About the Exam

CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202) is one of the two exams required for the CompTIA A+ certification and is aimed at IT support specialists. It covers operating systems, security, software troubleshooting, and operational procedures, plus basic scripting, cloud technologies, virtualization, and multi-OS deployments. The exam uses multiple-choice and performance-based questions, and passing demonstrates you can support, secure, and troubleshoot end-user systems in a corporate environment.

Exam Topics

  • Operating Systems28%
  • Security28%
  • Software Troubleshooting23%
  • Operational Procedures21%

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Last updated July 23, 2026 at 2:55 PM

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QuestionQ1

Security

A user reports several single sign-on errors to a help desk technician. The user can currently sign in to the company’s application portal but cannot access one specific SaaS-based tool. Which of the following would the technician most likely recommend as the next step?

  • A Reenroll the user's mobile device to be used as an MFA token.
  • B Use a private browsing window to avoid local session conflicts.
  • C Bypass single sign-on by directly authenticating to the application.
  • D Reset the device being used to factory defaults.
Explanation

A private browsing session starts without the normal browser’s active cookies and local session state, making it an appropriate first troubleshooting step when SSO access to one SaaS application may be affected by a conflicting or stale local session. Microsoft Entra guidance similarly recommends signing out and trying a different browser or a new private browser session when an active session may be using the wrong account or tenant.

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QuestionQ2

Security

A user observes that their smartphone’s data usage has risen substantially even while the device is not being used. The phone becomes warm and its battery drains rapidly. Which of the following should the user do to resolve this issue?

  • A Check for malicious applications.
  • B Disable the Wi-Fi and mobile networks.
  • C Reset the device to its factory defaults.
  • D Enable airplane mode temporarily.
Explanation

Malicious applications can run persistently in the background, consuming mobile data and processor resources. That activity can cause unusual data use, device heat, and rapid battery depletion; identifying and removing such applications addresses the underlying cause.

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QuestionQ3

Operational Procedures

A technician is assisting a customer who is experiencing frequent network issues. The customer asks whether other clients have experienced similar issues and how those situations were handled. Which of the following is the best way for the technician to respond?

  • A Share details about other customer issues and how they were resolved.
  • B Dismiss the user's concern and assure them that their issue is unique.
  • C Provide a general explanation of troubleshooting steps without additional details.
  • D Criticize the customer's network provider and recommend a new vendor.
Explanation

Providing a general explanation of the troubleshooting process without disclosing other customers' details keeps the interaction professional and reassuring while protecting the confidentiality of other clients' information. Sharing another customer's specifics breaches confidentiality, dismissing the customer's concern is unprofessional, and criticizing a vendor is outside the technician's role and unprofessional.

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QuestionQ4

Security

A desktop technician is securing a newly installed company workstation. Which of the following actions should the technician perform?

Choose two
  • A Implement a disclaimer on the log-in screen.
  • B Disable the guest account.
  • C Disable the screensaver.
  • D Install remote collaboration tools.
  • E Change the default administrator password.
  • F Enable a virtual assistant.
Explanation

Disabling the Guest account removes a potential anonymous-access path. Changing the default Administrator password prevents use of predictable privileged credentials, reducing the risk that an attacker can obtain administrative access. Microsoft recommends leaving the Guest account disabled because it can provide anonymous access and is a security risk.

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QuestionQ5

Software Troubleshooting

A user has added data to the same spreadsheet over several years. After adding a substantial amount of data, they can no longer open the file. What should a technician do to resolve the problem?

  • A Revert the spreadsheet to the last restore point.
  • B Increase the amount of RAM.
  • C Defragment the storage drive.
  • D Upgrade the network connection speed.
Explanation

A spreadsheet that has grown large enough that the application can no longer load it typically means the workstation lacks sufficient memory to process the file into working memory. Adding RAM gives the application the headroom it needs to open and render the full dataset. Reverting to a restore point would sacrifice the very data the user needs, and defragmenting storage or upgrading network speed has no bearing on an application's ability to load a file into memory.

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