How to Pass your 220-1101 and 220-1102 A+ Exams - CompTIA A+ 220-1101

Summary

The script introduces the CompTIA A+ certification as a globally recognized entry point for IT careers. Managed by CompTIA, the certification is vendor-neutral, covering a broad range of IT skills. The course, available for free on professormesser.com and YouTube, prepares candidates for two exams: the Core 1 (220-1101) and Core 2 (220-1102), each with different domains and passing scores. The training is designed to be accessible, with no hidden costs, and includes performance-based questions. The script emphasizes the importance of CompTIA exam objectives for effective study and exam preparation.

Takeaways

• 📘 The CompTIA A+ certification is a globally recognized IT certification that serves as an entry point for many into the IT industry.
• 🔍 A+ certification is often a prerequisite for IT job positions, so it's valuable for job seekers to demonstrate their IT skills.
• 🏛️ CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, manages the A+ certification and is a leading provider of vendor-neutral IT certifications.
• 🌐 CompTIA certifications are recognized worldwide and are available in multiple languages, reflecting their global reach.
• 👤 James Messer, with extensive IT experience, provides training courses to help others enter or advance in the IT field.
• 📝 The A+ certification involves two exams: 220-1101 (Core 1) and 220-1102 (Core 2), both of which are essential for certification.
• 📅 Both Core 1 and Core 2 exams were released on April 20, 2022, and typically last for about 3.5 years before retirement.
• 📚 The course material is broken down into small, digestible video segments covering the CompTIA exam objectives, making it easy to find and learn specific topics.
• 🆓 All training videos are freely available on the Professor Messer website and YouTube channel without any paywall or registration requirement.
• 📝 For those who prefer offline study, video, audio, and course notes in PDF or physical book formats are available for purchase.
• 📝 The exams consist of multiple-choice and performance-based questions, with the latter requiring task completion such as command prompt functions.
• ✅ The passing scores for the Core 1 and Core 2 exams are 675 and 700 out of 900, respectively, and both must be passed to achieve A+ certification.

Q & A

What is the CompTIA A+ certification?

The CompTIA A+ certification is one of the most popular IT certifications globally, often used to introduce individuals to the field of information technology or to demonstrate their skills required for an IT job.

Why is the CompTIA A+ certification valuable for job seekers?

The CompTIA A+ certification is valuable as it is commonly listed as a prerequisite or requirement in job postings, helping individuals to secure or advance in IT positions.

Who manages the CompTIA A+ certification?

The certification is managed by CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, which is one of the largest providers of IT certifications.

What does 'vendor neutral' mean in the context of CompTIA certifications?

Being 'vendor neutral' means that the certification covers a broad range of IT vendors rather than focusing on a single one, providing a comprehensive foundation in IT skills.

Who are the CompTIA members and what is their interest?

CompTIA members include manufacturers, resellers, training organizations, and others interested in ensuring a solid foundation of IT professionals.

What is the purpose of the IT training courses created by James Messer?

James Messer creates IT training courses to help others acquire the necessary skills to get a job or advance in the IT industry, based on his extensive experience in technology.

How many exams are associated with the CompTIA A+ certification?

There are two exams associated with the A+ certification: the 220-1101 (Core 1 exam) and the 220-1102 (Core 2 exam).

When were the latest versions of the Core 1 and Core 2 exams released?

The latest versions of the Core 1 and Core 2 exams were released on April 20th, 2022.

What is the structure of the Core 1 exam?

The Core 1 exam, or 220-1101, consists of five domains: Mobile devices, Networking, Hardware, Virtualization, Cloud Computing, and Hardware and Network Troubleshooting, and lasts 90 minutes with a maximum of 90 questions.

What is the passing score for the Core 1 exam?

The passing score for the Core 1 exam is 675 on a scale from 100 to 900.

How does the structure of the Core 2 exam differ from the Core 1 exam?

The Core 2 exam, or 220-1102, consists of four domains: Operating Systems, Security, Software Troubleshooting, and Operational Procedures, also lasting 90 minutes with a maximum of 90 questions.

What is the passing score for the Core 2 exam?

The passing score for the Core 2 exam is 700 on the same scale from 100 to 900.

Are there any time restrictions between taking the Core 1 and Core 2 exams?

No, there is no time restriction between taking the two exams; they can be taken years apart or in any order.

