ACMT Storage & Memory

Question 1

Which macOS file system is used by default on APFS volumes, and what key feature does it offer over HFS+?

Accepted Answer

APFS; space sharing between volumes in the same container and native snapshot support

Answer

APFS allows multiple volumes to share the same storage container and provides built-in snapshot capabilities, both of which HFS+ lacked.

Question 2

A customer's Mac reports 'Your disk is almost full.' What is the best way to identify what is consuming the most space?

Accepted Answer

Go to Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage, or use 'du' in Terminal to identify large directories

Answer

The Storage pane in About This Mac provides a breakdown of storage categories, and the Terminal 'du' command allows granular inspection of folder sizes.

Question 3

On modern Apple Silicon Macs, RAM is referred to as 'Unified Memory.' What makes it different from traditional RAM?

Accepted Answer

It is integrated on the SoC die, shared between CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine with higher bandwidth

Answer

Unified Memory is physically integrated onto Apple's SoC alongside the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine, allowing all processors to access the same high-bandwidth memory pool without copying data.

Question 4

What is the consequence of attempting to upgrade RAM in an Apple Silicon MacBook?

Accepted Answer

RAM is soldered onto the SoC and cannot be upgraded—it must be configured at purchase

Answer

Apple Silicon Macs have RAM that is part of the System on a Chip (SoC) and is physically impossible to replace or upgrade after purchase.

Question 5

How should a technician verify the health of an NVMe SSD in a Mac before and after replacement?

Accepted Answer

Use AST 2 storage tests and check SMART data via 'diskutil info' or System Information

Answer

AST 2 performs storage performance and health tests, and SMART data accessible via 'diskutil info /dev/disk0' shows raw drive health metrics.

ACMT - Apple Certified Macintosh Technician Practice Test

ACMT - Apple Certified Macintosh Technician Practice Test

ACMT Storage & Memory