CompTIA A+ Study Guide: How to Prepare for 220-1201 and 220-1202
Plan A+ as two exams: choose which core to take first, turn each objective into a task you can perform, and keep dump sites out of your prep.
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CompTIA A+ guides
Direct answers for A+ format, studying, exam day, scores, and what to do next.
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Where to begin with A+
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CompTIA A+ Core 1 vs Core 2: What Each Exam Covers
Core 1 is hardware, networking, mobile, cloud, and hardware troubleshooting. Core 2 is operating systems, security, software troubleshooting, and procedures. You need both.
Read the guideCompTIA A+ Passing Score: What 675 and 700 Mean
Core 1 passes at 675 and Core 2 at 700, both on a 100–900 scale. Neither is a percentage, and each exam has to be passed on its own.
Read the guideCompTIA A+ Ports and Protocols: The 220-1201 List and How to Remember It
The Core 1 objectives print a short list of port numbers. Here is that exact list grouped by job, which ones use TCP or UDP, and scenario drills that turn numbers into decisions.
Read the guideA+ or Security+ First? Do You Need A+ Before Security+?
You don't need A+ to sit Security+. Decide which to take first from your background and the job you want, with both exams' current facts side by side.
Read the guideHow Hard Is CompTIA A+? Core 1 and Core 2 Difficulty
A+ gets hard in specific places: breadth on Core 1, command-line and security depth on Core 2. Find out which one is your problem with a ten-item self-check.
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What A+ is, how Core 1 and Core 2 fit together, and how to plan both exams.
How Long Does It Take to Study for CompTIA A+?
There is no official number of A+ study hours. Size your own: count the objectives you cannot do yet, time one, and multiply, separately for Core 1 and Core 2.
Read the guideIs CompTIA A+ Worth It?
Decide whether A+ fits a specific IT support goal, using what the credential shows, current government job data, a posting check you can run, and the costs to count.
Read the guideExam day and scoring
Scores, question types, PBQs, scheduling, online testing, and retakes.
A+ 220-1201 vs 220-1101: What Changed in CompTIA A+ V15
V15 (220-1201 and 220-1202) replaced V14 (220-1101 and 220-1102). See the dates, how the domain weights moved, and how to audit older study materials.
Read the guideHow Much Does CompTIA A+ Cost? Two Vouchers, Retakes, and Renewal
CompTIA's U.S. store listed the A+ voucher at $274 on October 17, 2026. You need one for each core, so plan for two, plus any retakes.
Read the guideHow Many Questions Are on the CompTIA A+ Exams? Format and Time
Each A+ exam has a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, mixing multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, and performance-based questions. Here is how to pace two separate sittings.
Read the guideCompTIA A+ PBQs: How Simulation Questions Work and How to Prepare
A+ uses simulation PBQs with a reset button, skip-and-return, saved work, and possible partial credit. Here is how to practice the hands-on objectives they draw on.
Read the guideFailed A+ Core 1 or Core 2? CompTIA Retake Rules
CompTIA lets you retake a failed A+ exam with no wait the second time and 14 days before a third. Your passed core still counts if you finish within V15.
Read the guideHow to Schedule CompTIA A+: Online (OnVUE) or at a Test Center
Book Core 1 and Core 2 as two separate Pearson VUE appointments through CompTIA Central, online or at a test center. Here are the steps, the ID rules, and the deadlines.
Read the guideCore 1 skills
Hardware, networking, mobile devices, virtualization, and hardware and network troubleshooting.
A+ Core 1 Hardware: Cables, Connectors, RAM, Motherboards, and Power
Identify every connector on 220-1201 by the job it does, then work through RAM, motherboards, firmware settings, power supplies, and displays the way the exam asks.
Read the guideA+ Hardware and Network Troubleshooting: Symptoms and First Checks
Hardware and Network Troubleshooting is the largest Core 1 domain at 28%. Use these symptom, first-check, and likely-cause tables for power, drives and RAID, displays, mobile devices, and networks.
Read the guideA+ Core 1 Networking: IP Addressing, DHCP, DNS, and Wi-Fi
Networking is 23% of 220-1201. Learn to read an address for clues, set up DHCP scopes, exclusions, and reservations, recognize DNS records including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and choose a Wi-Fi band.
Read the guideA+ Printers in 220-1201: What V15 Still Tests
Printers appear in three 220-1201 objectives: setup and security, maintenance by printer type, and troubleshooting symptoms. Here is what each one lists and how to reason about it.
Read the guideRAID and Storage for A+: RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and Drive Types
Work out usable capacity and fault tolerance for every RAID level on 220-1201, then tell NVMe, SATA, M.2, mSATA, and SAS apart.
Read the guideIs the CompTIA Troubleshooting Methodology on the A+ Exam?
The V15 objectives say the six-step methodology is not a formal A+ objective. See what CompTIA actually wrote, and how the steps still help you pick the next action in scenario questions.
Read the guideA+ Virtualization and Cloud Computing: What Core 1 Tests
Domain 4 of 220-1201 is two objectives: virtualization and cloud. Learn Type 1 vs Type 2, containers vs VMs, and who manages what in IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.
Read the guideCore 2 skills
Operating systems, security, software troubleshooting, and operational procedures.
Full, Incremental, Differential, and Synthetic Full Backups for A+
Follow one week of backups to see exactly which sets a restore needs, then add synthetic fulls, restore locations, testing, GFS rotation, and the 3-2-1 rule.
Read the guidemacOS and Linux for A+ Core 2: Commands, Files, and Features
Learn the 27 Linux commands and 5 configuration files on 220-1202 by task, with the Windows tool you already know, then map each macOS feature to the job it does.
Read the guideA+ Malware Removal Steps: The Order and the Reason for Each
Objective 2.6 of 220-1202 lists ten steps for SOHO malware removal. Learn them in order, with the reason each step sits where it does, then test yourself with an ordering drill.
Read the guideNTFS vs Share Permissions for A+ Core 2: Worked Examples
Work out what a user can actually do with a shared folder: two permission gates, how groups add up, when Deny wins and when it doesn't, and what moving a file changes.
Read the guideA+ Core 2 Operational Procedures: Change Management, Documentation, Safety, and AI
Domain 4 of 220-1202 in one place: a ticket that would pass review, the three change types with examples, safety and incident basics, remote access risks, and AI limits.
Read the guideScripting on A+ Core 2: What You Need to Know (and What You Don't)
Objective 4.8 asks you to recognize six script types, match them to support tasks, and know the risks. Here is each type with a short, harmless example to read.
Read the guideA+ Core 2 Security Domain: What 28% of the Exam Covers
A map of all eleven 220-1202 security objectives with the help desk action each one tests, plus wireless security, a SOHO router checklist, and browser settings.
Read the guideA+ Core 2 Windows Commands: What Each One Does and When to Use It
Objective 1.5 of 220-1202 lists the Windows command-line tools you need. Here is each one mapped to a task, which ones only report and which ones change the system, and the pairs candidates mix up.
Read the guideA+ Core 2 Windows Tools: Task Manager, MMC Snap-ins, msconfig, and Settings
Match each Windows symptom on 220-1202 to the tool that answers it, translate the objectives' Windows 10 Settings names to Windows 11, and compare editions.
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