Part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog: CompTIA A+ is a two-examination certification: candidates must pass both Core 1 (exam 220-1201) and Core 2 (exam 220-1202) of the current V15 series, launched March 25, 2025. Each examination has a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, mixing multiple-choice and performance-based questions. CompTIA publishes passing scores of 675 for Core 1 and 700 for Core 2, on a scale of 100 to 900. PassProfessor’s A+ program is priced at $29 when enrollment opens.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
A+ is the credential employers ask for at the door of IT support: it certifies that a technician can install, configure, secure and troubleshoot the devices and systems the modern workplace runs on. It is earned in two sittings, not one, and the two examinations test different halves of the job. PassProfessor’s CompTIA A+ program is in development as part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog, built on the exam objectives CompTIA publishes for the current V15 series, and organized domain by domain across both cores. The program will be priced at $29 when enrollment opens.
Which IT certification is this – and which exam series?
This page covers CompTIA A+ – and, critically, its current series. Three clarifications. First, A+ is two examinations, Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202), and both must be passed, from the same series, in either order, before the series retires. Second, the series: A+ V15 (220-1201 / 220-1202) launched on March 25, 2025, and the previous V14 examinations (220-1101 / 220-1102) retired on September 25, 2025 – a pass from the retired series cannot be combined with a V15 pass, and material written for 220-1101 / 220-1102 follows retired objectives. This program is built to V15 only. Third, an honesty note about format: the real examinations include performance-based questions – hands-on simulations of technician tasks – PassProfessor’s practice is question-based; it trains the knowledge and judgment the performance-based questions draw on, but it does not reproduce the simulation environment itself, and this page will not pretend otherwise.
What will the program cover?
Practice mapped to the published outline, area by area. The program is being built on the certifying body’s own published content structure for this examination, organized around the areas the outline itself defines, as recorded in the table below. Preparation time lands where the examination itself puts the emphasis, instead of spreading evenly across ground the outline treats unevenly.
Results you can read by content area. Because practice will be organized by the outline’s areas, your results can be read area by area – a thin area shows while there is still time to repair it, instead of hiding inside an overall score.
Original questions, written from the outline outward. When the program opens, every question will be an original PassProfessor practice question written to the published outline and current authoritative sources for this field. None will be an actual examination item, a recalled item, or another provider’s material, and no question will ask you to recite a code, section number or citation – knowledge is tested, citations never are.
Timed practice at the real sitting’s shape. The program’s design includes sustained timed practice modeled on the recorded facts of the real sitting – its length and pace as set out in the fact table below – so pacing is trained rather than discovered on the day. That design is PassProfessor’s preparation choice; the real examination’s own facts stand in their own table.
The real exam at a glance
| Fact of record | Detail |
|---|---|
| Certification | CompTIA A+ |
| Certifying body | CompTIA |
| Structure | TWO examinations, both required: Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202), taken in either order, both from the same series |
| Current series | V15 – launched March 25, 2025. The previous series, V14 (220-1101 / 220-1102), retired September 25, 2025; series cannot be mixed, and a pass from a retired series no longer counts toward the certification |
| Format (each examination) | Maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes: multiple-choice, drag-and-drop and performance-based questions (hands-on simulations) |
| Passing scores (as CompTIA publishes them) | Core 1 (220-1201): 675 – Core 2 (220-1202): 700 – both on CompTIA’s scaled range of 100 to 900. These are scaled scores, not percentages |
| Core 1 domains | Mobile Devices 13% – Networking 23% – Hardware 25% – Virtualization and Cloud Computing 11% – Hardware and Network Troubleshooting 28% |
| Core 2 domains | Operating Systems 28% – Security 28% – Software Troubleshooting 23% – Operational Procedures 21% |
| Prerequisites | No prerequisite to sit; CompTIA recommends 12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support role, as a recommendation, not a requirement |
| Validity | The certification is valid for three years from the date it is earned and is renewed through CompTIA’s continuing education program (20 continuing education units for A+, as CompTIA publishes) |
| Program price | $29 (PassProfessor program price, when enrollment opens) |
How will practice map to the outline?
| Content area | Published weight / status |
|---|---|
| Core 1 (220-1201) – 1.0 Mobile Devices | Core 1 – 13% |
| Core 1 (220-1201) – 2.0 Networking | Core 1 – 23% |
| Core 1 (220-1201) – 3.0 Hardware | Core 1 – 25% |
| Core 1 (220-1201) – 4.0 Virtualization and Cloud Computing | Core 1 – 11% |
| Core 1 (220-1201) – 5.0 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting | Core 1 – 28% |
| Core 2 (220-1202) – 1.0 Operating Systems | Core 2 – 28% |
| Core 2 (220-1202) – 2.0 Security | Core 2 – 28% |
| Core 2 (220-1202) – 3.0 Software Troubleshooting | Core 2 – 23% |
| Core 2 (220-1202) – 4.0 Operational Procedures | Core 2 – 21% |
What does Core 1 Mobile Devices cover? (Core 1 – 13%)
The portable fleet: installing and configuring laptop hardware components, laptop displays, mobile device accessories and connectivity – wired, wireless and docking – and supporting mobile operating systems, synchronization and device management. It tests hands-on component knowledge: what fits, what connects, and what to replace when a symptom points inside the machine.
