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Free DA0-002 practice test: 30 questions with answers
30 original questions for CompTIA Data+, drawn from every topic area. Answer each one to see whether you got it right and why. No sign-up.
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All 30 DA0-002 questions with answers
The same questions as the test above, grouped by exam topic. Open any question to see the answer and explanation.
Data Analysis (6 questions)
Question 1
A business wants to know whether a new promotion increased average weekly sales compared with the previous period. Which statistical test is most appropriate for comparing two period means?
- AA t-test for comparing means
- BA chi-square test of independence only
- CA cluster analysis
- DA word cloud
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Correct answer: AA t-test compares the means of two groups or periods to assess whether the difference is likely real. Chi-square tests relate to categorical counts, clustering finds groups, and word clouds do not test differences.
Question 2
An analyst reports that a marketing campaign caused a sales increase, but the data only shows that both happened in the same month. What is the main issue?
- AThe campaign was too large for its target audience
- BThe analysis used too many charts for a summary
- CCorrelation is being presented as causation
- DThe sales data is too recent to reveal a trend
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Correct answer: CTwo events occurring together does not prove one caused the other, and confounding factors must be considered. The other options do not describe the inferential error.
Question 3
Which measure best describes the typical value of a skewed set of household incomes that includes a few very large values?
- AMedian
- BMaximum
- CCount of records
- DRange
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Correct answer: AThe median is resistant to extreme values, so it better represents typical income when a few values are very large. The maximum and range are driven by extremes, and the count does not describe the central value.
Question 4
A dataset shows that customers who buy product A often also buy product B. What kind of analysis produced this finding?
- ATime-series forecasting
- BAssociation analysis
- CImage classification
- DSurvey weighting
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Correct answer: BAssociation analysis, such as market basket analysis, finds items that frequently occur together. Forecasting uses time patterns, weighting adjusts surveys, and image classification works on pictures.
Question 5
An analyst must present findings to executives who want the headline answer quickly. Which approach best suits this audience?
- APresent each intermediate calculation first so the audience can verify the method
- BLead with the key finding and supporting evidence in a short summary
- CSend the raw data extract without commentary, annotations, or interpretation
- DShow the full methodology section with data sources, assumptions, and limitations
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Correct answer: BExecutives need the conclusion first, backed by concise evidence. Leading with calculations, raw data, or methods hides the answer the audience needs.
Question 6
A team shows a bar chart comparing average delivery times across five regions, but the axis starts at 9.5 days, making small differences look large. What is the issue?
- AThe chart compares too few regions to show a trend
- BThe chart was saved as a PNG file instead of SVG
- CThe chart uses a truncated axis that exaggerates differences
- DThe chart uses too few colours to distinguish the five regions clearly
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Correct answer: CBar charts should start at zero because bar length encodes value, so a truncated axis misleads the reader. The other issues do not affect how the values are perceived.
Visualization and Reporting (6 questions)
Question 7
A report must show how a metric changed over the last 24 months. Which chart type is most appropriate?
- AA pie chart with 24 slices
- BA line chart
- CA map of the world
- DA table with no trend indicator
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Correct answer: BLine charts show change over continuous time clearly. Pie charts with many slices are hard to read, maps show geography, and tables without trend cues hide the pattern.
Question 8
Before a report is published, what is the most important validation step?
- AReconcile report totals against the source data and have a second person review them
- BRemove the source references and data lineage notes so the layout is cleaner for executives to scan
- CPublish the report immediately to meet the deadline and avoid delaying the executive briefing
- DCheck the report's colour theme, font family, and chart legend placement against the brand guidelines
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Correct answer: AReconciling totals and peer review catch calculation and filter errors before decisions are made. Speed, colours, and removing sources reduce accountability rather than improving accuracy.
Question 9
Which table design choice improves readability for a report that compares many numeric values?
- ACenter the numbers with mixed decimal places
- BRemove the column headers and rely on row shading for context
- CRight-align numbers and use consistent decimal places
- DUse a different font size and italic style for each row group
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Correct answer: CAligned numbers with consistent decimals make comparisons faster and more accurate. Mixed alignment and fonts, and missing headers, make values harder to compare.
Question 10
Which three elements should a clear, accurate chart include? (Choose three.)
