LFCS Question #728: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

The correct answer is B: 19. A regular user can assign a maximum niceness value of 19 to a new process, which corresponds to the lowest priority.

Submitted by miguelv· Apr 18, 2026Operation of Running Systems

Question

What is the maximum niceness value that a regular user can assign to a process with the nice command when executing a new process?

A regular user can assign a maximum niceness value of 19 to a new process, which corresponds to the lowest priority.

Common mistakes.

A. While 9 is a valid niceness value that a regular user can set, it is not the maximum possible value they can assign to decrease a process's priority.
C. 49 is outside the standard niceness range, which typically extends only up to 19.
D. 99 is outside the standard niceness range, which typically extends only up to 19.

Concept tested. Process niceness and priority

Reference. https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/nice.1.html

#nice command#process priority#user limits#process scheduling

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