CompTIA certifications are industry-leading certifications to start and grow your IT career. Whether you’re looking for a certification to get your first IT job or you’re ready to boost your IT career with advanced certification, such as in IT security, CompTIA can help.
The CompTIA A+ certification is globally acknowledged, industry-supported, and trusted by governments, industries, and many inherent organizations. It is created to prove that an exam applicant has competency with PC hardware and element, mobile device hardware, networking and troubleshooting hardware and network connectivity problems, installing and configuring operating systems including Windows, Android, iOS, Apple OS X and Linux, security, cloud computing fundamentals, communication skills, and operational procedures.
The certification exams are complete and vendor-neutral, which indicates that the certification does not concentrate on just one company's products. Rather, the certification objectives vary across various technologies, services, hardware, and software ranging from traditional devices and operating systems to the plenty of mobile devices and technology in use today. It has exceptional value in the marketplace as a symbol of a proposed employee's skill level, demonstrating to management that a job seeker has the required computer knowledge and communication skills to complete their tasks with minimal supervision.
CompTIA A+ Exams
To achieve your CompTIA A+ certification, it’s recommended to do the individual learning that will prepare you for the CompTIA A+ certification exams. Once you have passed the exams, you will receive a certification and will be qualified for the next course in the certification track. CompTIA A+ consists of two exams, namely 220-1001 and 220-1002.
1. CompTIA A+ 220-1001
This is the first exam that you need to pass and is a pre-requisite for the 220-1002 exam (the next exam). The 220-1001 exam comprises PC hardware and peripherals, mobile device hardware, networking and more.
2. CompTIA A+ 220-1002
CompTIA A+ 220-1002 is the second exam you require to complete and is also the final step you need to take to get your A+ certification. The exam includes installing and configuring operating systems, security, the fundamentals of cloud computing and operational procedures.
CompTIA A+ is considered to be the initial step towards an IT career. Once you have enrolled for this certification, this is when the real hard work begins. Studying takes sacrifice, commitment, and a master plan.
Top 10 Tips for Passing the CompTIA Certification Exam
1. Get familiar with your course content
Whenever you start a new certification course, it’s always a good approach to get close to what precisely it is that you are studying.
The cause of why it’s a good approach to check out what’s included in the course before studying is so that you can have an idea of the assignment. If you know how much work you require to get through, you can then come up with a strategy as to how long it will take you to finish the course. When you know how long it will take you to get through whole the syllabus, you can begin planning when it will be that you will give your exams. It’s also a good idea to evaluate whether the resources available to you entirely the course will be suitable for you to pass the exam, or whether the course is suited to your career goals.
2. Build a Computer or Set up a Network
The CompTIA A+ 220-1001 certification exam includes hardware while CompTIA A+ 220 902 covers software. While it might sound daunting, building a real computer is a great way to learn. It will be basic in understanding not just the theory, but the real practice. The same goes for the Network+ exam. There’s no better way to learn networks than to set one up yourself.
CompTIA A+ certification exams have several questions covering a broad area of hardware and software knowledge that is required at an entry-level Information Technology job. Creating a desktop gives you expertise in setting up an OS, running through a BIOS, hardware differences, selecting the case and motherboard type, and much more. It is a fabulous way to feel confident on exam day, knowing that the hardware division of the CompTIA exam is not just theory but real-world practice.
It’s easier to memorize which port is which if you just completed interacting with them in real life. If this isn’t viable, finding a practical lab is the next best thing.
3. Analyze The Exam Structure and Objectives
It’s invariably a great idea to get familiar with what you are training for. This gives you an idea of what to presume and what the center of your studies should be. There’s nothing worse than coming at the exam, twisting through the questions, and realizing you didn’t give sufficient time studying a particular topic.
You will have a good idea as to how much time you should spend on each section, by studying at the percentage of each topic in the exam. For example, regarding the A+ 1001 exam, 34% of the questions comprise hardware. This suggests you should spend about 1/3 of your study time on that topic for the A+ 1001 exam.
