FC0-U71 sample questions — 25 answered and explained

To convert decimal to binary, take the largest place value that fits, subtract it, and repeat with the remainder.

The largest place value in 37 is 32, leaving 5. Five is 4 + 1. So the 32s, 4s and 1s places are set and the others are 0: 100101. The distractors flip a bit or two, drop a zero or shift the pattern one place, so each has to be checked rather than guessed.

1. Find the largest power of two not above 37: 32.
2. Subtract: 37 - 32 = 5, which is 4 + 1.
3. Set the 32s, 4s and 1s places: 100101.

Exam tip: Decimal to binary: subtract the largest place value that fits, then repeat.

Values written in different notational systems can be compared only after converting them to one base, usually decimal.

Convert each to decimal: binary 1100100 = 100, hexadecimal 63 = 99, octal 145 = 101 and decimal 99 = 99. Octal 145 is the largest. The digits alone mislead: 1100100 looks biggest and 63 looks smallest, but the base sets each digit's worth.

1. Convert binary 1100100: 64 + 32 + 4 = 100.
2. Convert hexadecimal 63: 6 x 16 + 3 = 99.
3. Convert octal 145: 64 + 32 + 5 = 101.
4. Compare the decimal results: 101 is the largest.

Exam tip: Never compare numbers in different bases by their digits; convert them to one base first.

Hexadecimal (base 16) uses the digits 0-9 and A-F; it is the standard way to write MAC addresses, color codes and memory addresses.

The presence of the letters A to F identifies hexadecimal: no other common notational system uses them. Each pair of hexadecimal digits represents one byte, so the six pairs form a 48-bit hardware address.

1. Look at which symbols appear: 0-9 and A-F.
2. Only base 16 uses letters as digits.
3. Recognise the format of a MAC address, written in hexadecimal pairs.

Exam tip: Letters A-F in a number mean hexadecimal.

The motherboard, or system board, is the main circuit board that connects every internal component.

The CPU sits in a socket, RAM sits in memory slots and expansion cards sit in expansion slots, and all of these are on the motherboard, whose circuits carry data between them. The power supply delivers power but not data, the case only houses and protects the parts, and a NIC is a single-purpose component that plugs into the board itself.

1. Note that the question asks what the other components plug into.
2. Recall where the CPU socket, memory slots and expansion slots are located.
3. Separate the board that connects everything from the parts that connect to it.
4. Choose the motherboard.

Exam tip: Everything inside the computer connects through the motherboard (system board).

BIOS/UEFI firmware starts the computer: it tests and initialises the hardware, then loads the operating system from a boot device.

At power-on nothing is loaded yet except the firmware stored on the motherboard. BIOS (or its modern replacement, UEFI) runs the power-on self-test, initialises hardware and follows the boot order to find the operating system. The operating system, its device drivers and any hypervisor all start after the firmware has done this.

1. Note the timing: the very first code at power-on.
2. Recall what is stored on the motherboard and available before any disk is read: firmware.
3. Check that the other options all need the firmware to start them.
4. Choose BIOS/UEFI.

Exam tip: First at power-on: BIOS/UEFI firmware tests hardware and finds the boot device.

The CPU executes program instructions; RAM holds them while they run; the GPU handles graphics.

Running a program means executing its instructions and calculations, which is the CPU's job. The GPU is the near-twin, a processor specialised for graphics and parallel workloads. RAM is where instructions wait to be executed, not where they run, and the chipset only routes data between components.

1. Note the task: executing instructions and general calculations.
2. Separate processors (CPU, GPU) from memory (RAM) and the chipset, which routes data between components.
3. Between the two processors, the general-purpose one is the CPU.
4. Choose the CPU.

Exam tip: CPU = general processing; GPU = graphics and parallel processing; RAM = working memory.

Volatile memory (RAM) loses its contents without power; non-volatile storage (SSD, hard drive, ROM) keeps it.

Work that has not been saved exists only in the computer's working memory, RAM. RAM is volatile, so a power cut erases it. Saving copies the work to a non-volatile storage drive such as an SSD or hard drive, which keeps data without power; ROM is non-volatile too and holds firmware, not documents.

1. Notice the work was never saved.
2. Recall where open, unsaved data lives: RAM.
3. Recall which storage is volatile: RAM loses data without power; SSD, hard drive and ROM do not.
4. Choose RAM.

