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CompTIA PBQ practice: real simulations, free

Performance-based questions are where most CompTIA candidates lose points, and where most free practice sites offer nothing. PBQs ask you to do the task: type the command, fix the config, cable the workstation. This site has 62 free PBQs across A+ Core 1, Core 2, and Network+, in six interaction styles modeled on the formats CompTIA describes: simulations, virtual environments, and drag-and-drop.

Open the free PBQ lab

Six PBQ formats you can practice here

Simulated terminal

A working command line with objectives to complete. Type ipconfig /release, renew a DHCP lease, trace a route. Multiple command forms are accepted, and correct commands print realistic output.

Configuration panels

Router and OS settings screens with dropdowns, toggles, and text fields. Some settings start misconfigured, exactly like the exam's simulated interfaces.

Network diagram hotspots

A topology diagram where you click the device that answers the scenario: find the loop, place the firewall, spot the failed switch.

Drag-to-connect cabling

Drag connectors (RJ45, HDMI, USB-C, fiber) onto an illustrated PC rear panel, patch panel, or rack. Distractor connectors included.

Matching

Match terms to definitions or tools to tasks, the classic drag-and-drop PBQ format.

Ordering

Put troubleshooting or procedure steps into the correct sequence.

What a terminal PBQ looks like

A real example from the Core 1 bank. Scenario: a laptop shows a 169.254.x.x address after sleeping through a DHCP outage. The server is healthy again; refresh the client. Three objectives:

# Objective 1: give up the broken lease

C:\Users\tech> ipconfig /release

# Objective 2: request a fresh one

C:\Users\tech> ipconfig /renew

# Objective 3: clear stale name resolution

C:\Users\tech> ipconfig /flushdns

In the simulator you type these yourself, each correct command prints realistic output, and partial credit is scored per objective, the same way CompTIA says PBQs are graded.

Try it yourself, free

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 50 questions plus 3 performance-based items in 90 minutes, scored on the real 900-point scale with the actual 675 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 62 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 50 questions plus 3 performance-based items in 90 minutes, scored on the real 900-point scale with the actual 675 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 62 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 66 questions plus 4 performance-based items in 90 minutes, scored on the real 900-point scale with the actual 700 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 74 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 57 questions plus 8 performance-based items in 90 minutes, scored on the real 1000-point scale with the actual 700 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 61 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 65 questions in 90 minutes, scored on the real 1000-point scale with the actual 700 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 71 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 40 questions plus 5 performance-based items in 45 minutes, scored on the real 1000-point scale with the actual 700 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 62 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 40 questions plus 5 performance-based items in 45 minutes, scored on the real 1000-point scale with the actual 700 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 58 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 60 questions plus 6 performance-based items in 120 minutes, scored on the real 1000-point scale with the actual 825 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 58 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 50 questions plus 6 performance-based items in 100 minutes, scored on the real 1000-point scale with the actual 700 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 82 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 65 questions in 130 minutes, scored on the real 1000-point scale with the actual 720 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 57 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 50 questions plus 3 performance-based items in 90 minutes, scored on the real 900-point scale with the actual 720 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 78 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

How to use this to pass

  1. Start with a timed exam. 60 questions plus 4 performance-based items in 90 minutes, scored on the real 900-point scale with the actual 750 cut line. A cold score tells you which domains need the work.
  2. Drill the weak domains. Short adaptive rounds weight your weakest topics more heavily and explain every answer as you go.
  3. Clear the review queue. Anything you miss comes back on a spaced schedule until you get it right twice, so nothing quietly stays broken.
  4. Watch the linked video for each miss. Every one of the 120 topics links to free training video covering exactly that objective.
  5. Retake until the readiness band clears the cut line. The estimate is a range, not a promise, and it only appears once you have answered enough to mean something.

Common questions

What is a PBQ?

A performance-based question asks you to do a task instead of picking an answer: type commands in a terminal, configure a router, or drag components into place. CompTIA uses them to test hands-on skill.

How many PBQs are on the exam?

CompTIA does not publish an exact count, but most candidates see roughly 3 to 6, usually at the start of the exam. They take longer than multiple choice, so practicing the format matters.

Do PBQs get partial credit?

Yes. CompTIA confirms PBQs may be scored with partial credit. Our simulator grades the same way: complete 3 of 4 objectives and you earn 75% for that question.

Should I do PBQs first or skip them?

Common advice is to flag PBQs and return after finishing multiple choice, so the timer never strands you. Practice both ways here and see which suits you; the simulator has the same flag-and-return controls.

More free practice tests

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