What is the general duration of CompTIA certification exams before they are retired?

CompTIA certification exams generally last for about 3 and 1/2 years before they are retired.

What types of questions can be expected on the CompTIA A+ exams?

The exams include multiple-choice questions and a handful of performance-based questions at the beginning, which may involve tasks such as matching, sorting, or using command prompts.

How can one access the exam objectives for the CompTIA A+ certification?

The CompTIA exam objectives can be accessed on the CompTIA website, comptia.org.

What additional resources are recommended for studying for the CompTIA A+ exams?

In addition to the video training course, it is recommended to get a good book, perform hands-on labs, and take practice exams to ensure readiness for the actual exams.

How are the videos in the training course organized to match the exam objectives?

The videos in the training course are numbered according to the CompTIA exam objectives, allowing for easy location of specific topics.

What is the recommended approach to studying for the CompTIA A+ certification?

The recommended approach includes reviewing the exam objectives, watching the video training course, using additional books for more information, performing hands-on labs, and taking practice exams.

How can one prepare for the testing environment for the CompTIA A+ exams?

One can prepare by visiting the testing center to understand the environment, or by setting up a home testing environment following the rules provided on the CompTIA website.

What is the importance of time management during the CompTIA A+ exams?

Time management is crucial as the exams are 90 minutes long with a maximum of 90 questions, and it's recommended to use the 'mark' option to revisit questions and review all questions before submission.

Where can one find additional support and resources for the CompTIA A+ certification?

Additional support and resources can be found on the Professor Messer website, including a Discord chat for questions, an event calendar for study groups, and links to exam objectives.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to CompTIA A+ Certification

The video script introduces the CompTIA A+ certification, highlighting its significance as a globally recognized entry-level IT certification. It is managed by CompTIA, a leading provider of vendor-neutral certifications. The script emphasizes the certification's role in validating IT skills, making it a common requirement for IT job positions. The speaker, James Messer, outlines the course structure, which covers two exams, 220-1101 (Core 1) and 220-1102 (Core 2), both released in April 2022. The course is designed to be accessible, with no paywalls or registration required, and offers both free online videos and purchasable resources like course notes. The exams cover various IT domains, with passing scores of 675 for Core 1 and 700 for Core 2, and must be completed before their retirement date, typically around 3.5 years after release.

05:02

📝 Exam Preparation and Strategy

This paragraph delves into the exam preparation process, emphasizing the importance of understanding the CompTIA exam objectives, which are available on the CompTIA website. The script discusses the exam format, which includes multiple-choice and performance-based questions that require task completion, such as command prompt functions or drag-and-drop tasks. It advises on study methods, recommending video training courses, books, hands-on labs, and practice exams to ensure readiness. The paragraph also touches on the exam environment, whether at a testing center or at home, and the importance of time management during the 90-minute exam with up to 90 questions. The speaker suggests skipping performance-based questions initially to save time and using the 'mark' feature to revisit difficult questions later.

10:05

🔍 Resources and Support for A+ Certification

The final paragraph provides a comprehensive guide to the resources and support available for those pursuing the A+ certification. It mentions the availability of the entire training course on the Professor Messer website, including video transcripts and closed captioning. The website also offers a direct link to the CompTIA exam objectives and a 24/7 chat service for questions. Additionally, the script informs viewers about monthly live study groups for various certifications, including A+, and encourages checking the event calendar for dates. The paragraph concludes by wishing viewers success in their studies and inviting them to join the training course.

Keywords

💡CompTIA A+ certification

The CompTIA A+ certification is a globally recognized credential in the IT industry, serving as an entry point for individuals seeking a career in technology. It validates foundational knowledge in hardware, software, networking, and security. In the script, it is highlighted as a prerequisite for many IT job positions, emphasizing its importance in the industry.

💡Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)

CompTIA is a leading association in the IT certification space, known for providing vendor-neutral certifications. The script mentions CompTIA as the managing body of the A+ certification, indicating its role in setting industry standards and fostering a skilled IT workforce.

💡Vendor neutral

A 'vendor neutral' certification covers a broad spectrum of technologies and skills, rather than being specific to a single manufacturer or product. The script points out that CompTIA certifications are vendor neutral, ensuring that the A+ certification provides a comprehensive understanding of IT, applicable across various platforms and technologies.

