CompTIA A+ troubleshooting practice: hardware, network and software

Troubleshooting is the biggest single area of A+: Hardware and Network Troubleshooting is 28% of Core 1 and Software Troubleshooting is 23% of Core 2. Questions give a symptom and ask for the likely cause, the next step, or the first fix to try, and many test CompTIA's six-step troubleshooting method directly. The free drills below are 12 original questions each.

28%
of Core 1: 23%
of Core 2: 6
steps in the method: 2
free drills

Last checked 22 October 2026 · Domain weights from CompTIA

Free troubleshooting drills: 12 original A+-style questions each, at exam pace, then every answer explained. No sign-up.

12
questions
12 min
time limit
Free
every answer explained

By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated 22 October 2026 · How we check facts · How this is scored

What is the CompTIA troubleshooting method?

Six steps in order: identify the problem, establish a theory of probable cause, test the theory, establish a plan of action and implement it, verify full system functionality, and document the findings.

Identify the problem: question the user, find out what changed, back up data before making changes.
Establish a theory of probable cause, questioning the obvious; research if needed.
Test the theory to determine the cause. If it is not confirmed, form a new theory or escalate.
Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution, following company policy.
Verify full system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventive measures.
Document the findings, actions and outcomes.

Questions ask which step comes next, or which step a technician skipped. Documentation always comes last, and testing the theory always comes before fixing anything.

Which hardware symptoms does A+ ask about?

The classic failure signs of each part: beeps and no display, overheating and shutdowns, grinding or clicking drives, swollen batteries, display artifacts, and printer faults such as smears, ghosting and jams.

Symptoms and likely causes (our summary)
Symptom	Likely cause
Beeps at power-on, no display	Memory or video fault; check the beep code
Random shutdowns under load	Overheating or a failing power supply
Clicking or grinding drive	A failing hard drive: back up data now
Swollen laptop or phone battery	Battery failure: stop using it and replace it
Toner smears off the page	The fuser
Faint repeated image on a page (ghosting)	The drum or cleaning step
Display flickers or is very dim	Backlight, inverter or cable
Date and time reset at every boot	The CMOS battery

Which network problems does A+ ask about?

No connectivity, limited connectivity with an APIPA address, intermittent or slow Wi-Fi, an IP conflict, and names that do not resolve.

Network symptoms and the first thing to check (our summary)
Symptom	First check
169.254.x.x address	DHCP: is the server reachable, is the cable connected?
Sites work by IP but not by name	DNS settings and port 53
Intermittent Wi-Fi	Signal strength, interference and channel overlap
"IP address conflict" warning	Two devices with the same static address
Slow transfers on one PC	Duplex or speed mismatch, a bad cable

Which software problems does A+ Core 2 ask about?

Slow performance, blue screens, boot failures, apps that crash or will not install, mobile apps and battery problems, and the security symptoms of malware such as pop-ups and browser redirects.

Software questions reward the least drastic fix that fits. A single crashing app gets updated or reinstalled before the operating system is touched; a slow boot gets its startup apps checked before a reimage; a phone that drains its battery gets its battery usage list checked before a factory reset. Reimaging and factory resets are last resorts.

Learn the Windows recovery tools too: Safe Mode, System Restore, Startup Repair, the Recovery Environment and rolling back a driver or an update.

Which mobile device problems does A+ ask about?

Batteries that drain or swell, devices that overheat, screens that do not respond to touch, apps that crash, and connections (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular) that drop.

Mobile questions follow the same rule as the rest: start with the simplest cause that fits. A phone that drains fast gets its battery usage list checked for a rogue app; a touch screen that misbehaves gets its screen protector and case checked and is restarted; an app that crashes gets updated or reinstalled. A swollen battery is the exception: stop using the device and replace the battery, because it can catch fire.

For a lost or stolen device, the answers involve the management tools: locate it, lock it, and remotely wipe it through the device management system.

What do A+ troubleshooting questions look like?

Three examples follow: a method question, a printer fault and a boot failure. The first is worked in full.

CompTIA A+-style question 1 · Troubleshooting method
A technician has questioned the user and established a theory of probable cause. What is the next step in CompTIA's troubleshooting method?
1. ADocument the findings
2. BTest the theory to determine the cause
3. CImplement the solution
4. DVerify full system functionality
Worked answer
B: Test the theory to determine the cause. The order is: identify the problem, establish a theory, test the theory, establish a plan and implement it, verify full functionality, then document.
1. Step 1, identify the problem: done.
2. Step 2, establish a theory: done.
3. Step 3: test the theory.
The trap: Jumping to the fix. If the test does not confirm the theory, you go back and form a new one.
CompTIA A+-style question 2 · Printer symptoms
Pages from a laser printer come out with toner that smears or rubs off when touched. Which part is most likely failing?
1. AThe fuser
2. BThe pickup roller
3. CThe imaging drum
4. DThe network card
Show the worked answer
A: The fuser. The fuser melts toner onto the paper with heat and pressure. If it is not hot enough, the toner sits on the surface and smears.
1. Toner is on the page, so imaging and transfer worked.
2. It is not bonded, so the bonding step failed.
3. Bonding is the fuser's job.
The trap: Blaming the drum. A drum fault shows as repeating marks or lines, not toner that rubs off.
CompTIA A+-style question 3 · Boot problems
A Windows PC that worked yesterday shows "No boot device found" this morning. A USB flash drive is plugged into it. What should the technician check first?
1. ARemove the USB drive and check the boot order
2. BReplace the hard drive
3. CReinstall Windows
4. DReplace the motherboard battery
Show the worked answer
A: Remove the USB drive and check the boot order. If the firmware tries to boot from a non-bootable USB drive first, it can report no boot device. Removing the drive and checking the boot order is the quickest, least drastic test.
1. Something changed: a USB drive is plugged in.
2. Firmware may be trying to boot from it.
3. Remove it and check the boot order before anything drastic.
The trap: Replacing the drive. Start with the simplest cause that fits the symptom and the recent change.

Troubleshoot like the exam expects

Four drills for each troubleshooting domain and eight full mocks, every answer explained.

The CompTIA A+ Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 36 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The CompTIA A+ Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the A+ Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

8
timed mocks: 36
topic drills: 1
score predictor

How should I study A+ troubleshooting?

Learn the six steps until you can say them in order, then build a symptom-to-cause card for each part and each kind of software problem, and practise with scenario questions.

Troubleshooting questions apply what the other domains teach. If you miss one, the gap is usually in the underlying domain: a printer question points to the laser printing steps on the Core 1 page, an APIPA question to the networking page, a redirect question to the security page.

Frequently asked questions

What are the CompTIA troubleshooting steps?

Identify the problem, establish a theory, test the theory, establish a plan and implement it, verify full functionality, and document.

How much of A+ is troubleshooting?

28% of Core 1 and 23% of Core 2.

What comes after testing the theory?

Establishing a plan of action and implementing the solution. If the theory is not confirmed, you form a new one first.

Should I reimage a PC to fix software problems?

Only as a last resort, after less drastic fixes have failed.

What should I do first with a failing hard drive?

Back up the data. Then replace the drive.

Pick the right fix every time

Four drills per troubleshooting domain, eight full A+-style mocks and every answer explained, in one payment.