Exam tip: Unsaved work lives in RAM, and RAM is volatile: no power, no data.

Hard disk drives are magnetic storage with moving parts; SSDs (including NVMe) are flash storage with none; optical drives use a laser.

Spinning magnetic platters and a moving head are the defining parts of a hard disk drive. An optical drive is the tempting distractor because its disc also spins, but it uses a laser on optical media. SSDs and NVMe drives store data in flash memory with no moving parts at all.

1. Pick out the technology: magnetic recording on spinning platters.
2. Separate flash storage (SSD, NVMe) from spinning media (HDD, optical).
3. Between the spinning media, magnetic platters belong to the HDD; a laser belongs to the optical drive.
4. Choose the HDD.

Exam tip: Magnetic + spinning platters = HDD; laser + disc = optical; flash chips = SSD/NVMe.

External flash drives are portable, rewritable local storage that work on any computer with a USB port, with no network needed.

With no network on the classroom computers, the storage has to travel with the teacher. Cloud storage and network-attached storage are both reached over a network, so they fail the stated constraint. An optical disc is portable but needs a disc drive and is awkward to update; a flash drive is pocket-sized, holds large files and plugs into any USB port.

1. Find the constraint: no network on the classroom computers.
2. Remove network-based storage (cloud, NAS).
3. Compare the two removable options on portability and convenience.
4. Choose the external flash drive.

Exam tip: No network and must fit in a pocket: use removable local storage, usually a USB flash drive.

Permissions decide what a user may do with a file or folder: read, write, modify, execute or full control.

Students must only open the files. Read permission allows viewing without changes. Write and Modify let users change content (Modify also deletes), and Full control adds changing permissions, so all three break the requirement.

1. Note what students may do: open files only.
2. Rank the permissions from least to most access.
3. Choose the least permission that allows opening: Read.

Exam tip: Give the least permission that does the job: open-only means Read.

Operating systems restrict some characters and names in file names.

Windows reserves the characters \ / : * ? " < > | because they have special meanings in paths and commands, so they cannot appear in a file name. Spaces, digits and periods are all allowed, so the colon is the cause.

1. Look at each special character in the name.
2. Recall the characters Windows reserves: \ / : * ? " < > |.
3. Choose the colon.

Exam tip: Windows file names cannot contain \ / : * ? " < > or |.

File attributes are flags stored with a file that change how the OS treats it.

Read-only lets a file be opened but blocks saving changes over it, which matches 'openable but protected from accidental changes'. Hidden affects visibility, archive tracks backup status and compressed saves disk space.

1. Note the needs: file still opens, changes are blocked.
2. Recall what each attribute controls: edits, visibility, backup status, disk space.
3. Choose read-only.

Exam tip: Read-only stops edits; hidden only stops the file from being seen.

Services are background programs managed by the operating system.

A background program with no window that the OS starts before anyone signs in, doing a general job such as checking for updates, is an OS service (other examples: the print spooler or a backup agent). Drivers also load at startup, but their job is talking to hardware. Utilities are maintenance tools a user opens, and shortcuts only point to other items.

1. Note the clues: background, no window, starts before sign-in.
2. Note the job: checking for software updates, not controlling hardware.
3. Choose a service.

Exam tip: Background + no window + runs without anyone signed in = a service.

A driver translates between the operating system and a specific piece of hardware.

The OS uses drivers to control hardware. A new printer that the OS has no built-in driver for cannot be used until the manufacturer's driver is installed. The print spooler service queues jobs but needs the driver; printer firmware runs on the printer itself.

1. Note the symptom: new hardware cannot be used until extra software is installed.
2. Recall which software lets the OS talk to a specific device.
3. Choose the device driver.

Exam tip: New hardware the OS cannot use usually needs its driver.

The char data type stores a single character; a string stores a sequence of characters.

The grade is always exactly one character, which is the definition of a char. A string would also work but is meant for text of any length, so char is the best fit. Boolean and float cannot hold letters at all.

1. Notice the value is one letter.
2. Recall that char stores exactly one character.
3. Prefer char over string for a single character.
4. Rule out Boolean and float.

Exam tip: One character = char; several characters = string.

A string is a sequence of characters, used for text such as names, addresses and messages.

