CTSF case studies
CTSF · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certified Technology Specialist Foundation (CTSF) is an entry-level credential for people who want to demonstrate broad, practical technology literacy rather than deep specialization in a single vendor's products. It suits career changers moving into IT, help desk and desktop support staff formalizing what they have learned on the job, and students or apprentices preparing for a first technical role. The exam samples seven areas: core technology concepts and terminology; hardware, devices and peripherals; networking and connectivity; operating systems, software and applications; security, privacy and data protection; support operations and troubleshooting; and professional practices, ethics and communication. Expect scenario-style multiple-choice items that ask you to interpret a symptom, pick the most appropriate next step, or choose the best response to a user or colleague. The CTSF case studies are 5 cases and about 2,177 words.
1The Phantom Printer Queue
You are a support technician at a small accounting firm with 25 employees. The office uses a shared network printer (HP LaserJet Pro M404dn) connected via Ethernet to a switch.
470 words, about 2 min2The Slow Boot Mystery
A user complains that their Windows 10 laptop takes over 5 minutes to boot and log in, whereas it used to take 30 seconds. The laptop is a Dell Latitude 5490 with an Intel Core i5-8250U, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB NVMe SSD.
430 words, about 2 min3The Shared Folder Access Puzzle
You are a support technician at a marketing firm with 50 employees. The company uses a Windows Server 2016 file server (FS01) with a shared folder called 'Campaigns'.
431 words, about 2 min4The Unresponsive Wi-Fi
A user in a branch office reports that their laptop frequently loses Wi-Fi connectivity. The office has a wireless router (TP-Link Archer C7) providing both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks.
457 words, about 2 min5The Ransomware Scare
An employee in the finance department receives an email that appears to be from a known vendor with an attached invoice (PDF). The employee opens the attachment, and soon after, files on the shared drive begin to be renamed with .encrypted extension.
389 words, about 2 min