ACMT macOS Troubleshooting 2

Question 1

What does running 'First Aid' in Disk Utility do?

Accepted Answer

Verifies and repairs the disk's file system structure

Answer

First Aid in Disk Utility verifies the file system structure and repairs directory issues on HFS+ and APFS volumes without erasing user data.

Question 2

A Mac shows a flashing question mark folder at startup. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

The startup disk cannot be found or is not set

Answer

A flashing question mark folder means the Mac cannot find a valid startup disk, either because the SSD has failed, macOS is missing, or the startup disk setting is incorrect.

Question 3

Which macOS utility allows a technician to create a bootable macOS installer on a USB drive?

Accepted Answer

createinstallmedia command-line tool

Answer

The 'createinstallmedia' command-line tool, included in the macOS installer app, is used to create a bootable USB installer drive.

Question 4

A user's Mac is running slowly and Activity Monitor shows high kernel_task CPU usage. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The Mac is throttling the CPU due to thermal or power issues

Answer

High kernel_task CPU usage is typically macOS's thermal management intentionally reducing CPU performance to protect hardware from overheating.

Question 5

What is the function of NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM) on a Mac?

Accepted Answer

Stores settings like startup disk, display resolution, and speaker volume

Answer

NVRAM stores small amounts of data that need to persist when the Mac is off, including startup disk selection, time zone, and display settings.

ACMT - Apple Certified Macintosh Technician Practice Test

ACMT - Apple Certified Macintosh Technician Practice Test

ACMT macOS Troubleshooting 2