CompTIA A+ Certification Comprehensive Guide 2024
Hello and welcome to my 2024 A+ Certification Guide! After earning my A+ Cert, I wanted to create an all-in-one resource to assist aspiring techs in achieving similar success. So here it is! This guide features everything I wish I’d known when I started my journey, combined with tools that helped me to ace both exams on the first attempt. The information provided will serve as your ship across the rocky CompTIA 220–1101 & 220–1102 seas. The two exams commonly referred to as Core 1 & 2, are used to verify fundamental hardware and software knowledge. A+ is recognized industry wide as the “preferred qualifying credential for technical support and IT operational roles”. After completing the pair of assessments, most successful candidates leverage A+ to get started in IT or for promotion at a current position. That being said, here is MY comprehensive guide on how to become A+ certified.
Research, Research & More Research
It’s important you are well aware of what you’re getting yourself into. A+ is an entry level certification that will never be mistaken for an ‘easy to obtain’ certification. Do yourself a solid and begin researching what to expect come test time. Exam guides, release dates, and costs, amongst other things, are listed on Comptia.org. You’ll see a lot of general info populates with a simple google search of “CompTIA A+”. Content ranging the roles that require A+ to the recommended certifications to pursue after A+, help in deciding if this cert is even for you. Do your homework.
Research is pivotal throughout the entire process. To climb the ladder in IT, you’ll have to maintain a consistent thirst to know more. Similar principles will apply with your exam prep. If you’re lucky enough to be around classmates/professors from IT-related coursework, coworkers (for those already employed in tech), or even the family technology wiz, don't be afraid to ask questions. Having someone explain concepts in their own words can fill gaps left by the internet or a book.
My absolute favorite instrument of success is the CompTIA subreddit. This is where you’ll find posts relating to exam experiences, test-taking tips, and general IT questions. I guarantee you questions that come to mind during your study have already been asked and answered time and time again. Besides the vast amount of tools the group linked me to, I found it especially useful for grounding purposes. Reading testimonies of what users wish they could have done differently and seeing what materials worked for them prevented me from being blindsided come exam time. The participants in this group range from IT gurus to bright eyed novices, meaning don't assume post are 100% fact, cross reference to the fullest extent. Please ask questions, leave replies and pour back into the community how you see fit.
Here’s a look at some recent submissions:
Step 1: The Plan
Although each step plays an integral role in your success, I’d argue creating a complete plan is the most important one. This plan consisting of “study topics for the week”, stresses intentionality and gives you a steady blueprint to follow. I found following a schedule like plan created a healthy fear of falling behind in my studies (for my fellow procrastinators, you’ll want to pay extra attention to this). Pairing your study plan with quizzes over newly learned content helps the material stick.
Let's view a week from my study plan for the Core 1 Exam.
Here, you can see two sections containing subtopics and a section review quiz from Exam Compass. CompTIA was nice enough to provide the subjects you’ll be tested on; these are called objectives (OBJ). Extract the sections from the OBJs when making your plan and be sure to account for each concept, even going over ones you have prior knowledge of. Core 1 & 2 objectives are found on the official CompTIA Website. Below are the OBJs I pulled from to create the example week shown above.
How long you take per domain/objective/section depends entirely on your learning pace and style. Consider all factors when creating your schedule. If you are employed full-time, I wouldn't recommend jam packing a ton of material within a week’s time. Try a lighter load. Work at a pace that feels comfortable but keeps you efficient with your studying. Again, to become A+ certified you must pass 2 separate exams, so create a plan for both. You can take the exams “back-to-back” however, those who allocate time for the tests individually have more success passing on the first attempts (per IT Training Blog). Conclude your plan by choosing an exam date. This will give you a deadline to hold yourself accountable to.
Likely, you’ll find yourself slightly offtrack. Whether you’re covering material quicker than expected or a certain concept is taking you longer to grasp, you won't be in sync every week. This is completely fine! Remember, your guide should be used to promote efficient studying and measure your progression from week to week.
Step 2: The Study
Everyone who’s passed a CompTIA exam will advise you to vary the sources you learn from. With a boatload of content to cover, it's common to find one platform going more in depth on a subject than others. I recommend using a minimum of two sources, with Professor Messer’s video series on YouTube being an absolute must.
