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A+ Exam Facts
| Required exams: | 220-1201/220-1202 (released March 25, 2025) |
| Exam Vouchers: | A+ vouchers may be used for either exam |
| Number of questions: | Maximum of 90 for each exam |
| Type of questions: | May include:
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| Length of test: | 90 minutes for each exam |
| Passing score: | 220-1201: 675 (scale 100-900)220-1202: 700 (scale 100-900) |
| Cert timeframe: | Valid for three years from the date of certification. Certified for life if certified on or before Dec 31, 2010. |
| Cert Renewal: | See CompTIA Continuing Ed Program |
| Domains 220-1201: |
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| Domains 220-1202: |
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Exam News
You must take the A+ 220-1201 (Core 1) and 220-1202 (Core 2) exams to become CompTIA A+ certified.
The CompTIA A+ Core Series (1201/1202) covers the following new content, emphasizing the technologies and skills IT pros need to support a hybrid workforce:
- Install, configure, and maintain computer equipment, mobile devices, and software for end users.
- Service components based on customer requirements.
- Understand networking basics and apply basic cybersecurity methods to mitigate threats.
- Properly and safely diagnose, resolve, and document common hardware and software issues.
- Apply troubleshooting skills and provide customer support using appropriate communication skills.
- Understand the basics of scripting, cloud technologies, virtualization, and multi-OS deployments in corporate environments.
More Exam News
Performance-Based Questions. The candidate will be given a scenario/problem, and will be prompted to push a button to launch a simulated environment that is created via software. The simulated environment should be familiar to a PC support professional with the level of hands-on experience recommended. Once the simulation is launched, the candidate will need to perform whatever tasks s/he believes appropriate, based on the given scenario and the tools/information provided in the question. Other types of questions that may appear on the A+ certification exams include multiple choice, multiple responses, fill-in-the-blank, drag and drop, and exhibits. How new question types are graded: Two important pieces of information about the drag-and-drop and performance-based questions that you need to know:
- Partial Credit: Scoring credit may be offered if a candidate answers only part of a question correctly.
- No Negative Credit: CompTIA does not employ negative scoring on exam questions. In other words, scoring credit is not taken away for incorrect answers. A candidate should answer every exam question, even on the ones where they are not sure of the answer.
What about a JOB?
Companies such as Dell, Intel, Lenovo, and Ricoh require their computer technicians to have their A+ Certification. The Dept of Homeland Security requires A+ Certification in their computer forensics programs. Law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, also seek candidates who have their A+ Certification. If a company has computers, they may need your skills. Make sure employers know you’re certified. The data from Certification Magazine’s 2015 Salary Survey shows the value of IT Certification. More importantly it shows the value of continuing to learn and add additional certifications to your resume.
- A+ certification only $47,500/year
- A+ with 1 or 2 other active certs $84,250
- A+ with 3 or 4 other active certs $92,080
- A+ with 5 or 6 other active certs $97,130
- A+ with 6 or 7 other active certs $105,150
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Pass the CompTIA A+ Certification Exams with Total Seminars
Earning the Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) A+ certification proves you have the skills needed by a successful computer tech. Most businesses today rely on computers and a workforce skilled in IT. To succeed as a tech in today’s IT job market; you need to have skills in managing and troubleshooting computers.You will demonstrate to employers that you possess the basic competence to support computers when you earn your A+ Certification. Total Seminars has written the best-selling book on how to prepare for the A+ Certification exams. To ensure that you pass, Total Seminars provides books, videos, lab manuals and simulation test software that that work together to provide everything you need to be fully prepared to pass the exams.Mike Meyers, the premier authority on A+ certification, leads a team of experts at Total Seminars with almost two decades of experience in developing courseware. Mike’s involvement in the materials offered by Total Seminars is like having Einstein help you study for a math test. The CompTIA A+ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, authored by Mike Meyers, provides practical knowledge to enable you to pass the exams. Every chapter includes learning objectives, along with advice about the exam, in-depth explanations, and review questions. The 1,000+ photographs and illustrations make studying easier and more fun. The CompTIA A+ Certification consists of two tests:
220-1201: Domain and Percentage of Examination
- Mobile Devices 13%
- Networking Technologies 23%
- Hardware 25%
- Virtualization & Cloud Computing 11%
- Hardware & Network Troubleshooting 28%
220-1202: Domain and Percentage of Examination
- Operating Systems 31%
- Security 25%
- Software troubleshooting 22%
- Operational Procedures 22%
Total Seminars supplies everything you need to prepare, understand, and pass the exams, guaranteed. Contact Total Seminars at the beginning of your studies to take advantage of their superb A+ practice test software. These simulation tests serve as important milestones in your studies en route to taking and passing the actual exams. Total Seminars, the certification experts, produce the #1 study guides, videos, lab manuals and practice test software on the market. No one else offers all these books and training materials authored by the same industry experts. They work together and cross reference one another to provide a complete preparation solution.
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Evolution of A+ Certification
Prior to the significant A+ Certification programs CompTIA introduced, IT educational documentations were company related and company regulated. Most major manufacturers including IBM and Dell required prospective employees to participate in precision training programs specific to their brand name. Corporations that had shaped an IT department around the skills of self-taught individuals remained outside the loop. They were vulnerable to the introduction of new technologies that may have reached beyond the scope of their self-taught IT employees. CompTIA’s A+ certification now validates IT skills for individuals and business/government organizations. Employers know prospective employees with CompTIA foundational certifications such as IT Fundamentals, A+, and Network+ have the IT skills needed for the related job roles.
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Ready to break into tech or level up your skills?
Whether you’re aiming for your first help desk role or pivoting into cybersecurity, our training and vouchers for CompTIA certifications are designed to help you succeed.
Flexible online learning
Vouchers accepted nationwide
Join thousands of U.S. professionals who’ve boosted their careers with CompTIA. Your future in IT starts here.
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What Makes A+ Certification Such a Popular Credential?
The CompTIA A+ certification is geared to the maintenance of desktop computers, laptops, mobile devices, and printers. This means that the A+ certification is valuable for anyone who is interested in the user-support aspect of computer technology. Many large corporations require that their technicians have A+ certification for precisely this reason. While the CompTIA A+ certification focuses on general technology, the emphasis is more on PC computers running Windows systems than Apple operating systems or Linux operating systems.
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Why You Need an A+ Certification Now More than Ever
What Does A+ Certification Cover? At the most basic level, A+ certification declares that you are a competent computer technician. A+ certification is a vendor-indepdendent certification that allows you to state that you are familiar with computer software and hardware and that you have had some training when it comes troubleshooting. The test covers everything from hardware to computer safety to networking to personal devices like laptops and PDAs. Having an A+ certification states that you have a broad and generalized amount of information about computers and networks.
