Out PC Pro Certification Exam A.3 Exam V2| 2026/ 2027 Update –Verified Questions and Answers | A+ Graded Study Material (100% correct)

1 Out PC Pro Certification Exam A.3 Exam V2| 2026/ 2027 Update –Verified Questions and Answers | A+ Graded Study Material (100% correct) Out PC Pro Certification Exam A.3 Exam 2026 / 2027 Academic Year Q: You are a sales representative for a large pharmaceutical company. You often want to share information from your laptop quickly with customers during onsite visits. Which of the following storage media would BEST allow you to quickly and inexpensively share your files with the customers? Answer HDD drive Flash drive SDHC memory card SSD drive Flash drive 2 Explanation A flash drive (sometimes called a thumb drive) uses flash memory to permanently store data on flash memory chips. You can plug a flash drive into the appropriate port (such as a USB port) on a PC and have it function as a standard hard drive. In this scenario, you would simply plug it externally into your laptop, copy the files, and then leave it with the customer to copy to their own device. While an SSD drive can act as an external drive, an SDD drive is much more expensive than a flash drive and would not be practical to leave with the customer. While you normally install an HDD drive on a PC, an HDD drive can be housed for external access as well. However, it would be a very expensive solution compared to simply leaving a flash drive with the customer. While an SDHC memory card might be a solution, it would only work if the customer had a PC with a memory card reader. The flash drive uses a USB connector, which is a much more universal method of connecting to a PC or other portable computing device. 3 Q: Which storage device uses aluminum platters for storing data? Answer Hard disk CD-ROM disc DLT tape SD card DVD disc Hard disk Explanation Hard disks use magnetic disks and platters. Optical drives, such as DVD or CD-ROM drives, use a reflective surface that is read by an optical reader. 4 Flash devices, such as SD cards, store information using programmable non-volatile flash memory. DLT drives use magnetic tape. Q: Which of the following is a magnetic storage device? Answer DVD Hard disk Flash device Solid-state drive Hard disk Explanation A hard disk is a thick, magnetic disk encased in a protective shell. 5 Optical discs, such as CDs and DVDs, use lasers for both reading and writing information. Flash devices store information using programmable non-volatile flash memory. Solid-state drives are flash devices with a storage capacity similar to a small hard drive. Q: You need a storage device that has a very large storage capacity, is fast, and is relatively inexpensive. Which storage device would BEST suit your needs? Answer Optical Hard disk SSD USB flash drive Hard disk Explanation 6 A hard disk has a large memory capacity, is fast, and is relatively inexpensive. USB flash drives do not provide as large a storage capacity as hard disks. Optical disks are inexpensive, but they are not as fast and do not provide the storage capacity of hard disks. Solid-state drives (SSDs) have a large memory capacity and are fast, but they are much more expensive than comparable hard drives. Q: You have just purchased an Ultrabook with an SSD expansion card that provides SATA 3.0, PCI Express 3.0, and USB 3.0 ports. Which type of expansion slot standard is your Ultrabook using? Answer M.2 HDD mSATA NVMe 7 M.2 Explanation Formerly known as Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), the M.2 format is technically a replacement for the mSATA standard and is meant for internally mounted expansion cards. M.2 can provide support for SATA 3.0, PCI Express 3.0, and USB 3.0 ports. M.2 replaces the mSATA standard and so it uses the PCI Express Mini Card. NVM Express, or NVMe, is a memory device used in PCs. It is sometimes called Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface Specification, or NVMHCIS. It's made for accessing non volatile storage media through a PCI Express bus. HDD is a hard disk drive and is not an expansion card technology. A sales person requires that a large number of document, data, presentation, image, and video files be accessible on their personal mobile device when making sales pitches to new customers. A cloud solution is not feasible since cellular and internet connections are not always guaranteed at a customer site. 8 Q: Which of the following accessories would a technician suggest to BEST meet the sales person's requirements? Answer Docking station Wireless hotspot Credit card reader Micro SD card Micro SD card Explanation A micro SD card adds storage to a mobile device. Data files on the micro SD card will be available even without cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity. The card can be moved to other devices to update the files. A docking station might be beneficial if a storage device were attached. However, the docking station would be clumsy to work with and is not the BEST solution. A wireless hotspot would not be possible if there is no cellular connectivity. 