CompTIA A+ Passing Score: What 675 and 700 Mean

675 for Core 1, 700 for Core 2

Both figures come from CompTIA's V15 exam pages and objectives documents, checked October 17, 2026. The web pages phrase the scale as "a scale of 900." The objectives PDFs give the full range, 100 to 900. The range matters: the lowest possible score is 100, not 0, which is one reason simple percentage math does not work.

Core 2's cut score is 25 points higher than Core 1's. That does not by itself mean Core 2 is harder. Each exam has its own cut score on its own scaled result, so comparing the two numbers says little about difficulty.

Why 675 is not 75 percent

People convert scaled scores in two common ways. Look at what each gives you:

Two methods that both look sensible give different answers, and neither one is how CompTIA scores the exam. CompTIA's testing policies say passing scores are set using statistical analysis and are subject to change. CompTIA does not publish a conversion from correct answers to scaled score for 220-1201 or 220-1202.

Two more facts break the "count your correct answers" idea. The exam has a maximum of 90 questions, so the number of questions on your form is not fixed. And CompTIA says performance-based questions may earn partial credit, so a simulation is not simply right or wrong.

Each core must pass on its own

You need a passing score on both exams. There is no combined or average score. Someone who scores well above 675 on Core 1 and below 700 on Core 2 has passed Core 1 and still needs to pass Core 2.

A pass also stands as scored. Once you pass an exam, you cannot retake that exam code to raise the number without CompTIA's prior consent. If you miss a cut score, only that exam needs another attempt. The retake guide covers the waiting periods, the cost of each attempt, and why your passed core must pair with a pass from the same version.

What CompTIA tells you, and what it does not

CompTIA's testing policies say candidates receive a score report at the completion of the exam. They do not describe the report's layout, so this guide will not guess at what yours will show.

CompTIA also does not publish pass rates, because questions and passing rates can change without notice. Any "A+ pass rate" you see online did not come from CompTIA.

Practice percentages and the A+ scale

A percentage on a Passy practice set is the share of that set's original questions you answered correctly. The free A+ set on this site is multiple choice only, is not weighted like a real exam form, and contains no performance-based questions. That percentage cannot be converted into a 675 or a 700, and nothing on this site predicts your scaled score.

What it can do is point to a domain. If most of your misses are in Core 2 Security, that is where your next hours go. To keep that focus, work on the A+ domain you miss most often →. For how many questions to expect and how to pace them, see the A+ exam format guide.