A full name is many characters, including a space, so it needs a string. A char would hold only a single character, and integer and Boolean types cannot store text.

1. Notice the value is text of several characters.
2. Recall that a string holds a sequence of characters.
3. Rule out char, which holds only one character.
4. Choose string.

Exam tip: Text of any length, such as a name, is a string.

An integer is a whole number with no fractional part, used for counts and other values that cannot be split.

Visitors are counted in whole numbers; there is never half a visitor. An integer stores whole numbers and supports arithmetic, so it is the best choice. A float would allow meaningless decimals, a string is text, and a Boolean is only true or false.

1. Notice that a count is always a whole number.
2. Recall that integers hold whole numbers.
3. Rule out float, which is for fractional values.
4. Choose integer.

Exam tip: Counting whole things = integer.

Data capture and collection is gathering data at its source, manually or automatically (scanners, sensors, forms, web activity).

The scanners gather data the moment items arrive, which is data capture. Reporting, correlation and monetization all use data after it has been captured.

1. Notice that the scanners are gathering new data.
2. Ask which option happens first in the data's life.
3. Choose data capture.

Exam tip: Gathering data at the source (scans, forms, sensors) is data capture.

Data correlation is finding a relationship between two or more sets of data, such as two values that rise and fall together.

The store linked two sets of purchases that tend to occur together. That relationship is a correlation. Persistence and availability are database properties, and capture is collecting the purchases.

1. Identify what was discovered: two things that happen together.
2. Match it to the term for a relationship between data sets.
3. Rule out the storage and collection terms.

Exam tip: Two data sets moving together = correlation (which still is not proof that one causes the other).

A flat file (spreadsheet, text or CSV file) suits one user and simple lists; a database adds multiple concurrent users, relationships, speed and scale.

The deciding need is several volunteers updating records at the same time. Flat files, however large and wherever they are stored, are not built for safe simultaneous updates; a database manages concurrent access so changes do not overwrite each other.

1. Identify the requirement: many people updating at once.
2. Recognize the spreadsheet and text file as flat files, and the cloud folder as just a new place for the same file.
3. Choose the option built for multiple concurrent users.

Exam tip: Many simultaneous users or a growing data set: move from a flat file to a database.

AAA: authentication proves who you are, authorization decides what you can do, accounting records what you did.

The employee is already signed in, so identity is settled. Allowing one folder and blocking another is a decision about permissions — authorization.

1. Note that sign-in (authentication) is already complete.
2. The control decides which resources the user can open.
3. Deciding access rights is authorization.

Exam tip: Who are you? authentication. What may you do? authorization. What did you do? accounting.

Non-repudiation is proof of who performed an action, so the person cannot later deny it; digital signatures are the classic example.

The question is whether the manager can deny the approval. A digital signature binds the approval to the manager, which is non-repudiation. Integrity is a tempting near-twin because signatures also detect changes, but that settles a different question.

1. Identify the dispute: the manager denies performing the action.
2. Proof that someone performed an action is non-repudiation.
3. Integrity (unchanged data) and authorization (allowed to act) answer different questions.

Exam tip: Can't deny you did it = non-repudiation.

Authentication factors: something you know, something you have, something you are. Multifactor combines two or more different types.

The password is something you know and the phone receiving the code is something you have. Two different factor types make it multifactor.

1. List the proofs: a password and a code sent to a phone.
2. Classify them: know and have.
3. Two different factor types = multifactor.

Exam tip: Two different kinds of proof (know + have) = multifactor.

Multifactor means different factor types, not just more prompts.

A password and a security question answer are both knowledge. Because only one factor type is used, the sign-in is single-factor, even though it has two steps.

1. Classify each proof: password = know; security answer = know.
2. Count the distinct factor types: one.
3. One factor type is single-factor, however many prompts there are.

Exam tip: Two things you know is still one factor.

Single sign-on (SSO): one authentication grants access to multiple trusted applications.

One sign-in that carries over to several apps is single sign-on. Password managers and autofill only fill in separate sign-ins for you, and multifactor is about the number of factor types.

1. Note the pattern: one sign-in, many apps.
2. Rule out tools that fill in separate credentials per site.
3. One sign-in shared across apps is SSO.

Exam tip: Sign in once, use many apps = single sign-on.