Hide extensions for known file types.”

If the phone works on Wi-Fi but not off Wi-Fi, the most likely issue is that cellular data is disabled (or restricted). This aligns directly with the CompTIA A+ objective language for mobile troubleshooting, which explicitly includes “wireless/cellular data network (enable/disable).” After travel, users often enable airplane mode or disable cellular data to avoid roaming charges, and sometimes forget to re-enable it.

Quentin Docter’s mobile connectivity discussion repeatedly distinguishes Wi-Fi access from cellular connectivity and treats cellular settings as a primary area to verify when Internet access is not available away from Wi-Fi. While data caps/limits could throttle service, they usually don’t make all non-Wi-Fi browsing and email impossible immediately. VPN issues might block some access, but the simplest “most likely” resolution based on the symptom is re-enabling cellular data. Reinstalling the SIM is possible, but again not the first, most likely fix given the scenario framing. Therefore, Enable cellular data (A) is correct.

Least effort with correct access control is achieved by assigning permissions to a group and managing membership, rather than editing permissions user-by-user. Mike Meyers states this as a best practice: “ NTFS permissions are assigned both to user accounts and groups, although it’s considered a best practice to assign permissions to groups and then add user accounts to groups instead of adding permissions directly to individual user accounts. ” This reduces administrative overhead: once the group has the correct rights, adding/removing users is simple.

The CompTIA A+ practice rationale reinforces the same: “ Another best practice is to assign permissions to groups rather than users, and make users members of groups … as they change roles or positions.”

This question’s permission goal (“add,” “edit,” but “prevent deletion”) maps to carefully selected rights (for example, allow read/write/modify for needed actions while explicitly denying delete where appropriate), and the cleanest way is implementing that permission set once on a security group . Mapping drives (A) doesn’t enforce permissions by itself, admin rights (C) is excessive, and per-user permissions (D) is the most work.

The most likely cause of repeated application installation failures on a work-issued laptop is an incorrectly configured Access Control List (ACL). In corporate environments, security policies are designed to limit what standard users can install in order to reduce malware risk, maintain compliance, and ensure system stability. These restrictions are enforced through NTFS permissions, ACLs, and Group Policy settings.

According to the Quentin Docter – CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide, ACLs define which users or groups have permission to read, write, modify, or execute files and directories. If a user does not have sufficient permissions to write to protected locations such as C:\Program Files, system folders, or specific registry keys, software installers will fail—even if the installer itself is legitimate and intact.

The Travis Everett & Andrew Hutz – CompTIA A+ All-in-One Exam Guide explains that many organizations intentionally restrict installation privileges to administrators only. This prevents users from installing unauthorized or potentially harmful software. When ACLs are misconfigured or intentionally restrictive, installation attempts may fail repeatedly without clearly stating that permissions are the root cause.

The Mike Meyers / Mark Soper Lab Manual further clarifies that issues like a full browser cache or slow internet speeds typically affect downloads, not the execution of installers. An unformatted hard drive would prevent the operating system from functioning at all, making it irrelevant in this scenario.

Therefore, the repeated installation failure on a work laptop is best explained by incorrectly configured ACLs, making C the correct answer.

This scenario involves a mismatch in device time settings, which can affect synchronization and authentication across the network. Using a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server ensures all networked devices maintain accurate and synchronized clocks.

From Travis Everett – All-in-One Exam Guide:

“NTP servers keep all devices on a network in sync. This prevents time drift, which can cause authentication issues with domain logins, certificates, and applications.” .

The correct answer is C. Lock the account after three failed attempts. A brute-force attack attempts many password guesses. Account lockout directly slows or stops this by preventing unlimited login attempts. Quentin Docter’s Complete Study Guide explains that administrators should configure user account settings to limit the number of failed login attempts before the account is locked for a period of time. It specifically notes that setting a failed login attempt counter and lockout duration slows the progress of password attacks. The same material notes that three failed attempts provides better security, although it may create more help desk calls. Restricting login times may reduce the attack window but does not stop repeated guessing during allowed hours. Requiring login after wake protects unattended sessions. Least privilege limits damage after compromise, but account lockout best mitigates brute-force password attempts.