- Who Needs This Book?
- Technician Qualities
- Breaking into IT with the CompTIA A+ Certification
- Basic Skills for This Course
- Types of Computers
- Basic Computer Hardware
- Mice and Keyboards
- Common Peripherals
- 1s and 0s
- Safety Notes
- Chapter Summary
- Key Terms
- Review Questions
- Exercises
- Activities
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Breaking into IT with the CompTIA A+ Certification
Many IT-related jobs require the A+ certification. Even if not required, the certification shows that you have a good understanding of how computers work. This certification does not guarantee you a job, but it does open doors in that a company may interview you if you lack IT experience but have the A+ certification.
A+ certification requires that you take two exams: Core 1 (220-1101) and Core 2 (220-1102). Each of these exams covers specific material. Tables 1.1 and 1.2 show the major categories (domains) for each exam and the extent to which they are represented.
Table 1.1 CompTIA Core 1 (220-1101) A+ certification domains
Domain |
Percentage of examination |
Chapter(s) |
|---|---|---|
1.0 Mobile Devices |
15% |
10 |
2.0 Networking |
20% |
12–13 |
3.0 Hardware |
25% |
1–9, 11 |
4.0 Virtualization and Cloud Computing |
11% |
3, 12 |
5.0 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting |
29% |
1–13 |
Table 1.2 CompTIA Core 2 (220-1102) A+ certification domains
Domain |
Percentage of examination |
Chapter(s) |
|---|---|---|
1.0 Operating Systems |
31% |
14–17 |
2.0 Security |
25% |
18 |
3.0 Software Troubleshooting |
22% |
14–18 |
4.0 Operational Procedures |
22% |
19 |
“What are the exams like?” you might ask. The exams include multiple-choice and performance-based questions. A performance-based question might be a drag-and-drop scenario or might ask you to do something specific on a particular device or within a particular operating system environment. Each exam is 90 minutes long and contains a maximum of 90 questions. The testing system allows you to bookmark questions that you might want to return to at the end if you have time. More information can be found on the CompTIA website (www.comptia.org).
At the beginning of each chapter, you will see a list of the CompTIA A+ exam objectives that are covered in that chapter. At the end of each chapter, we’ve provided some A+ certification exam tips—tips to definitely pay attention to if you plan on taking the A+ exams. I recommend that you review the exam objectives, study material specific to them, and take some practice exams. Pearson IT Certification, the publisher of this book, develops many different certification exam prep resources that suit various study styles. Go to http://pearsonitcertification.com/aplus to browse the options.