CompTIA · FC0-U71
CompTIA Tech+ validates foundational IT knowledge and skills for individuals exploring a career in technology, covering core concepts in infrastructure, software, databases, and security. It is an entry-level, lifetime certification designed for those with no prior IT experience.
Practice Questions
599
≈ 6 practice exams
Duration
60 minutes
Passing Score
650/900
Difficulty
FoundationalLast Updated
Apr 2026
Use this FC0-U71 practice exam to prepare for CompTIA Tech+ IT Fundamentals (FC0-U71) with realistic questions, detailed explanations, and focused study modes. The practice bank includes 599 questions for CompTIA FC0-U71, so you can review the exam steadily instead of relying on one long cram session.
As you practice, pay extra attention to recurring topics such as IT Concepts and Terminology, Infrastructure, Applications and Software, Software Development Concepts, and Database Fundamentals. Start with short sessions to identify weak areas, then move into timed quizzes once your accuracy is consistent.
The explanations are especially useful when you want to connect exam wording to the responsibilities and scenarios described in the official certification guidance. Use the free preview first, then unlock the full question bank when you are ready to build a complete study routine.
CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71) is an entry-level, vendor-neutral certification that validates foundational IT knowledge and skills across six core domains: infrastructure, applications and software, software development concepts, data and database fundamentals, security, and tech concepts and terminology. Launched in July 2024 as the successor to CompTIA IT Fundamentals (ITF+), the updated exam incorporates modern topics such as artificial intelligence tools, cloud basics, and contemporary security practices, making it relevant to the current technology landscape. It is the only CompTIA certification designated as a lifetime credential — it does not expire and requires no continuing education for renewal.
The certification is designed for individuals at the very start of their technology journey. It covers computing basics including notational systems (binary, hexadecimal, octal), units of measure for storage and throughput, internal hardware components (CPU, RAM, SSD/NVMe, GPU), networking and wireless fundamentals, virtualization, operating systems, programming concepts, database structures, and security principles such as encryption and password best practices. Rather than testing rote memorization, the exam assesses the ability to apply these foundational concepts in practical contexts.
CompTIA Tech+ is intended for individuals with no prior formal IT experience who are exploring whether a technology career is the right path for them. Ideal candidates include high school and college students considering IT as a profession, career changers transitioning from non-technical fields, and non-IT professionals — such as those in marketing, business operations, or administration — who want to formalize and demonstrate a working understanding of technology used in their day-to-day roles.
The certification is also appropriate as a pre-requisite stepping stone before pursuing more advanced CompTIA credentials such as A+, Network+, or Security+. Individuals who already have hands-on PC experience or a basic technical background would likely benefit more from starting directly with the CompTIA A+ rather than Tech+.
CompTIA officially states that no prior experience is necessary to sit for the FC0-U71 exam, and there are no formal prerequisite certifications required. The exam is explicitly designed as a starting point for individuals with no IT background.
That said, candidates will benefit from basic comfort with everyday technology — such as using a smartphone, laptop, or web browser — before attempting the exam. Familiarity with common software applications and a general curiosity about how computers and networks function will make the study material more approachable. No programming experience or hardware troubleshooting background is expected.
The FC0-U71 exam consists of a maximum of 70 multiple-choice questions and must be completed within 60 minutes. All questions are multiple-choice format; unlike some other CompTIA exams, there are no performance-based or drag-and-drop question types on this version. The exam is available in English and Japanese and can be taken at a Pearson VUE testing center or via online proctoring.
Scoring is on a scale of 100 to 900, with a passing score of 650. Because Tech+ is a lifetime certification, there is no renewal requirement once passed — candidates do not need to retake or earn continuing education units to maintain the credential.
CompTIA Tech+ serves primarily as a career entry point and a stepping stone rather than a standalone professional credential. Holding the certification signals to employers that a candidate has a verified, baseline understanding of IT across hardware, software, networking, security, and data — making them a more competitive applicant for entry-level roles such as IT Support Technician, Help Desk Analyst, Desktop Support Specialist, and IT Assistant. For non-IT professionals, it formalizes digital literacy that is increasingly expected across roles in business operations, marketing, and administration.
According to Skillsoft's IT Skills & Salary Report, CompTIA-certified professionals earn up to 16% more than non-certified peers. While Tech+ itself is typically a prerequisite to further credentials rather than a terminal certification, it provides a clear pathway to the CompTIA A+, which is associated with help desk and support technician salaries in the $50,000–$60,000/year range in the United States. Candidates who continue along the CompTIA certification roadmap — progressing to Network+, Security+, or specialized credentials — can access significantly higher compensation bands exceeding $100,000 annually.
5 sample questions with answers and explanations. The full bank has 599 questions, enough for 6 full-length practice exams.
