COMPTIA 220-902 A+ PERFORMANCE-BASED QUESTIONS

Although most people think of certification exams as a series of multiple-choice questions, many of CompTIA's
exams also include a number of performance-based questions. The format of these performance-based
questions vary between fill-in-the-blank, matching, scenario-based, or even simulated command-line
environments.

These performance-based questions usually appear first in the exam, but I've included them as the last part of
this book. This matches one of my most common test-taking strategies, where I recommend that you skip over
the performance-based questions, finish all of the multiple-choice questions, and then jump back to the
beginning to tackle the performance-based questions as the last thing on the exam.

PB-1. Place the following patch management processes in order, from start to finish.

Testing

Fallback

Scheduling

Implementing
PB-2. You've just removed one of the operating system from your computer's dual-boot configuration, but now
your boot manager can't find the remaining Windows operating system. What command should you use in the
Windows Recovery Environment to search your storage devices for Windows installations?
PB-3. Match the Linux command to its description:
PB-4. You're updating the operating systems listed below. Can you perform an in-place upgrade, or does the
change require a clean install?

Windows XP Professional to Windows Vista Business -

Windows XP Professional to Windows 7 Professional -

Windows Vista Business to Windows Vista Enterprise -

Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 8 Pro -

Windows 7 Ultimate to Windows 8 Enterprise -

Windows 8 Pro to Windows 8.1 Enterprise -

PB-5. Your firewall currently has a rule that allows all inbound web traffic. Add a rule that would also allow all
inbound RDP traffic:
PB-6. Match these security threats to the best description:
PB-7. You have a wireless router that connects to the Internet using an IP address of 10.1.1.2 and a MAC
address of 11:22:33:44:55:66.

You use two devices on your SOHO wireless network. Your mobile phone has a MAC address of
AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF and your laptop has a MAC address of AA:BB:CC:11:22:33.

Configure this wireless router with these security requirements:

1) Prevent everything from connecting to your wireless network except your own personal devices

2) Hide your wireless network name from appearing in a list of available wireless networks

3) Configure the most secure encryption type with a shared passphrase of "unA2Hy4K"

4) Configure the name of the wireless network to be "SOHO"

PB-8. One of your applications is hung, and it won't close from the Windows graphical interface. What
command would you use to terminate a task with process ID 4084 from the command line?
PB-9.Fill in the flowchart with the appropriate troubleshooting steps:

Establish a theory
Establish a plan of action
Implement the plan
Identify the problem
Document findings
Evaluate the results: Is it working?
Test the theory
Verify full system functionality
PB-10. List the Windows versions that support the following features. Some features may be supported on more
than one version of Windows. Possible answers are Windows Vista, Windows 7, and/or Windows 8.1.

Aero

Volume Shadow Copy

Windows Gadgets

Readyboost

Windows XP Mode

BitLocker
PB-11. Put the following malware removal steps in order from start to finish:

Disable System Restore

Schedule scans and run updates

Enable System Restore

Educate the end-user

Update anti-virus, scan, and remove malware

Quarantine infected systems

Identify malware symptoms

PB-12. Teyla is connecting to a file share across the network. The NTFS and share permissions are listed below.
What would be Teyla's effective permissions when accessing the documents in the share?
COMPTIA 220-902 A+ PERFORMANCE-BASED ANSWERS
PB-1. Place the following patch management processes in order, from start to finish.

Scheduling

Implementing

Testing

Fallback

The patch management process is an important one for most organizations. The process begins when the change
is scheduled. Once the scheduled date and time arrives, the change is then implemented. After implementation,
it's important to test the change to make sure the modification was successful. If the testing fails, there should
always be a fallback plan to get everything back to the original state.

220-902, Objective 1.7 - Windows Preventive Maintenance Best Practices

http://professormesser.link/220902010701
PB-2. You've just removed one of the operating systems from your computer's dual-boot configuration, but now
your boot manager can't find the remaining Windows operating system. What command should you use in the
Windows Recovery Environment to search your storage devices for Windows installations?

Answer: BOOTREC /ScanOS

The BOOTREC command is often used to fix a master boot record (MBR) or a partition's boot sector, but it can
also be used to search your storage device for Windows operating systems. The /ScanOS flag is the option to
use when you're not exactly sure where the Windows installation is installed.

220-902, Objective 1.3 - The Windows Recovery Environment Command Prompt

http://professormesser.link/220902010302
PB-3. Match the Linux command to its description:

220-902, Objective 2.1 - Basic Linux Commands

http://professormesser.link/220902020106
PB-4. You're updating the operating systems listed below. Can you perform an in-place upgrade, or does the
change require a clean install?