Professor Messer’s videos feature the information you need to know (taken straight from the objectives, in order at that!). He covers the surface level of each objective, while displaying on screen notes to match. Messer’s series is offered for free, with other accommodating references available on his website. I ran through his videos twice, the first time for a general overview of the material and then a second time while writing detailed notes (emphasis on handwritten notes). As I mentioned, below you notice how Messer correlates his videos with the OBJs making it so much easier to follow along.
Pair Messer with an A+ prep book, extensive online research, onsite training, platforms like Pluralsight, and/or any of the million other resources available.
Step 3: Practice
Once you’ve built a solid foundation of knowledge, put it to the test with Jason Dion’s Practice Exams on Udemy. Dion offers six 90 question exams that cost under 14 USD year-round. That’s 450 questions worth of exam practice on one site (for both core 1 & core 2). Alot of these questions are similar if not identical to the ones you’ll see on the official exams. At the test’s completion, a score report featuring your test time and score by domain is presented. Also, the exam review has detailed reasoning for each answer choice shown. Be sure to go through all explanations to comprehend why it’s correct/incorrect. You want your practice exam scores to be at least 80+% before taking the real deal. I will warn you some questions in this exam are outdated, and others are outside the realm of the objectives. Do not fret, these are few and far between.
Both exams contain information that you will need to understand, memorize and recall on command. Which is why I highly endorse physical flashcard practice (emphasis on handheld cards). Flashcards will assist you with nailing the “bunnies” as I like to call it, which are just the easy questions on the exam. Questions that don’t require any critical thinking or troubleshooting. For example, questions on port numbers, components of a specific printer type, speed of a specific cable type. You’ll come to realize there are a lot of numbers and steps to remember. Repetition is the key to these. I’d go through them anytime I had a spare moment at work or a long car ride, in addition to using them as a refresher before study sessions and as review after.
According to CompTIA.org,
Performance-based questions (PBQs) are exam items designed to test a candidate’s ability to solve problems in real-world settings and are delivered as either simulations or within virtual environments.
Each exam features 1–10 PBQs, with most test takers agreeing the average is around four per.
CompTIA remains tight-lipped on the scoring criteria for the performance-based questions, while many speculate they’re worth more than the multiple-choice questions and maintain potential for partial credit.
PBQs do test content within the objectives in theory, however these multi-step questions can be difficult at first glance. YouTube is littered with videos covering PBQ material. Creators like DeanCyber, Informatik Lab, and Data Center Technology have videos on their channel with practice PBQs that are strikingly similar to the real exam. I suggest beginning PBQ prep towards the end of your studying to keep it fresh. On the official exam, promote good time management by answering these last (they take the longest to complete). Even if you are uncertain of the correct answer, make sure to provide a response. With potential partial credit on the line, you don't want to forfeit points.
Test Taking Tips
Exam day, be sure to relax your mind as much as possible. A goodnight’s rest, eating a hearty breakfast and staying hydrated will combat anxiety you’re likely to experience. Heavy studying on exam day or the night before is a no no. Take this time to review notes/flashcards or maybe take a practice exam. Be confident! If you've made it this far through my guide, you’ve put the work in and now it's time to trust it.
Deciding whether to take the test online or in person varies from person to person, just be sure to check in early in case of the inevitable issue that’ll probably delay your test.
Once you began the test, use these 3 tips to maximize how efficient you are with the allotted time.
- Read each question and every answer carefully. Yeah duh, right? Hear me out. CompTIA has an infamous way of using one word in a question to expose the correct answer. Words to lookout for are “first”, “most”, “best”, “next” specifically. If you read a question too fast or skim through answer choices, it’ll be easy to miss indicative words.
2. Process of elimination is still key. From my experience, almost every question had 2 answers I ruled out immediately. Use this common hack to help you with questions that you are unsure of.
3. Questions that force you to look to the ceiling and reach to the deepest depths of your mind, flag them and move on. Time is of the essence and taking too long on a question will set you back. The last thing you want to do is be in a race against time. Revisit flagged questions once you reach the end of the exam.
One last thing…
I forgot to mention that I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. If you were looking for “Pass A+ in 2 weeks” content, I’m sorry to have wasted your time. What I can assure you is that I created this article with pure intentions of helping others. I genuinely believe users who follow my blueprint will be A+ Certified. If that happens to be you, send me a message on LinkedIn and let’s chat about our A+ journeys. My guide will remain free and available to the public until CompTIA releases it’s newest installment of exams. But until then, thanks for riding with me and best of luck!
