MOS-A2K: Microsoft Access 2000 CORE — Practice Test Questions & Answers

MOS-A2K: Full Set of Microsoft Access 2000 CORE Practice Test Questions

Preparing for the MOS-A2K (Microsoft Access 2000 CORE) exam requires both conceptual understanding and hands-on familiarity with Access 2000’s interface and features. This article provides a full set of practice questions covering the core objectives, organized by topic, with answer keys and brief explanations to help you learn from mistakes.

How to use these questions

• Time yourself: 50–60 minutes for the full set to simulate exam conditions.
• Perform tasks in Access 2000 (or a compatible version) when questions ask for practical steps.
• After completing the set, review explanations and retry any areas of weakness.

Question set — Basic database concepts (5 questions)

1. What is the primary purpose of a primary key in an Access table?
2. Which of the following best describes a relational database?
3. When should you use a lookup field instead of a separate related table?
4. Define normalization and name one benefit.
5. Which data type should you use to store monetary values and why?

Question set — Table design and data entry (8 questions)

6. You have a Customers table with fields: CustomerID (AutoNumber), Name (Text), Phone (Text), and Email (Text). How would you modify the design to prevent duplicate Email values?
7. Describe the steps to set a default value for a Date/Time field to today’s date.
8. How do you change a field’s data type from Text to Memo (Long Text) without losing existing data?
9. Explain the difference between Required = Yes and Allow Zero Length = No for a Text field.
10. Which property enforces a format like (###) ###-#### for phone numbers?
11. Create a validation rule to ensure Quantity is a positive integer.
12. How do you create an index on the LastName field to speed searches?
13. When importing data from a CSV, what two issues commonly require manual fixing afterward?

Question set — Queries (10 questions)

14. Write a Select query to show Orders with OrderDate in 1999.
15. How would you create a parameter query that asks the user for a start and end date and returns records in that range?
16. Explain how to make a query that calculates TotalPrice as QuantityUnitPrice.
17. What type of query would you use to add new records from an external table?
18. Describe how to create a crosstab query that summarizes Sales by Region and Month.
19. How do you use the Criteria row to return records where City starts with “San”?
20. Which SQL clause removes duplicate rows from results?
21. Write the SQL for an Inner Join between Customers and Orders on CustomerID.
22. Explain when to use a Make-Table query and one caution when running it.
23. How do you convert a select query into an update query to increase Price by 10% for items in Category = ‘A’?

Question set — Forms (8 questions)

24. Describe steps to create a single-form view for the Products table.
25. How do you bind a combo box to a lookup query that shows CategoryName but stores CategoryID?
26. Explain how to add a command button that opens a report in Print Preview.
27. Which property controls whether a form opens in Add mode only?
28. How do you set tab order on a data entry form?
29. Create a calculated control on a form to show FullName as FirstName & “ ” & LastName.
30. How would you create a subform to show OrderDetails within an Order form?
31. What is the effect of setting RecordSource to a SQL statement instead of a table?

Question set — Reports (6 questions)

32. How do you group report data by Salesperson and show subtotals?
33. Explain how to change report layout from Columnar to Tabular.
34. Which control type should you use to display aggregated totals?
35. How do you add a page number and total pages to a report footer?
36. Describe exporting a report to Excel — one step and one limitation to be aware of.
37. How can you preview different records when testing a report without printing?

Question set — Macros and basic automation (5 questions)

38. What macro action opens a form? Give the action name.
39. How do you run a macro when a form opens?
40. Explain one example of using the If…Then…Else macro block.
41. Describe the difference between embedded macros and standalone macros.
42. How can you disable macros for a testing session without deleting them?

Question set — Database maintenance and security (3 questions)

43. What compacting and repairing does and when to run it.
44. How do you create a backup copy of an Access database file?
45. Name one way to limit user access to certain forms or reports.

Answers with brief explanations (selected)

1. To uniquely identify each record — ensures referential integrity and enables joins.
2. Set Email field’s Indexed property to Yes (No Duplicates) or create a unique index.
3. In Design view, set the Default Value property to Date() for the Date/Time field.
4. Validation Rule: >0 AND [Quantity]=Int([Quantity]) — with message “Quantity must be a positive integer.”
5. SELECT * FROM Orders WHERE Year([OrderDate]) = 1999;
6. Use criteria: Between [Enter start date:] And [Enter end date:] on the date field; save as a parameter query.
7. In a query column: TotalPrice: [Quantity][UnitPrice] or SQL SELECT QuantityUnitPrice AS TotalPrice …
8. DISTINCT removes duplicates: SELECT DISTINCT Field1 FROM Table1;
9. SELECT Customers., Orders. FROM Customers INNER JOIN Orders ON Customers.CustomerID = Orders.CustomerID;
10. Change to Update Query; Update To: [Price]*1.1 and Criteria: [Category]=‘A’.
11. Set Row Source to a query SELECT CategoryID, CategoryName FROM Categories; set Bound Column = 1, Column Count = 2, Column Widths = 0”;1.5” (hides ID).
12. Set Data Entry property of the form to Yes.
13. Use Grouping on Salesperson field and add a Group Footer with Sum() for subtotals.
14. OpenForm macro action.
15. Attach the macro to the form’s On Open or On Load event (choose Embedded Macro or name of macro).
16. Compacting rewrites the file to release unused space and can fix corruption; run after large deletions or regularly as maintenance.
17. Use File → Save As → Backup Database or copy the .mdb file in File Explorer.
18. Use a login form with user-level permissions (or hide/disable controls based on user role via VBA/macros).

Quick practice exam (25-minute mini test)

• Pick one question from each major section above (tables, queries, forms, reports, macros). Time yourself 25 minutes, then check answers.

Final tips

• Practice in Access itself; exam tasks test both knowledge and interface speed.
• Focus on queries and table relationships — many exam items require joins and calculated fields.
• Learn keyboard shortcuts for faster navigation.
• Review error messages and validation rules by testing inputs.