When you’re looking to start or boost a career in IT, it all comes down to one thing – validating your skills, and one of the best and most widely recognised way to do this is with official CompTIA A+ certification. Holding this certification will prove your understanding of common hardware and software used in business, and that you have the skills needed to support the complex IT infrastructure firms rely on to keep moving every day. It’s a powerful credential that can only enhance your career.

What Is The CompTIA A+ Exam?

In order to gain a full CompTIA A+ certification you will need to obtain a pass in the 220-1001 and 220-1002 exams which form this exam entry package. The 220-1001 exam tests your understanding of hardware and peripherals, and various troubleshooting and connectivity issues, while the 220-1002 exam will validate your ability to install and configure a variety of operating systems and test your understanding of security issues and cloud computing fundamentals. Each exam is a maximum of 90 questions and is 90 minutes long.

Who Should Take the Exams?

This globally recognised certification is essential if you want to establish yourself in an IT career. As the IT world is ever evolving, businesses want to know they can depend on professionals that are up to date with best practices in trouble shooting, networking and security to keep their operations running smoothly. It’s recommended that learners have 6 to 12 months hands-on experience in the lab or field, and/or should have completed the relevant CompTIA A+ Core Series courses, before purchasing this exam package.

CompTIA A+ exams

• 90 questions per exam (there are two)
• Multiple-choice questions, drag and drops and performance-based
• 90 minutes duration per exam
  • 220-1001: 675 marks needed (out of 900) to pass
  • 220-1002: 700 marks needed (out of 900) to pass

KEY LEARNING POINTS

In order to pass both exams and achieve certification you will need to master and demonstrate skills in the following areas:

• Laptops, desktop PCs, smartphones, tablets, wearables, e-readers, GPS
• Windows 10, 7, 8, 8.1, Android, iOS, Linux, Mac OS X, Chrome OS
• Mobile device network connectivity, application support and device synchronization
• Networking hardware devices (Routers, switches, access points, cloud-based network controller, PoE, etc.)
• Networked hosts, server role, Internet appliances, legacy systems
• PC hardware tools and components, BIOS/UEFI settings, solid state drives (M2, NVME, SATA 2.5), RAID 10, hot swappable storage configurations
• Custom PC configurations including virtualization workstations and NAS devices
• Sharing multifunction devices and printers via OS settings, wired and wireless connections, 3D printing
• Logical security concepts, Active Directory security settings, software tokens, MDM policies, MAC address filtering, certificates, VPN, DLP, email filtering
• Security protocols and encryption (WEP, WPA, WPA2, TKIP, AES), authentication methods (single-factor, multifactor, RADIUS, TACACS), security threat identification and prevention
• Privacy concerns and policies (PII, PCI, GDPR, PHI)

ADVANTAGES OF THIS COURSE

• Show that you have mastered a comprehensive skill set across vendor neutral devices, operating systems and hardware.
• Becoming certified means you’ll be following best practices in troubleshooting, networking and security.
• Peace of mind assured as A+ is maintained and developed by leading IT professionals, with exam content gathered from industry-wide feedback and subject matter experts.
• Roles that you could go into on achieving this certification include Technical Support
• Take exams with easy to use multiple choice, drag and drop or performance-based systems.
• Access training materials to help you prepare for the exams, whether you are studying alone or in a classroom.
• Easy purchase of the exam online, and you can book the tests at a time and location to suit.
• Technical support is available if you need it.