How should you prepare for Core 1 Mobile Devices? Survey the area early, note where your reasoning breaks down, and return with focused practice rather than rereading. Pair every block of reading with timed practice, then examine why each wrong option was wrong. Revisit the area in mixed practice before you test, so competence does not depend on knowing the topic in advance.
What does Core 1 Networking cover? (Core 1 – 23%)
Connecting devices: TCP and UDP ports and protocols, networking hardware, cables and tools, wireless standards and encryption, internet connection types, network services – DNS, DHCP and the rest – and configuring a small office / home office network. It rewards candidates who can pair a service or symptom with its port, protocol and device, not merely define each term alone.
How should you prepare for Core 1 Networking? Start with the area’s core decisions and work outward to its edge cases. Alternate short reading blocks with timed questions on the same material. Log every miss by cause – knowledge gap, misread situation, or wrong priority – since each cause has a different repair.
What does Core 1 Hardware cover? (Core 1 – 25%)
The machine itself: displays, cables and connectors, RAM, storage devices and RAID, motherboards, CPUs and add-on cards, power supplies, and installing and maintaining printers and multifunction devices. A quarter of Core 1 sits here, examined as selection and installation judgment – the right component, in the right slot, meeting the stated requirement.
How should you prepare for Core 1 Hardware? Treat this area as a set of decisions, not a set of facts: for each topic, ask what the practitioner must notice first, what must happen next, and what must never happen. Practise in timed blocks and review every error the same day.
What does Core 1 Virtualization and Cloud Computing cover? (Core 1 – 11%)
The smallest Core 1 domain: virtualization concepts and hypervisors, virtual machine resource requirements and purposes, cloud computing models and service types, cloud characteristics and desktop virtualization. Compact and conceptual – the domain where complete preparation is cheapest, and where candidates most often leave points by treating it as an afterthought.
How should you prepare for Core 1 Virtualization and Cloud Computing? Build a one-page map of this area before drilling it: its central concepts, its recurring traps, and the situations in which its rules change. Finish with mixed practice alongside earlier areas, so the knowledge has to be selected, not merely recalled.
What does Core 1 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting cover? (Core 1 – 28%)
Core 1’s largest domain: diagnosing described failures across motherboards, RAM, CPUs and power; storage and RAID; video and displays; mobile devices; wired and wireless networks; and printers. Every scenario is a symptom in search of its most likely cause and correct first action.
How should you prepare for Core 1 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting? Survey the area early, note where your reasoning breaks down, and return with focused practice rather than rereading. Pair every block of reading with timed practice, then examine why each wrong option was wrong. Revisit the area in mixed practice before you test, so competence does not depend on knowing the topic in advance.
What does Core 2 Operating Systems cover? (Core 2 – 28%)
The systems a technician administers: Windows editions and their features, installation and upgrade paths and their requirements, Windows tools, settings and command-line utilities, network sharing and mapping, and the essentials of macOS and Linux administration. Command fluency is examined as working knowledge.
How should you prepare for Core 2 Operating Systems? Start with the area’s core decisions and work outward to its edge cases. Alternate short reading blocks with timed questions on the same material. Log every miss by cause – knowledge gap, misread situation, or wrong priority – since each cause has a different repair.
What does Core 2 Security cover? (Core 2 – 28%)
Securing the endpoint and its user: physical and logical security controls, authentication and access management, Windows security settings and permissions, wireless security, malware types and the best-practice removal procedure, social engineering, workstation and mobile hardening, secure data destruction and disposal, and browser security. Joint-largest on Core 2.
How should you prepare for Core 2 Security? Treat this area as a set of decisions, not a set of facts: for each topic, ask what the practitioner must notice first, what must happen next, and what must never happen. Practise in timed blocks and review every error the same day.
What does Core 2 Software Troubleshooting cover? (Core 2 – 23%)
When software misbehaves: troubleshooting Windows operating system problems – boot failures, crashes, performance and update issues – mobile operating system and application problems, mobile security symptoms, and personal computer security symptoms such as pop-ups, redirects and certificate warnings. Scenarios reward an ordered diagnostic path over random remediation.
How should you prepare for Core 2 Software Troubleshooting? Build a one-page map of this area before drilling it: its central concepts, its recurring traps, and the situations in which its rules change. Finish with mixed practice alongside earlier areas, so the knowledge has to be selected, not merely recalled.