9 A credit card reader would be helpful for collecting payments when a sale is made, but a credit card reader does not store data files. Which method does an SD card use to store data? Answer Magnetic disks and platters Magnetic tape Non-volatile memory chips Reflective surface and optical readers Non-volatile memory chips Explanation Flash devices store information using programmable non-volatile flash memory. Common flash devices are eMMC, SD, SSD, MiniSD, MicroSD, memory sticks, and USB thumb drives. DLT drives use magnetic tape. 10 Hard disks use magnetic disks and platters. Optical drives use a reflective surface and optical readers. As the director of procurement for your company's Sales department, you are working with the IT manager and CIO to determine the technical requirements for purchasing new laptops for your sales representatives. The sales representatives often store a significant number of multimedia files (such as videos) on their laptops, which they use for customer education and demonstration purposes. They also want to boot their Windows operating system quickly. What would be the BEST price-performance purchasing decision when it comes to providing storage media for the new laptops for the sales representatives (based on their requests)? Answer An HDD for the operating system with an external SSD for the multimedia files. An SSD for the operating system and an HDD for storing multimedia files. An SSD for both the operating system and the multimedia files. 11 An HDD for both the operating system and multimedia files. An SSD for the operating system and an HDD for storing multimedia files. Explanation The best price-performance decision would be to include both an internal SSD and HDD in the new laptops. The SSD would ensure that the operating system boots quickly, while it would be relatively inexpensive to include a large capacity HDD for multimedia file storage. While an SSD could store both the operating system and multimedia files, it would be a much more expensive solution than storing the multimedia files on an HDD. Using an HDD for the operating system would make booting the computer much slower than using an SSD for the same purpose. Using an external SSD for the multimedia files would be much more expensive than using an internal HDD. In addition, the SSD could become lost and compromise any sensitive company data stored on it. You are in the process of purchasing several new Windows-based computers to replace broken or outdated computers. You have heard that solid-state drives (SSDs) can significantly increase systems' overall performance. 12 Which of the following BEST describe the features of solid-state drives (SSDs) compared to hard disk drives (HDDs)? (Select two.) Answer An SSD cheaply stores a large amount of data. SSD spindles move at a faster rate than those of an HDD. An SSD uses flash technology to store data. An SSD can be adversely affected by magnetism. An SSD opens files faster than an HDD. An SSD uses flash technology to store data. An SSD opens files faster than an HDD. Explanation A solid-state drive is a flash device with a storage capacity similar to that of a small hard drive. Solid-state drives are used as replacements for hard disk drives and store operating systems, application, and data files. Solid-state drives have several advantages. They: 13 Are faster than hard drives. Have no moving parts. Have lower power consumption than hard drives (which is good for laptops). Are less susceptible to physical damage and are immune to magnetic field damage. Are smaller and lighter than hard drives. The main disadvantage to solid-state drives is cost. They are several times more expensive than comparable hard drives. However, their advantages make them a good choice in many situations, especially for portable devices. Match each storage device type on the left with its description and benefits on the right. Drag Hard disk drive (HDD) Solid-state drive (SSD) Optical disc 14 Drop A thick magnetic disk made of aluminum platters. Uses read/write heads to access data stored on the platters. A flash device with storage capacity similar to that of a small hard drive. A disk that uses lasers to read and write information stored in the form of pits on its reflective coating. A device that provides up to several terabytes of storage capacity and whose cost per megabyte is very low. A device that is faster than other comparable devices. It has no moving parts and lasts longer than other storage devices. A disk that is ideal for music and video. It is portable and cheap with a long shelf life. A thick magnetic disk made of aluminum platters. Uses read/write heads to access data stored on the platters. Hard disk drive (HDD) A flash device with storage capacity similar to that of a small hard drive. Solid-state drive (SSD) 15 A disk that uses lasers to read and write information stored in the form of pits on its reflective coating. Optical disc A device that provides up to several terabytes of storage capacity and whose cost per megabyte is very low. Hard disk drive (HDD) A device that is faster than other comparable devices. It has no moving parts and lasts longer than other storage devices. Solid-state drive (SSD) A disk that is ideal for music and video. It is portable and cheap with a long shelf life. Optical disc Explanation Hard disk drives (HDDs) are thick magnetic disks made of aluminum platters. They use read/write heads to