Preview — answers shown1. A Litware administrator is explaining to junior staff why an organization moved from on-premises servers to a cloud subscription model. The administrator notes that the old approach required large upfront purchases for hardware every three to five years, while the new model requires predictable monthly payments that count as operational expenses. Which financial concepts do these two approaches represent? (Select two!)
Multiple correct answersExplanation
Capital Expenditure (CapEx) refers to large upfront investments in physical assets that provide value over multiple years, such as purchasing servers, networking equipment, or building data centers. These purchases appear on the balance sheet as assets and are depreciated over time. Purchasing on-premises hardware every three to five years is a classic CapEx model. Operational Expenditure (OpEx) refers to ongoing recurring costs required to run the business, such as monthly subscriptions, utility bills, and service contracts. Cloud computing subscriptions are OpEx because they are pay-as-you-go or monthly recurring expenses with no asset ownership. This shift from CapEx to OpEx is a primary financial benefit organizations cite when migrating to cloud, as it improves cash flow predictability and eliminates the risk of large hardware investments becoming obsolete. Monthly payments remain OpEx regardless of what the provider does with the revenue internally.
2. A software developer is debugging a legacy application that stores color codes. The developer encounters the hexadecimal value 0xFF and needs to convert it to decimal for a comparison operation. What is the correct decimal equivalent? (Select one!)
Explanation
The hexadecimal value 0xFF converts to 255 in decimal. In hex, F represents the value 15. Using positional notation: (F × 16^1) + (F × 16^0) = (15 × 16) + (15 × 1) = 240 + 15 = 255. This is also the maximum value of an unsigned 8-bit byte, which ranges from 0 to 255 (representing 256 total values from 0 through 255). The value 256 is the total count of possible values in a byte, not the maximum value itself. 0xFF is commonly encountered in networking for broadcast masks, color codes in web design, and memory address representations.
3. A company is evaluating three employees for a promotion to a role requiring access to the company's most sensitive financial systems. The security team has implemented a system where access decisions are made automatically based on the employee's department attribute, their security clearance level attribute, and the current time of day attribute — combining all three factors to determine if access should be granted. Which access control model does this system implement? (Select one!)
Explanation
Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) is the most flexible access control model, making access decisions by evaluating a combination of attributes associated with the user (department, clearance level), the resource being accessed (classification, type), and environmental conditions (time of day, location, device used). The scenario explicitly describes a system using three different attribute types — user department, security clearance level, and current time of day — evaluated together to produce an access decision. This multi-attribute policy evaluation is the defining characteristic of ABAC. Discretionary Access Control (DAC) allows resource owners to grant or revoke access to their resources at their own discretion based on user identity, not automated policy evaluation of multiple attributes. Mandatory Access Control (MAC) uses security labels and clearance levels set by system policy — while it does use clearance levels (one element in this scenario), MAC does not combine multiple attribute types including environmental factors like time of day. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) assigns permissions to roles rather than individuals, and users gain access by being assigned to roles — while the department functions somewhat like a role, RBAC does not incorporate environmental attributes like time of day into its access decisions.
4. A robotics company is training an AI agent to navigate a warehouse autonomously. The agent receives positive rewards for reaching destinations efficiently and negative penalties for collisions. Which type of machine learning is being used? (Select one!)
Explanation
Reinforcement learning trains agents through interaction with an environment using rewards and penalties. The agent learns optimal behaviors by taking actions, receiving feedback on those actions, and adjusting its strategy to maximize cumulative rewards over time. This trial-and-error approach is ideal for robotics, game AI, and autonomous systems. Supervised learning requires labeled training data consisting of input-output pairs, such as labeled images for classification or historical spam emails with spam/not-spam labels. Unsupervised learning finds hidden patterns in unlabeled data through techniques such as clustering or dimensionality reduction, such as grouping customers by purchasing behavior. Semi-supervised learning combines a small amount of labeled data with large amounts of unlabeled data to improve model performance. The reward/penalty feedback structure described is the defining characteristic of reinforcement learning.
5. A Tailspin Toys developer is building a web application and needs to add interactive elements such as form validation and dynamic content updates without reloading the page. Which technology should she use to accomplish this? (Select one!)
Explanation
JavaScript is the appropriate technology for adding interactivity and dynamic behavior to web pages. It is a scripting language that runs in the browser and can respond to user events, validate form inputs, manipulate page content without reloading, and communicate with servers asynchronously. HTML is a markup language that defines the structure and content of web pages but cannot perform logic, calculations, or respond to events. CSS controls visual presentation such as colors, fonts, and layout but has no programming logic capabilities for dynamic behavior. XML is used for structuring and transporting data between systems and is not a programming language with logic capabilities.
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