- AA descriptive title
- BLabelled axes with units
- CA source or date reference
- DDecorative 3D effects that distort the bars
- ERandom colour choices with no legend
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Correct answer: A, B, CA descriptive title, labelled axes with units, and a source or date make a chart understandable and checkable. Decorative 3D effects distort values, and random colours without a legend confuse readers.
Question 11
An analyst must show the share of total revenue held by each of four product lines. Which chart is most appropriate?
- AA word cloud of product names ranked by frequency
- BA scatter plot of random points with unlabeled x and y axes
- CA map of the company headquarters and offices
- DA stacked bar or a single pie chart with four slices
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Correct answer: DPart-to-whole comparisons suit a pie with few slices or a stacked bar. Scatter plots show relationships between two numeric variables, word clouds show text frequency, and maps show geography.
Question 12
A scatter plot is used to show whether advertising spend and sales are related. What does a strong positive relationship look like?
- APoints cluster tightly at one x-value with no visible spread
- BPoints form a flat horizontal band, showing no upward trend
- CPoints rise together from lower left to upper right
- DPoints are arranged in a near perfect circle with no trend
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Correct answer: CA positive relationship shows points trending upward as the x-value increases. Flat bands indicate no relationship, and a circle or single cluster does not describe a positive trend.
Data Concepts and Environments (6 questions)
Question 13
A retailer stores order records in tables with fixed columns, and the schema is enforced on every row. Which database type does this describe?
- AGraph database
- BRelational database
- CDocument store with no schema
- DKey-value store
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Correct answer: BRelational databases store data in tables with defined columns and enforced schemas. Key-value stores, schema-free document stores, and graph databases use different structures.
Question 14
An analyst receives sensor data as a file where each line is a JSON object with nested fields. Which data structure is this?
- AA binary image
- BSemi-structured data
- CFully unstructured audio
- DFixed-width relational rows
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Correct answer: BJSON records carry their own field labels and nesting without a rigid table schema, which makes them semi-structured. Audio and images are unstructured, and fixed-width rows are structured.
Question 15
A team stores large analytical datasets in a columnar format to speed up queries that read a few columns from many rows. Which file format is most suitable?
- APlain text with no delimiters
- BImage file (PNG)
- CParquet
- DEmail attachment (EML)
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Correct answer: CParquet is a columnar format that lets engines read only the needed columns and compresses well. Plain text, PNG images, and email files are not optimized for analytical column reads.
Question 16
A company wants analysts to query petabytes of historical data with SQL without managing servers. Which cloud environment type is most suitable?
- AA local USB drive
- BA single laptop with a spreadsheet
- CA paper archive
- DManaged cloud data warehouse
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Correct answer: DManaged cloud data warehouses scale storage and compute for SQL analytics without server management. Laptops, spreadsheets, paper, and USB drives cannot handle that volume efficiently.
Question 17
Which statement about a data lake is correct?
- AIt stores raw data in its native format until it is needed for analysis
- BIt cannot store images or logs because it requires structured relational tables
- CIt is one large spreadsheet file that stores each table as a separate worksheet tab
- DIt stores data that has already been cleaned, validated, and modeled for reporting
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Correct answer: AData lakes hold data in native formats, including structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data, and apply structure when the data is read. Warehouses usually hold cleaned, modeled data.
Question 18
A team needs an AI model to classify support tickets by topic. Which AI concept is this?
- ALossy image compression that reduces pixel data sizes
- BNetwork routing of packets between subnets using OSPF
- CSupervised natural language processing for text classification
- DRobotic process automation of recurring spreadsheet formulas
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Correct answer: CAssigning text to categories with labelled examples is supervised NLP classification. Robotic process automation, image compression, and routing are different tasks.
Data Governance (6 questions)
Question 19
A data team must be able to explain where a number in a dashboard came from and how it was transformed. Which concept provides this?
- AData deduplication
- BData encryption
- CData compression
- DData lineage
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Correct answer: DLineage tracks the origin and transformations of data, so the source of each figure can be traced and audited. Encryption protects data, compression reduces size, and deduplication removes repeated records.
Question 20
Customer email addresses must be hidden from analysts who only need aggregate counts. Which technique is most appropriate?
- APrinting the emails on a poster
- BSaving the emails in a public folder
- CSharing the full database with all analysts
- DData masking or role-based access controls
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Correct answer: DMasking and role-based access limit visibility to what each role needs, which protects privacy. Public or unrestricted sharing exposes the personal data.
Question 21
Which two practices support data quality monitoring over time? (Choose two.)