access data stored on the platters. They provide up to several terabytes of storage capacity, and their cost per megabyte is very low. A solid-state drive (SSD) is a flash device with storage capacity similar to that of a small hard drive. They are faster than other comparable devices. They also have no moving parts and last longer than other storage devices. Optical discs use lasers to read and write information that is stored in the form of pits on their reflective coating. Optical disks are ideal for storing and playing music and videos. These disks are also portable and cheap and have a long shelf life. 16 Match each cloud computing definition on the left with the appropriate characteristic on the right. Each characteristic may be used once, more than once, or not at all. Drag Public cloud Private cloud Community cloud Hybrid cloud Drop Provides resources to a single organization. Combines public, private, and community cloud resources from different service providers. Designed to be shared by several organizations. Provides computing resources that are accessible to the general public. Keeps an organization's data separate and secure from any other organization using the same service provider. 17 select an item from the drag region to drop here Keyboard Instructions Provides resources to a single organization. Private cloud Combines public, private, and community cloud resources from different service providers. Hybrid cloud Designed to be shared by several organizations. Community cloud Provides computing resources that are accessible to the general public. Public cloud Keeps an organization's data separate and secure from any other organization using the same service provider. Private cloud Explanation In a public cloud, computing resources such as platforms, applications, and storage are made available to the general public by a cloud service provider. A private cloud provides resources to a single organization. The cloud service provider ensures that the organization's data is kept separate and secure from any other organization using the same service provider. 18 A community cloud is designed to be shared by several organizations. A hybrid cloud combines public, private, and community cloud resources from different service providers. Which of the following BEST describes a community cloud implementation? Answer Designed to be a combination of public and private cloud resources. Designed to be shared by several organizations. Designed to be accessed by the general public. Designed to be used by a single organization. Designed to be shared by several organizations. Explanation A community cloud is designed to be shared by several organizations. Access is granted only to the users within the organizations who are sharing the community cloud infrastructure. A public cloud can be accessed by anyone. Cloud-based computing resources such as platforms, applications, and storage are made available to the general public through a cloud service 19 provider. A private cloud provides resources to a single organization. Access is granted to only the users within the organization. A hybrid cloud is a combination of public, private, and community cloud resources from different service providers. Your company currently has an on-premises cloud solution that provides services to its employees. However, the company would like to begin offering some services to the public from the cloud. Which of the following cloud computing solutions would BEST meet your company's new cloud computing requirements? Answer Hybrid cloud Private cloud Community cloud Public cloud 20 Hybrid cloud Explanation The best solution would be to implement a hybrid cloud model, which would accommodate the private on-premises cloud solution and also allow public access to company services. A public cloud solution is designed to be accessed by anyone. This cloud service solution would not address the need for a private on-premises cloud solution. A private cloud solution is designed to be accessed by a single organization and only to users within that organization. It would not allow the general public to access a set of company services from the cloud. A community cloud is designed to be shared by several organizations. However, your on premises cloud solution is designed for all employees. In addition, a community cloud would not allow access to services for the general public. You were recently hired by a small startup company. The company is in a small office and has several remote employees. You have been asked to find a business service that would accommodate the company's current size but would also be able to scale as the company grows. The service needs to provide adequate 21 storage as well as additional computing power. Which cloud service model would BEST fit these requirements? Answer PaaS DaaS IaaS SaaS IaaS Explanation Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) delivers infrastructure to the client, such as processing, storage, networks, and virtualized environments. The client deploys and runs software without purchasing servers, data center space, or network equipment. Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers software applications to the client either over the internet or on a local area network. Platform as a Service (PaaS) delivers everything a developer needs to build an application on the 22 existing cloud infrastructure. The deployment comes without the cost and complexity of buying and managing the underlying hardware and software layers. Data as a Service (DaaS) stores and provides data from a centralized location without the need for local collection and storage. Which of the following BEST describes the Platform as a Service (PaaS) cloud computing service model? Answer PaaS stores and provides data from a centralized location without the need for local collection and storage. PaaS delivers everything a developer needs to build an application on the existing cloud infrastructure. PaaS delivers infrastructure to the client, such as processing, storage, networks, and virtualized environments. PaaS delivers software applications to the client either over the internet or on a local area network. PaaS delivers everything a developer needs to build an application on the existing cloud 23 infrastructure. Explanation Platform as a Service (PaaS) delivers everything a developer needs to build an application on the existing cloud infrastructure. The deployment comes without the cost and complexity of buying and managing the underlying hardware and software layers. Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers software applications to the client either over the internet or on a local area network. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) delivers infrastructure to the client, such as processing, storage, networks, and virtualized environments. The client deploys and runs software without purchasing servers, data center space, or network equipment. Data as a Service (DaaS) stores and provides data from a centralized location without the need for local collection and storage. What does the term cloud mean when referring to cloud computing? Answer It is the name of an operating system that anyone can use to design, build, and provide cloud services. 24 It refers to the virtual hardware that cloud computing is built on. It is a metaphor for a data storage service with an ever-growing capacity, like storm clouds. It is a metaphor for the internet based on the basic cloud drawing used to represent a telephone network. It is a metaphor for the internet based on the basic cloud drawing used to represent a telephone network. Explanation The term cloud is a metaphor for the internet based on the basic cloud drawing used to represent a telephone network. It is now used to describe the internet infrastructure in computer network diagrams. Virtual environments are part of the Infrastructure as a Server (IaaS) cloud model. Data storage is provided as part of some cloud service models (such as SaaS or PaaS), but it is not a metaphor for cloud computing. Cloud is not the name of an operating system used to provide cloud services. 25 A company has subscribed to a cloud service that offers cloud applications and storage space. Through acquisition, the number of company employees quickly doubled. The cloud service vendor was able to add cloud services for these additional employees without requiring hardware changes. Which of the following cloud concepts does this represent? Answer On-demand Rapid elasticity Measured service Resource pooling Rapid elasticity Explanation Rapid elasticity describes a cloud provider's ability to increase or decrease service levels to meet customers' needs without requiring hardware changes. Measured service refers to the way cloud services are measured or metered for billing purposes or according to a service-level agreement. 26 An on-demand cloud service is available to users at any time. Cloud service providers use resource pooling to supply services to multiple customers through shared physical resources. Which of the following cloud computing solutions delivers software applications to a client either over the internet or on a local area network? Answer SaaS IaaS PaaS DaaS SaaS Explanation Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers software applications to a client either over the internet or 27 on a local area network. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) delivers infrastructure to a client, such as processing, storage, networks, and virtualized environments. The client deploys and runs software without purchasing servers, data center space, or network equipment. Platform as a Service (PaaS) delivers everything a developer needs to build an application on the existing cloud infrastructure. The deployment comes without the cost and complexity of buying and managing the underlying hardware and software layers. Data as a Service (DaaS) stores and provides data from a centralized location without the need for local collection and storage. Listen to exam instructions Your company cloud service currently provides data storage, processing, and network connectivity that hosts several services and applications used by your employees. You want to transition to a cloud service that provides many of these services and applications natively without the IT department needing to constantly maintain and update the services and applications. In addition, the IT department wants to make sure that the cloud service provides employees with resources that are segregated from other employees. Which of the following cloud service solutions meets these requirements? 