How Many Questions Are on the CompTIA A+ Exams? Format and Time

The format of each A+ exam

These details were checked on CompTIA's V15 exam pages and objectives documents on October 17, 2026.

The two official sources word the question types differently. The exam pages list multiple choice with single and multiple responses, drag-and-drop, and performance-based questions. The objectives PDFs list only "multiple-choice and performance-based." The safe reading is to prepare for all four forms. A drag-and-drop item is still a question you answer by arranging or matching, so being ready for it costs little.

"Maximum of 90" means a form can have fewer questions. CompTIA does not publish an exact count, the number of performance-based questions, or where they sit in the exam. Anyone who quotes a fixed PBQ count is describing one sitting, not a rule.

Four question types, four ways to prepare

• Single-response multiple choice. One correct option. Wrong options are often right answers to a slightly different problem, such as a fix for a software fault when the symptom points to hardware.
• Multiple-response multiple choice. More than one option is correct. Read the instruction line before the options, and do not stop at the first right answer you see.
• Drag-and-drop. You place items into slots or order. In A+ terms, that could mean matching connectors to cables or ports to protocols, or ordering a procedure. CompTIA does not publish samples, so practice the underlying matches until they are automatic.
• Performance-based questions. CompTIA says A+ uses simulation PBQs, which approximate a tool or environment. A simulation has a reset button, can be skipped and revisited, saves your work as you go, and may earn partial credit. The A+ PBQ guide covers how to prepare for them.

A pacing method for one 90-minute sitting

Because the question count is a maximum, set your pace from the form in front of you instead of assuming 90. One way to do it:

1. Decide a review reserve before you start, for example 8 minutes.
2. Decide a simulation budget, for example 5 minutes per simulation, and skip any simulation that runs past it.
3. Divide the remaining minutes by the remaining questions.

A worked example with made-up numbers: a form has 78 questions, 4 of them simulations. You reserve 8 minutes for review and give the simulations 20 minutes in total. That leaves 90 − 8 − 20 = 62 minutes for 74 other questions, or about 50 seconds each. Halfway through the clock, at minute 45, check whether you are past the halfway point of those 74 questions. If you are behind, flag the long questions and keep moving.

These numbers illustrate the method only. They are not a claim about how many questions or simulations your form will have.

CompTIA's own PBQ advice supports skipping: if you are not confident on a simulation, move on and return later. Leaving a simulation does not lose it. CompTIA says your work is saved and partial credit may be given, so enter what you are sure of before you move on.

Two exams, two separate appointments

Core 1 and Core 2 are booked, sat, and scored separately. Each has its own 90 minutes and its own passing score, and nothing carries over from one sitting to the other. The passing score guide explains why 675 and 700 are not percentages.

Some time rules sit outside the 90 minutes:

• Online check-in. Pearson VUE asks OnVUE candidates to begin check-in 30 minutes before the appointment. That time is not part of the exam clock.
• ESL extension. CompTIA gives 30 extra minutes on exams delivered in English to candidates in eligible countries. It is not available in English-speaking countries, and it is granted automatically when you register.
• Accommodations. Extra time for a documented need goes through Pearson VUE and must be approved before you schedule.

The details for both delivery modes are in the scheduling guide.

What the format means for practice

Match each question type with a different drill. Use mixed multiple-choice sets for judgment, matching drills for ports, connectors, and command names, and hands-on work for anything that starts with "Given a scenario" in the objectives. The free A+ practice questions on this site are multiple choice only. They do not simulate multiple-response, drag-and-drop, or performance-based items, and a score on them does not predict 675 or 700. When you want more of that judgment practice, answer more original A+ scenario questions →.