- AProfiling datasets on a schedule and tracking changes
- BDeleting all quality alerts to reduce noise
- CSetting thresholds and automated tests for key fields
- DAssuming quality stays constant after the first load
- EKeeping no record of failed checks
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Correct answer: A, CScheduled profiling and automated threshold tests reveal quality drift early. Removing alerts, assuming constant quality, and discarding failed-check records each hide problems.
Question 22
A company must keep customer transaction records for seven years and then delete them. Which policy element defines this requirement?
- AA chart labeling standard
- BA brand colour palette
- CA data retention policy
- DA dashboard theme file
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Correct answer: CA retention policy specifies how long records are kept and when they must be disposed of. Dashboard themes, chart standards, and palettes do not govern data lifecycle.
Question 23
An auditor asks who changed a critical metric definition last month and why. Which practice would answer this question?
- ASharing the definition in a chat message that is later deleted
- BVersion control and change documentation for the definition
- CDeleting the old definitions
- DKeeping the definition only in a presenter's memory
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Correct answer: BVersion control and change records show who changed what and when, with the rationale. Deleting definitions, relying on memory, or ephemeral messages do not create an auditable history.
Question 24
A team stores data that is protected by regulation. Which control protects data if the storage media were stolen?
- AA larger monitor for reviewers
- BShorter report titles
- CFaster chart rendering
- DEncryption at rest
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Correct answer: DEncryption at rest makes stored data unreadable without the keys, even if the media are stolen. The other options do not protect stored data.
Data Acquisition and Preparation (6 questions)
Question 25
An analyst must combine customer records from a CRM database with web order data pulled from an API. Which step is the most appropriate first step?
- AExport both sources into a printed paper report
- BDelete the API data because it has no matching record in the database
- CChart each source separately and merge the charts
- DIntegrate the sources using a common key such as customer ID
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Correct answer: DJoining on a shared key integrates the two sources into one analyzable dataset. Merging charts or discarding one source does not combine the records.
Question 26
A sales table lists the same order twice because of a repeated data load. Which data quality issue does this represent?
- ADuplicate records
- BOutliers
- CData type mismatch
- DReferential integrity error
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Correct answer: AIdentical records loaded twice are duplicates, which inflate totals and counts. Outliers are unusual values, type mismatches concern field formats, and integrity errors involve broken links between tables.
Question 27
A column of order amounts includes values such as 12,000,000 when most orders are below 500. What should the analyst do first?
- ACalculate the mean of the order amount column immediately, without first checking whether values are unusual or invalid
- BChange the column data type to text so the numeric values are stored as strings before further aggregation or charting
- CRemove each value above 1,000 automatically from the dataset using a fixed threshold, then recalculate the summary statistics
- DVerify whether the value is a data entry error or a genuine outlier before deciding how to treat it
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Correct answer: DAn extreme value may be a mistake or a real event, so verification comes before any treatment. Automatic removal or averaging without checking can distort the analysis.
Question 28
Which two actions help an analyst explore a dataset before analysis? (Choose two.)
- ASummarize each column with counts, ranges, and distinct values
- BLook for missing values and duplicate rows
- CPublish the raw dataset to the public web
- DIgnore data types so the data loads faster
- ERemove all numeric columns
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Correct answer: A, BColumn summaries and checks for missing values and duplicates are standard exploration steps. Publishing raw data, ignoring types, and removing numeric columns are not exploration steps.
Question 29
An analyst must pull last quarter's transactions from a database and only needs three columns. Which technique reduces the data transferred?
- AExport the entire database each time
- BSelect all columns and filter in a spreadsheet
- CDownload the table as a screenshot
- DSelect only the required columns in the query
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Correct answer: DSelecting only needed columns and filtering in the query reduces transfer and processing. Exporting everything and then filtering, or using screenshots, wastes resources.
Question 30
Two datasets must be merged, but a customer appears as 'ACME Corp' in one and 'Acme Corporation' in the other. Which preparation step addresses this?
- AStandardize the names with cleansing and matching rules
- BKeep both names because they are different strings in the two systems
- CConvert the names to numbers without mapping them to a master list
- DDelete one of the datasets to avoid duplicate rows during the merge
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Correct answer: AStandardization and matching rules align variant spellings so the same entity joins correctly. Keeping both values leads to split records, deleting data loses information, and unmapped numbers do not reconcile names.