28 Answer PaaS with a fine-grain multi-tenancy implementation. SaaS with a fine-grain multi-tenancy implementation. SaaS with a simple multi-tenancy implementation. PaaS with a simple multi-tenancy implementation. SaaS with a simple multi-tenancy implementation. Explanation Software as a Service (SaaS) would deliver software applications and services to the employees either over the internet or on a local area network. In addition, providing a simple multi-tenancy implementation would allow employees to have their own resources segregated from other employees. In a fine-grain multi-tenancy solution, resources are shared. Platform as a Service (PaaS) is designed to deliver everything a developer needs to build an application. PaaS is not designed to deliver applications to end users. In addition, multi-tenancy is part of the SaaS model, not the PaaS model. Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure are some of the most widely used 29 cloud storage solutions for enterprises. Which of the following factors prompt companies to take advantage of cloud storage? (Select two.) Answer Need to bring costs down Need for a storage provider to manage access control Need for software to manage enterprise applications Growing demand for storage Need for a platform to develop applications Need to bring costs down Growing demand for storage Explanation Some of the most widely used cloud storage solutions for enterprises are Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure. Because of the growing demand for storage and the desire to bring costs down, many companies take advantage of cloud storage. The need for a storage provider to manage access control is not a deciding factor in taking 30 advantage of cloud services. Most companies want to manage access control to their own data. Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) are cloud service models that companies decide to use once they are prompted to take advantage of cloud storage. They do so in order to develop and manage enterprise applications. Use a multimeter to test the power supply. You are an IT technician for your company. One of the employees has a computer that continually reboots when it's powered on. He has asked you to fix it. You suspect that the power supply may be failing. Which of the following is the BEST initial step to determine whether the power supply is causing the reboots? Answer Replace the power supply. Use a multimeter to test the power supply. Verify that the fan on the power supply is spinning. Listen for POST code beeps to determine the error's cause. 31 Extension magnet You are removing screws within a computer, but several have fallen into places you can't reach. Which tool would help retrieve the small screws? Answer Combination ratchet/screwdriver Extension magnet Network tap Punch down tool Punch down tool Listen to exam instructions Which tool would be the BEST choice for securing cable wiring to a patch panel? Answer Combination ratchet/screwdriver Punch down tool 32 Network tap Extension magnet Use a known good spare to swap with the existing power supply. You work in the computer repair department of a large retail outlet. A customer comes in with a workstation that randomly shuts down. You suspect that the power supply is failing. What should you do first to troubleshoot the issue? Answer Use a multimeter to test the power supply's electrical properties. Use a power supply tester on the power supply. Use a cable tester to check the power supply's connections. Use a known good spare to swap with the existing power supply. Loopback plug 33 A printer is behaving erratically; you suspect a faulty parallel port. Which tool can you use to test the parallel port? Answer Loopback plug Multimeter Cable tester Ammeter DC volts You suspect that the power supply in your desktop PC is failing. You want to use a multimeter to test the power supply. Which multimeter setting should you use? Answer Watts AC volts Ohms 34 DC volts Known good spares A technician is troubleshooting a computer that doesn't start up correctly. Which of the following could the technician use to troubleshoot the computer? Answer Tone generator and probe 3-prong parts retriever Known good spares Loopback plug Tone generator and probe A maintenance worker accidently nicks a bundle of network cables routed to multiple wall jacks in a conference room. Only one of the cable's wires are severed. A technician is tasked with replacing the cable. 35 Which of the following tools would the technician MOST likely use to identify which wall jack connects to the severed cable? Answer Loopback plug Multimeter Cable stripper Tone generator and probe Tone generator You need to trace the route that a Cat 6 UTP cable takes through the ceiling and walls of your building. Which tool should you use? Answer Loopback plug Tone generator 36 Cable tester Multimeter Loopback plug Your workstation is unable to communicate with any other computer on the network. Which of the following tools should you use to test the network card's abilities to send and receive signals? Answer Cable tester Loopback plug ping command Multimeter