CompTIA A+ Exam Structure:
To obtain the CompTIA A+ Certification, you need to pass the following exams:
CompTIA A+ 220-1001 Exam:
- Number of Questions: Maximum of 90
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Passing Score: 675/900
The topics covered by CompTIA A+ 220-1001 Exam
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Mobile Devices (14%)
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Networking (20%)
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Hardware (27%)
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Virtualization and Cloud Computing (12%)
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Hardware and Network Troubleshooting (27%)
CompTIA A+ 220-1002 Exam
- Number of Questions: 90
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Passing Score: 700/900
The topics covered by CompTIA A+ 220-902 Exam
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Operating Systems (27%)
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Security (24%)
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Software Troubleshooting (26%)
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Operational Procedures (23%)
4. Establish a CompTIA A+ test lab
While a notable amount of time can be employed on CompTIA A+ certification preparation, the conventional study guide is an experience. Nothing makes you more for a test than fixing a computer and running through the operating system to get a feel for it. A test lab is simple to set-up and lacks very little regarding money. In fact, any laptop will do.
A standard test lab would include, a monitor, a desktop computer, networking elements (such as a router, switch, and other networking components) and a current OS included by the 220-1001 and 220-1001 Exams. With this basic set-up, you can begin to repair and practice for the 220-1002 and 220-1002. Practice complicated tasks like overclocking your CPU and becoming a specialist at BIOS management. For CompTIA A+, the test is a general knowledge test, detailed in span but not very deep. Using a test lab will benefit fix concepts in your mind.
5. Select a CompTIA A+ certification study guide
Certification exams cost money. When you are first beginning on your journey to certification master, there is this fascination to obtain excellent results with minimum cost. This conservative attitude can sometimes be our fall. Buying a CompTIA course not only gives you the way to massive amounts of resources but pushes you to be an administrator of your time and education. When things are free, they often aren’t as relevant to us. This is why it is excellent to buy a book covering the concepts of the CompTIA A+ certification exam.
6. Design Your Way Of Learning
Everyone has a different learning style. The three main learning ways include Hearing, Visual and Tactile. By concluding out which kind of learner you are, this can impact the way in which you learn, and which path to take to learning.
- Try to visualize new concepts or ideas
- Write down new information
- Draw pictures to get a better understanding
- Create mind-maps or spider diagrams
- Colour code your notes
7. Practice Tests
Nothing raises confidence like a practice exam. Learning to ace the CompTIA certification with real questions that can be detected on real exams is an immense boost to morale. Many IT Professionals have given these tests and taken the time to create impressive materials that push you towards success. Exam-Labs offers excellent tests that comprise a vast area of tech topics such as CompTIA A+ Certifications. These are a precious asset to passing the A+! It is critically essential to look over some real-world problems and study what the Exam seems like before losing hundreds of dollars to pass on Exam day. Practice exams for the CompTIA A+ 220-1001 and 220-1002 will help you feel cheerful and strong on Exam day, instead of nervous and stressed.
8. Find a Mentor
This is an underrated step in being successful in the IT world. Often a question is behind the scope of a student until they learn basic knowledge. Without that basic knowledge, you may not know what you need to study to answer the question! This generates a disturbing cycle of feeling confused and drives to be inadequate to achieve success. This is where the Mentor is priceless. Having someone to talk through challenging to understand difficulties and discuss IT is one of the most compelling tools you can have for passing the CompTIA A+ certification exam. It sounds simple, but we often forget how useful something as simple as assessing can be for finding help.
9. Skip Tough Exam Questions
Again, these tests are about managing time and are rated on a pass-fail basis. So, if a question seems too hard, skip it! On a test like CompTIA A+, there are beta questions, apparently random questions which are being worked out for a further version of the test. They are not asserted, which is good, though it’s hard to tell what is and isn’t a beta question so don’t skip too many questions without answers.
10. Be Prepared for CompTIA’s Performance-Based Questions
Performance-based questions ask the applicant to perform a task or solve a query in a simulation. More complicated than your standard multiple-choice, these questions take time and can be frightening if you’re not prepared well. However, they don’t have to bring your test to a screeching cessation.
First, it’s essential to know that most PBQs will come toward the beginning of the test and, while they are a little more intricate, they aren’t impossible. The best protection is a good offense, and preparing for these questions with online labs will make it much easier. However, if you reach the question and don’t feel convinced, it’s okay to skip it for the second and come back to it.
Certifications regime supreme in today’s IT world. Organizations looking to appoint or promote the need to identify the candidate has the required skills for the position and certification offers confirmed proof of those skills.
With a bit of persistence and some appropriate resources, you can get certified! In fact, if you are still nervous after this and have a few minutes, head on over to Exam Labs and take a dummy test. It won’t harm and will give you a little bit more experience, and conceivably a boost of confidence in seeing what the CompTIA A+ certification looks like.