Windows XP Professional to Windows Vista Business - IN-PLACE UPGRADE

Windows XP Professional to Windows 7 Professional - CLEAN INSTALL

Windows Vista Business to Windows Vista Enterprise - IN-PLACE UPGRADE

Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 8 Pro - IN-PLACE UPGRADE

Windows 7 Ultimate to Windows 8 Enterprise - CLEAN INSTALL

Windows 8 Pro to Windows 8.1 Enterprise - IN-PLACE UPGRADE

220-902, Objective 1.1 - Windows Upgrade Paths

http://professormesser.link/220902010107
PB-5. Your firewall currently has a rule that allows all inbound web traffic. Add a rule that would also allow all
inbound RDP traffic:

A firewall ACL (access control list) is a list of the traffic sessions that are allowed or blocked as they pass
through the firewall. A Microsoft RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) uses TCP port 3389, so you would add an
additional rule to allow all remote devices to access the local port of TCP/3389.

220-902, Objective 3.2 - Digital Security Prevention Methods

http://professormesser.link/220902030202
PB-6. Match these security threats to the best description:

220-902, Objective 3.1 - Common Security Threats

http://professormesser.link/220902030101
PB-7. You have a wireless router that connects to the Internet using an IP address of 10.1.1.2 and a MAC
address of 11:22:33:44:55:66.

You use two devices on your SOHO wireless network. Your mobile phone has a MAC address of
AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF and your laptop has a MAC address of AA:BB:CC:11:22:33.

Configure this wireless router with these security requirements:

1) Prevent everything from connecting to your wireless network except your own personal devices

2) Hide your wireless network name from appearing in a list of available wireless networks

3) Configure the most secure encryption type with a shared passphrase of "unA2Hy4K"

4) Configure the name of the wireless network to be "SOHO"

Answer: There are a number of configuration changes to make in a SOHO wireless router.

1) Prevent everything from connecting to your wireless network except your own personal devices -
A MAC address filter allows you to restrict access to the network, even if the remote devices have the
proper encryption keys. On this device, you check the box to "Turn Access Control On," and then add the
MAC addresses to the list of allowed devices. You do not need to add the MAC address of the wireless
router.

2) Hide your wireless network name from appearing in a list of available wireless networks - The SSID
broadcast is the mechanism that populates the name of your wireless network into the list of avaialble
networks. To disable this functionality, simply uncheck the "Enable SSID Broadcast" option.

3) Configure the most secure encryption type with a shared passphrase of "unA2Hy4K" - There are few
steps required to properly enable your wireless encryption. The most secure encryption type is WPA2 and
you're using a pre-shared key (PSK), so choose the option for "WPA2-PSK [AES]." The passphrase should
be added to the "Passphrase" option.

4) Configure the name of the wireless network to be "SOHO" - The name of the wireless network can
be defined in the option for "Name (SSID)."

220-902, Objective 3.7 - Securing a SOHO Network

http://professormesser.link/220902030701
PB-8. One of your applications is hung, and it won't close from the Windows graphical interface. What
command would you use to terminate a task with process ID 4084 from the command line?

The answer: The taskkill command is used to terminate processes or applications, and the /pid option
allows you to specific the appropriate process ID.

220-902, Objective 1.3 - Operating System Command Line Tools

http://professormesser.link/220902010301
PB-9. Fill in the flowchart with the appropriate troubleshooting steps:

220-902, Objective 5.5 - How to Troubleshoot

http://professormesser.link/220902050501
PB-10. List the Windows versions that support the following features. Some features may be supported on more
than one version of Windows. Possible answers are Windows Vista, Windows 7, and/or Windows 8.1.

Aero - Windows Vista, Windows 7

Volume Shadow Copy - Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1

Windows Gadgets - Windows Vista, Windows 7

Readyboost - Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1

Windows XP Mode - Windows 7

BitLocker - Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1

220-902, Objective 1.1 - Windows Features

http://professormesser.link/220902010104
PB-11. Put the following malware removal steps in order from start to finish:

Identify malware symptoms

Quarantine infected systems

Disable System Restore

Update anti-virus, scan, and remove malware

Schedule scans and run updates

Enable System Restore

Educate the end-user

220-902, Objective 4.2 - Best Practices for Malware Removal

http://professormesser.link/220902040203
PB-12. Teyla is connecting to a file share across the network. The NTFS and share permissions are listed below.
What would be Teyla's effective permissions when accessing the documents in the share?

The answer: Teyla's permissions when accessing the file share across the network is Read permission.

