CompTIA A+ guideStart here
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.
Short answer
CompTIA does not set a number of study hours or weeks for A+. It recommends 12 months of hands-on IT support experience, which is not a requirement, and it lists estimated durations for its own CertMaster products, which describe those products rather than the exam. The useful estimate is your own: Core 1 (220-1201) has 27 objectives and Core 2 (220-1202) has 36, so count the ones you cannot do yet, time how long one takes you to learn, and multiply. Estimate each core separately, because you will usually book them as two appointments.
What CompTIA says, and what it does not
CompTIA's V15 pages, checked on October 17, 2026, give two time-related facts. The first is recommended experience: 12 months of hands-on work in an IT support specialist role. That describes the person the exam is written for. It is not a prerequisite, and it is not a study schedule.
The second is a set of "estimated duration" figures for CompTIA's own training products. The Core 1 and Core 2 pages list, for example, 25–40 hours for CertMaster Learn, 10–20 hours for CertMaster Practice, and 15–25 hours for CertMaster Labs. Those numbers describe how long CompTIA expects its products to take. They do not say how long you need, and they do not account for what you already know.
So there is no official answer to "how long." There is a method that gives you a number you can defend.
The work to size: 27 plus 36 objectives
The exam objectives are the inventory. Counting the numbered objectives in the V15 documents:
| Exam | Domains | Objectives |
|---|---|---|
| Core 1 (220-1201) | Mobile Devices, Networking, Hardware, Virtualization and Cloud Computing, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting | 27 (1.1–1.3, 2.1–2.8, 3.1–3.8, 4.1–4.2, 5.1–5.6) |
| Core 2 (220-1202) | Operating Systems, Security, Software Troubleshooting, Operational Procedures | 36 (1.1–1.11, 2.1–2.11, 3.1–3.4, 4.1–4.10) |
Objectives are not equal in size. Core 2 objective 1.9 lists 27 Linux commands and five configuration files, while Core 1 objective 4.2 is a short list of cloud terms. That is why you time your own pace instead of assuming a fixed number of hours per objective.
The estimate in five steps
- Audit one core. Go through its objectives and mark each one "can do," "can explain," or "not yet." Be strict. "Can do" means you could perform it or pick the right answer in a scenario without looking anything up.
- Time one "not yet" objective. Pick a typical one and learn it until you can explain it and answer a few questions on it. Write down the hours. If you have both hands-on and recall-style objectives in your "not yet" pile, time one of each.
- Time one "can explain" objective. These need review and practice, not first-time learning, so they are usually faster. Measure rather than guess.
- Multiply and add. Not-yet count times your not-yet hours, plus can-explain count times your review hours. That is your total of new work.
- Divide by your real weekly hours. Decide how many hours you will actually study each week, keep part of them for reviewing practice misses, and divide the total by the rest. That gives you weeks. Pick an exam date after that point, not before it.
Repeat the audit for the other core. Re-time after two weeks, because your pace on the first objectives is usually slower than your pace later.
Three worked examples
The inputs below are made up to show the arithmetic. They are not typical values, and your own measurements will differ.
| Profile | Where the "not yet" rows tend to sit | Example inputs | Example result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works a help desk queue, studying Core 2 first | Linux, macOS, scripting, a few security items | 8 not yet × 2 h, plus 12 can explain × 0.5 h = 22 h. Studies 5 h a week, 1 h of it reviewing misses | 22 h ÷ 4 h of new work a week ≈ 6 weeks |
| Builds PCs as a hobby, studying Core 1 first | Networking, cloud, printers, mobile devices | 12 not yet × 2.5 h, plus 9 can explain × 0.5 h = 34.5 h. Studies 6 h a week, 1 h of it review | 34.5 h ÷ 5 h a week ≈ 7 weeks |
| New to IT, studying Core 1 first | Most objectives | 25 not yet × 3 h, plus 2 can explain × 1 h = 77 h. Studies 6 h a week, 1.5 h of it review | 77 h ÷ 4.5 h a week ≈ 17 weeks |
Notice what drives the result: the number of "not yet" rows and your measured hours per row. A person new to IT also needs time to set up a small lab, which none of these rows include.
Two cores, one version window
Both cores must come from the same version. CompTIA's V15 pages list a launch date of March 25, 2025, and an estimated retirement of 2028, described as "usually three years after launch." Add your two estimates together before you book the first exam, so the second one fits comfortably inside that window. Which core to take first, and how close together to book them, is covered in the study guide.
Once you have your weeks for each core, turn your A+ estimate and exam date into a study plan with Passy. If you prefer to start in the browser, the free A+ study plan builds an outline from a date and your weekly time.
When to change the estimate
- Your practice misses are not shrinking after two weeks. The "not yet" pile is bigger than you marked it. Re-audit honestly.
- One domain eats all your time. Check its weight. On Core 1, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting is 28% and Virtualization and Cloud Computing is 11%. Do not spend half your hours on the smallest domain.
- You are faster than planned. Do not move the exam up until you can pass a mixed set covering every domain, not only the ones you studied last.
If you are still deciding whether the effort fits your situation at all, how hard A+ is has a ten-item self-check that shows which core will take you longer.
Trust the source
Official sources
Exam policies can change. Use these primary sources for the most current details.