💡Exam objectives

Exam objectives are the specific topics and skills that a certification exam is designed to assess. The script emphasizes the importance of CompTIA exam objectives for A+ certification preparation, as they outline the knowledge areas candidates need to master to pass the exam.

💡Core 1 exam (220-1101)

The Core 1 exam, also known as exam 220-1101, is the first part of the A+ certification process. It covers foundational IT knowledge including hardware, mobile devices, networking, and troubleshooting. The script refers to it as a component of the certification, indicating the structured approach to IT certification.

💡Core 2 exam (220-1102)

The Core 2 exam, or 220-1102, is the second part of the A+ certification, focusing on operating systems, security, software troubleshooting, and operational procedures. The script mentions this exam as the counterpart to the Core 1, necessary for achieving the full A+ certification.

💡Performance-based questions

Performance-based questions are a type of exam question that requires candidates to perform tasks or solve problems, rather than simply selecting an answer. The script describes these questions as being part of the A+ exams, highlighting the practical application of knowledge beyond multiple-choice formats.

💡Passing score

The passing score is the minimum score required to pass an exam. For the A+ certification, the script specifies different passing scores for the Core 1 (675) and Core 2 (700) exams, indicating the varying levels of difficulty or the depth of knowledge required for each section.

💡Exam retirement

Exam retirement refers to the discontinuation of a certification exam after a certain date. The script mentions that the A+ exams were released in April 2022 and typically remain valid for about 3.5 years, suggesting that candidates should be aware of and plan their exam schedule accordingly.

💡Study groups

Study groups are organized sessions where individuals come together to learn and prepare for exams collectively. The script promotes monthly study groups for A+, Network+, and Security+ on the Professor Messer platform, indicating a community-based approach to exam preparation.

💡Time management

Time management is the efficient allocation of time during an exam to answer all questions effectively. The script advises on the importance of time management during the 90-minute A+ exams, suggesting strategies such as skipping performance-based questions initially and revisiting them later.

Highlights

CompTIA A+ is one of the most popular IT certifications globally, used to introduce people to IT or demonstrate job-ready skills.

A+ certification is often a prerequisite for IT job positions, as seen in many job postings.

CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, manages the A+ certification and is a leading provider of vendor-neutral IT certifications.

CompTIA certifications are recognized worldwide and available in multiple languages, reflecting the global IT industry's needs.

James Messer's IT training courses aim to help others secure jobs or advance in the IT field using his extensive experience.

The A+ certification involves two exams: 220-1101 (Core 1) and 220-1102 (Core 2), both released in April 2022.

The training course is designed to cover all CompTIA exam objectives in small, digestible video segments.

All course videos are freely available on professormesser.com and the YouTube channel without registration or paywalls.

The 220-1101 exam covers five domains including mobile devices, networking, hardware, virtualization, cloud computing, and hardware/network troubleshooting.

The 220-1102 exam has four domains: operating systems, security, software troubleshooting, and operational procedures.

Both exams are 90 minutes long with a maximum of 90 questions, and have different passing scores (675 for Core 1, 700 for Core 2).

There is no time restriction or order for taking the two exams, but both must be passed before they are retired.

Exams may include performance-based questions in addition to multiple-choice, requiring practical task completion.

CompTIA exam objectives are comprehensive and available on comptia.org, essential for exam preparation.

Hands-on experience is recommended for effective learning, with lab recommendations provided on the Professor Messer website.

Practice exams are crucial for self-assessment before the actual exam to understand what to expect.

Videos are indexed with numbers corresponding to CompTIA exam objectives for easy topic location.

Study methods can be flexible, allowing for either sequential or selective video topic viewing.

CompTIA exam objectives serve as a checklist for ensuring readiness before booking the exam.

Testing environment familiarity is advised, whether at a testing center or at home, with specific CompTIA rules to follow.

Time management during the exam is critical; consider skipping performance-based questions initially and revisiting them later.

Exam results provide detailed feedback on performance, including topics that may require further study.

Professor Messer offers additional resources, live study groups, and a supportive community for A+ certification aspirants.

Transcripts

If you're watching this video, then you're probably interested

in the CompTIA A+ certification.

And why wouldn't you be, because it

is one of the most popular IT certifications in the world.