NTFS permissions apply to both local and network connections, and the share permissions apply only to
connections over the network. When determining the effective permissions, the most restrictive settings will
apply.

Since Teyla's NTFS permissions are set to Read and her Share permissions are set to Change and Read, the
most restrictive setting of Read would apply.

220-902, Objective 3.3 - Windows Security Settings

http://professormesser.link/220902030301
BONUS SECTION: STUDY AND TEST TIPS FOR YOUR COMPTIA EXAM
The process of taking your certification exam should be as comfortable and stress-free as possible. I’ve
compiled my personal set of tips that can help your studying and exam process go smoothly.

BEFORE YOUR EXAM

Download and read the exam objectives

CompTIA creates comprehensive objectives for all of their exams. These exam objectives provide extensive
detail about every section of the exam, and CompTIA has closely referenced this list when creating their exam
questions. If you use this list as your study checklist, you should have no problems with the actual examination.
You can download a copy of the exam objectives from this link:

http://professormesser.com/objectives/

Use as many study materials as possible

This seems obvious, but there are no shortcuts when it comes to surrounding yourself with study materials. If
you rely on a single set of courseware, you might miss some important concepts that are presented differently in
other sources.

You’ll also find that different media provides you with different methods of learning. Vary your studies
between videos, books, Q&A guides, hands-on training, and use as many different resources as you can.

Survey the exam center before you schedule

If you live in a relatively large populated area, you may find that there are a few testing centers that can host
your exam. Unfortunately, not all testing centers are the same, and you may find that one testing center is more
comfortable than another. It’s highly recommended that you stop by the testing center before scheduling your
exam, and most centers will let you have a quick look at their testing facilities. This trip will also make it easier
to find the address of the testing center on your exam day, which removes one more point of stress.

TAKING YOUR EXAM

Get there early

You can avoid any travel stress by planning ahead and arriving early for your exam. Your trip to the testing
center should be focused on your exam material and not on the traffic.

Take notes
When you walk into the exam room, you’ll be given a laminated piece of paper and an erasable marker. Before
the 90-minute clock starts on your exam, you must first read and agree to the CompTIA Candidate Agreement.
You’re allocated a block of time to read through this agreement, which also makes it a good time to write
down some notes before the 90-minute exam clock begins.

Pro tip: For some reason, the test centers feel that the best writing instrument for your exam is an eraseable
marker with a large tip that would be better used for decorating posters. I always bring my own fine-tip erasable
marker and clear it with the testing center before I go into the exam room.
Take the performance-based questions last
When you start your exam, the first questions will be a series of performance-based questions. These are usually
involved questions that cover a number of different topics, so these may not be the best choice when the exam-
adrenalin is still clouding your brain.

Since the CompTIA exams use a linear exam format, you can jump forward or backward to any question in the
exam at any time. If you take the multiple-choice questions first and then jump back to the performance-based
questions afterwards, you’ll find that the first part of the exam may help you remember topics that may be
useful for the performance-based questions.

Read the questions thoroughly

When the clock is ticking down and time is getting short, it can be very easy to miss key elements of a
question or to completely misread a question. Unfortunately, missing one key word in a question can
completely change the interpretation. Always read through the questions very carefully.

I’ve struggled with this problem during my own certification exam experiences. In one instance, I completed the
exam and had enough time to read through every question again. I found at least two questions that I had
completely mis-read, and fortunately I realized my mistake and corrected the answers.

Flag your questions

Each question on the exam can be marked with a flag, which makes it easy to jump back to these previously
bookmarked questions. The question summary page will show your completed questions, any questions without
an answer, and all flagged questions.

My personal strategy is to flag everything that I’m not 100% sure about. Even if I’m 99% sure of my answer,
I’ll still flag the question. After my first pass through the exam, I’ll start my review with the flagged questions
and check all of those responses first. This might be a large number of questions, but that's all part of my
personal strategy (or my lack of preparation).

Use your time wisely

The 220-902 exam is limited to 90 minutes, and you could see a maximum of 90 questions on the exam. This
means that you’ll need to move very deliberately through the questions to complete all of them within the
allotted timeframe. If you get stuck on a particularly difficult question, you might want to flag it and try again
later.

Answer every question

Although CompTIA doesn’t share the specifics of their grading process, we know that you won’t get any points
if you leave a question blank. Even if you aren’t quite sure of an answer, try making an educated guess before
submitting your exam for grading. Don’t leave any blank questions!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James "Professor" Messer is an author, publisher, and founder of Messer Studios, where he creates online
training materials for information technology professionals. His free online video training materials have helped
thousands of people around the world become more knowledgeable in information technology.

Find out more at: http://www.professormesser.com