What does Core 2 Operational Procedures cover? (Core 2 – 21%)
The professional frame: documentation and ticketing, change management, backup and recovery strategies, safety procedures and environmental controls, prohibited content and privacy and licensing awareness, professional communication, scripting basics, remote access technologies, and the operational use of artificial intelligence in support work.
How should you prepare for Core 2 Operational Procedures? Survey the area early, note where your reasoning breaks down, and return with focused practice rather than rereading. Pair every block of reading with timed practice, then examine why each wrong option was wrong. Revisit the area in mixed practice before you test, so competence does not depend on knowing the topic in advance.
How are the A+ examinations scored?
CompTIA publishes the passing scores plainly: Core 1 (220-1201) requires a scaled score of 675 and Core 2 (220-1202) requires 700, each on a scaled range of 100 to 900. These are scaled scores, not percentages – 700 does not mean 70 percent of questions answered correctly, and CompTIA publishes no conversion from scaled score to number correct, so none is printed here. The two examinations are scored independently: each produces its own result, a pass in one core is banked while you prepare for the other, and the certification is awarded only when both are passed – from the same series, before that series retires.
Who can sit the A+ examinations?
Anyone – CompTIA sets no education or experience prerequisite for A+. It recommends 12 months of hands-on experience working in an IT support or help-desk role, and publishes that figure as a recommendation for readiness, not as a gate: students and career-changers routinely sit A+ as their first certification. You register for each examination separately, sit them in either order, and may space them as your preparation dictates – subject to the one hard rule of the credential: both passes must come from the same series, and both must be completed before that series retires. The V15 series launched March 25, 2025, and CompTIA’s cadence retires a series roughly three years after launch – plan to complete both cores well inside that horizon.
How should you use this page while the program is in development?
- Join the notify list today. Enrollment is not open yet, and the notify list is how you hear the moment it is. While you wait, read the CompTIA A+ exam guide – it walks the outline area by area and lays out eligibility, scoring and study planning in full.
- Study from the official outline now. The published outline quoted on this page is the syllabus; organizing your reading by its areas and weights is useful work today, before any practice program opens.
- When the program opens, survey every area first. Early practice should touch each content area, so your first area-by-area picture of yourself is honest rather than flattering.
- Drill the area that costs you. Let results, not preferences, set the next block of study – outlines reward the candidate with no thin area.
- Finish with timed, mixed practice. Sit full timed practice at the real sitting’s pace, and test when your practice is consistently strong across areas.
Frequently asked questions
What is CompTIA A+? CompTIA’s entry-level IT certification for support technicians, earned by passing two examinations – Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202) of the current V15 series – covering hardware, networking, operating systems, security, troubleshooting and operational procedures.
How many exams do I have to pass for A+? Two. Core 1 and Core 2 are separate examinations with separate scores, they may be taken in either order, and both passes must come from the same series – a pass from a retired series cannot be combined with a current-series pass.
What are the passing scores? Core 1 (220-1201): a scaled score of 675. Core 2 (220-1202): a scaled score of 700. Both are on CompTIA’s scaled range of 100 to 900, as CompTIA publishes them. They are scaled scores, not percentages of questions answered correctly.
Which A+ series is current? V15 – exams 220-1201 (Core 1) and 220-1202 (Core 2), launched March 25, 2025. The previous series, 220-1101 / 220-1102, retired on September 25, 2025 and can no longer be taken or combined with V15.
What kinds of questions are on the examinations? Each examination has a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes: multiple-choice, drag-and-drop and performance-based questions – hands-on simulations of technician tasks. PassProfessor’s program is question-based practice: it trains the knowledge and judgment the performance-based questions draw on, and does not reproduce the simulation environment itself.
Do I need experience to take A+? No prerequisite applies. CompTIA recommends 12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support role as a readiness guideline, and publishes it as a recommendation, not a requirement.
What does the PassProfessor program cost? $29, when enrollment opens. The program is in development as part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog; join the notify list and the launch email will carry the enrollment link.
Are these CompTIA’s actual examination questions? No. When this program opens, its questions will be original practice questions written by PassProfessor to CompTIA’s published V15 exam objectives. We never use actual examination items, recalled items, or another provider’s material.
When will enrollment open? The program is in development. Join the notify list on this page and we will email you when enrollment opens at the $29 program price.
How long is A+ valid? Three years from the date you earn it. It is renewed through CompTIA’s continuing education program – 20 continuing education units for A+, as CompTIA publishes – or by passing a qualifying higher-level examination before expiry.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider; this program is not endorsed by, affiliated with or sponsored by CompTIA. The credential name is used on this page as a factual reference to the certifying body’s examination. This program is examination preparation only: examination details on this page are drawn from the official sources recorded in the companion guide and are current as of November 2026; CompTIA’s official publications govern if anything here differs from them. The certification is awarded by CompTIA alone when both of its examinations are passed; this program confers no certification or license.