It's commonly used to introduce people

to information technology or to provide people

with a way to show that they know the skills required

to get a job working in IT.

This is a great starting point in the industry.

And if you look at job postings in your area,

you'll probably see a number of jobs where an A+ certification

is a prerequisite or a requirement for getting that

position.

The A+ certification is managed by CompTIA or the Computing

Technology Industry Association.

Not only is CompTIA one of the largest providers of IT

certifications, their certifications

are also vendor neutral.

This means that the information in the exam objectives

is not specific to a single vendor,

but instead covers many different vendors across IT.

CompTIA members include manufacturers, resellers,

training organizations, and anyone

else who would be interested in making sure

that we have a solid foundation of IT professionals.

The CompTIA has certifications are recognized around the world

and you'll find their exams are available

in many different languages.

I'm James Messer and this is the first video in my A+ series

available on professormesser.com or on the Professor Messer

YouTube channel.

My experience is almost exclusively

in information technology going back

to supercomputer operations, hardware troubleshooting,

networking, and cybersecurity.

I take all of the experience that I've

had throughout my career and I build

IT training courses to help others get a job

or get a better job.

This course covers two exams that are associated with the A+

certification.

The first is the two 220-1101, we sometimes

refer to this as the Core 1 exam.

And there's the 220-1102 that is called the Core 2 exam.

Both of these exams were released on April the 20th

of 2022.

This course is designed to give you

everything you need to learn from the CompTIA exam

objectives and it's separated into small bit-sized videos.

So you can find exactly the information

you're ready to learn.

You can watch a short video on those topics.

And then you can decide whether to watch another video

or to come back later and watch more of those.

All of the videos for these courses

are available on the Professor Messer website

or on our YouTube channel.

Every minute of every video is available in either

of those locations and nothing is held behind in a paywall.

You won't be asked for any registration

and there's nothing additional need to provide.

You simply need to visit one of those sites

and you can immediately start watching the training course.

Our goal is to create a strong foundation of IT professionals.

And we think creating this training is something

that can give people an opportunity

to get their very first job in IT

or to move up into a better job in it.

There's no catches with this course.

There's nothing extra you need to purchase and nothing

you need to do extra to be able to watch the videos.

Every single video is available for you

to watch online for free.

Some folks would like to have an offline version of this course

and there are video and audio options available for purchase.

There's also a set of course notes

you can purchase in either PDF or a physical book format that

includes the text, the diagrams, and the charts

that I have in all of my videos.

All of these resources, and much more

on my website at professormesser.com

The 220-1101 exam, or Core 1 exam,

consists of five different domains.

Mobile devices, networking, hardware, virtualization

and cloud computing, and hardware

and network troubleshooting.

This exam is 90 minutes long and you'll

get a maximum of 90 questions on the exam,

although you could get fewer than 90 questions.

The passing score you're looking for

is a 675 on a scale from 100 to 900.

The other exam that you'll need to take

is the 220-1102, or Core 2 exam, it consists of four domains.

Operating systems, security, software troubleshooting,

and operational procedures.

This is also a 90 minute exam with a maximum of 90 questions.

Although the scale is the same between 100 and 900,

you have to do a little bit better on the Core 2 exam,

passing score is a 700.

Both of these exams have to be passed for you to be A+

certified.

There's no time restriction between these two exams.

You could take these exams years apart if you wanted to

and there's no order that you have to go through.

You could take Core 1 first and then core second.

Or you could reverse this and take Core 2 first and then take

Core 1.

The goal is to simply pass both of these exams and as long

as you're able to do that you're A+ certified.

The only requirement is you must pass both of these exams

before they're retired.

These exams were released on April the 20th of 2022

and usually these exams stay around about 3 and 1/2 years.

I would recommend looking at the CompTIA website

to confirm what the retirement date might be,

especially if you're planning to take this exam sometime

near that retirement date.

CompTIA keeps everything updated on their website

so if you're interested in getting a copy of the exam

objectives or you want to learn more about the retirement

dates you'll find them all on comptia.org.

The exam itself may be a little different than industry exams

that you've taken in the past.

You're probably already familiar with multiple choice type

questions.

Those are the questions that have multiple answers

to choose from and those are very common on industry

certification exams.

These exams also have a handful of performance

based questions right at the beginning of the exam.

These usually require you to complete a task.

