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6 free, original PBQs for A+ Core 1 (220-1201), with a network diagram and drag-and-drop. Do each task, check it, and read why the answer is right.
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CompTIA A+ Core 1
You do each task instead of picking an answer. Every question is explained after you check it, and you get a score at the end.
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OpenpassAI’s practice sessions add performance-based questions, with command-line and network topology tasks, to full timed exams, AI explanations and a readiness score.
The questions
Each one with its scenario and task. Try it above first, then open the explanation.
Question 1 · Network diagram · Networking
A three-person office has cable internet. The provider’s line must be turned into Ethernet, one device has to share that single connection with the whole office and give laptops Wi-Fi, and the desktop PC, the network storage and the printer all need wired ports.
Place the right device in each of the three empty places.
The cable modem converts the provider’s signal to Ethernet, so it comes first. The wireless router shares the one public address with the office (NAT), hands out addresses (DHCP) and provides Wi-Fi, which is why the laptop connects to it. The switch adds wired ports for the PC, the storage and the printer. A load balancer and an intrusion detection sensor have no job in a network this size.
Question 2 · Matching · Hardware
You’re setting up a new desk and a small server cupboard, and each connection needs the right cable end.
Match each job to the connector that does it.
RJ45 ends twisted-pair Ethernet cable and RJ11 ends telephone cable, which is why a DSL modem has one of each. LC is the small square fiber connector used in pairs. SATA carries data to internal drives. HDMI carries video and audio to a TV or monitor, and USB-C is the reversible connector that can carry data, video and power. DB9 is the old serial port, and Molex is an internal power connector.
Question 3 · Ordering · Hardware
A laser printer is producing faded pages, and to find the faulty part you need to know what happens at each stage.
Arrange the seven stages from first to last.
The printer first processes the page into an image. The drum is given an even charge, and the laser exposes it, drawing the image by removing charge. Toner sticks to those exposed areas (developing) and is pulled onto the paper (transferring). The fuser melts it into the page with heat and pressure, and the drum is cleaned for the next page. Toner that rubs off points to the fuser; a repeating mark points to the drum.
Question 4 · Sorting · Virtualization and Cloud Computing
A company is moving to the cloud, and the IT lead wants to know how much of each service the company would still manage itself.
Put each service under the cloud model it belongs to.
With infrastructure as a service you rent the raw parts (virtual machines, storage, networks) and manage everything from the operating system up. With platform as a service the provider also runs the operating system and runtime, and you bring code or data. With software as a service you just use a finished application.
Question 5 · Matching · Networking
You’re writing firewall rules for a small office and need the port each service listens on.
Match each service to its default port.
SMTP sends mail on 25 and IMAP reads it on 143, leaving the messages on the server. SMB, used for Windows file sharing, is 445. Remote Desktop is 3389, DHCP uses UDP 67 and 68, and HTTPS is 443. POP3 (110) also reads mail but downloads it, and Telnet (23) is the unencrypted remote shell that SSH replaced.
Question 6 · Matching · Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
Five tickets came in this morning. Before touching anything, you want a first theory for each one.
Match each symptom to the most likely cause.
A clock that resets when power is removed means the CMOS battery can no longer keep the firmware settings. Clicking with a S.M.A.R.T. warning is a hard drive about to fail: back it up first. Shutdowns under load with blocked vents are overheating. Toner that smears was never melted into the paper, which is the fuser’s job. Weak Wi-Fi straight after a screen replacement points to the antenna cables that run through the lid.
CompTIA lists A+ among its certifications with simulation performance-based questions: tasks in an approximation of a real tool, such as a firewall, a network diagram or a terminal window. CompTIA’s page on performance-based questions, read on November 12, 2026.
Guide
CompTIA describes performance-based questions as exam items that test your ability to solve problems in real-world settings. Most are simulations: an approximation of a tool such as a firewall, a network diagram, a terminal window or an operating system.
You don’t pick an answer. You do the task, and there can be more than one correct way to do it.
Try each question cold. Getting it wrong first and then reading why teaches more than reading the answer and nodding along.
A right answer reached by guessing is a wrong answer waiting for exam day. Every question here explains why each part is what it is.
CompTIA says a simulation question can be skipped and returned to later, with your work saved. If one is eating your time, move on, answer the multiple-choice questions and come back.
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Find quick answers or contact our support team.
Yes. CompTIA lists A+ among its certifications with simulation performance-based questions: tasks in an approximation of a real tool, such as a firewall, a network diagram or a terminal window. That is from CompTIA’s page on performance-based questions, read on November 12, 2026.
No. They’re original tasks written to each exam’s published objectives. Using leaked real exam questions breaks every vendor’s exam rules.
CompTIA says a performance-based question can have more than one correct way through it, that its scoring allows for the different approaches, and that partial credit may be given. Here, each question is scored by its parts, so you can see which part you missed.
CompTIA says a simulation question can be skipped and returned to later, and that your work on it is saved when you move on. A virtual-environment question has to be completed when you reach it: a warning screen tells you so first.
No. The questions run in your browser and nothing is saved. Sign up only if you want full practice exams and progress tracking.
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