They may put you at a command prompt and ask you

to perform a function.

These might be matching questions or sorting questions.

They may have drag and drop components

associated with them.

But the point is that they can ask you anything from the exam

objectives in any form.

And although these aren't multiple choice based questions

all of the information that you need to learn

comes directly from the CompTIA exam objectives.

The CompTIA exam objectives are available on the comptia.org

website.

And you may be asked anything from those set of objectives

on the exam.

So make sure you're very familiar with all

of the topics listed in those exam objectives

and you'll do just fine on the exam.

Before you start your studies and perhaps before you go in

to take your exam make sure you reference these exam

objectives.

They provide an extensive list of everything

you need to know to be successful with this exam.

You also want to find a good video training course to watch

and we cover every single topic from those CompTIA exam

objectives.

We also recommend that you get a good book

so that you can have even more information about each

of these exam topics.

There are a number of good books available on the market

and we have our recommendations available on the Professor

Messer website.

We also recommend you get as much hands on as possible.

You might want to use your own equipment for this

and we can recommend a number of labs

that are available on the Professor Messer website.

And lastly, it's always good before booking your exam

that you test yourself to see just how much information

you've retained throughout your studies.

Make sure you try some practice exams

so that what to expect when you walk into the exam room.

You'll notice the videos in my course

have a number in the title of the video.

That number is associated with the CompTIA exam objectives

so that you can go to the objectives,

find the number you're interested in,

and then locate the video about that topic very quickly.

You'll find that most books won't follow this structure

but they do provide a cross-reference

between the information that's in a particular book chapter

and which exam objectives are associated with those topics.

This makes it very easy to find the video

that you may be looking for because the exact numbers will

be listed in your book.

So the method you use for studying is really up to you.

If you'd like to jump around from video topic

to video topic, you can do it that way.

Or you can simply start at the beginning of our video series

and watch it all the way through one video at a time.

During this video we've mentioned how important

it is to have the CompTIA exam objectives because they tell

you everything you need to know for the exams, which means

this also makes a very good checklist before booking

your exam.

You can go through the entire objective list

and know exactly which topics might need a little more study

before booking your exam.

If you're planning to take this exam at a testing center

you may want to take some time to stop by and see what type

of testing environment they have.

It's always good to make sure you're

comfortable with the location of the testing center

and that the testing center itself

is providing the best possible environment for taking an exam.

Of course, you could also take your exam at home

but there are a few additional requirements for setting up

your testing environment.

So make sure you read through the rules on the CompTIA

website to know exactly how to set up the testing

environment at your home.

There are a number of rules on the CompTIA website

that you need to be aware of, especially with online testing,

so make sure you read through those before booking

your online exam.

And it might be a good idea to arrive early at the testing

center or be ready to take your exam prior to the test start

time.

This will give you some time to look over your notes

and become more comfortable with the testing environment.

Whether you're taking the test at home or at a testing center

it's important that this is the best possible environment

to take a test.

If there's any problem with any noises or the testing

environment make sure those are taken care of immediately

before the test is over.

Since you're taking a 90 minute exam that

could have a maximum of 90 questions,

time management becomes very important.

You may want to consider jumping over

the first handful of performance based questions

and coming back to them at the end.

Make sure you take advantage of the mark option

for each individual question, which

allows you to mark that question to easily find it later on.

If your time management has gone well then

you're able to go through every single question of the exam

again before submitting it for grading.

The details of your exam results and a list

of the topics you may have missed on the exam

are available in your exam results online.

So that's it.

You're now ready to get started with your A+ studies.

You'll find everything you need on our website

at professormesser.com.

Our entire training course is available on the Professor

Messer website and all of the videos

are indexed to match the CompTIA exam objectives.

We provide closed captioning and transcripts

for all of the videos as well.

We also have a quick link to the exam objectives,

you'll find it at professormesser.com/objectives.

There's a link there that will take you

to the CompTIA website.

There's also a chat available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You can find me and others that are available to answer

your questions at professormesser.com/discord.

Make sure you check our event calendar

so you know exactly when our next live study group will be.

We do study groups each month for A+, network+,

and security+.

You can find that on our website at

professormesser.com/calendar.

We hope this introduction has giving you all the information

you need to be able to jump into our training course and earn

your A+ certification.

Best of luck with your studies and we'll

see you in the training course.