The CompTIA A+ certification is a great way to build up your skills without a college degree, switching careers, or to serve as continuing education in the IT or Computer Science fields. It covers a broad range of topics providing you with a foundation to computers hardware, software, networking, and the internet. It should also help clarify the difference between the two career paths you can take (IT and Computer Science) and which is right for you.
Many technical support specialist roles often adds this as a Nice to Have credential on the job listing. From my experience after earning the CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network+ I was able to secure a contract role installing wifi briefly before getting my first full time job in tech as a technical support specialist for a SaaS company. The certification definitely makes a difference and it is worth it even if you want to go into Computer Science. If you want to pursue IT, the Network+ and Security+ are other certifications that are very popular.
This post is to focus on how to pass your A+ exams as I imagine you may have already decided to earn your certification.
To earn your CompTIA A+ certification you must pass two exams. The second exam took me two attempts to pass so be sure to prepare yourself. Each attempt costs $253 so be sure you feel confident and try some practice tests before the actual exam.
If I recall correctly it took me 1-2 months of studying before taking my first attempt on the two exams for the CompTIA A+ certification. I then spent 1-2 months studying for my Network+ certification before returning to study 1 month and take my second attempt of exam Part 2 of the CompTIA A+ certification. Realistically you can expect to earn your CompTIA A+ certification in at least 2-3 months although I certainly wish all the success for you to earn it faster.
My best guess if that I spent about 30min - 1 hour a day studying although I imagine I took some days off from studying.
I used a number of resources to pass my CompTIA A+ exams which I’d like to share with you so you can pass on the first attempt and pass as fast as possible.
STEP 1: Buy a book that covers the exam and read it front to back. I even took notes in my book.
CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Eleventh Edition (Exams 220-1101 & 220-1102)
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The book will get you 80% of the way there to pass the exam. From what I recall the exam can be slightly different from the book so don’t only rely on the book as your only study material. However it is essential, in my opinion, to pass the exam and actually learn the material. I found the All-in-One book to be quite interesting actually and didn’t find the studying boring. The Eleventh is aligned with the objectives for the 2022 exam for both the 220-1101 (Part 1) and 220-1102 (Part 2) exams. Keep in mind that I used the same book but an older version and I took the exams a few months before the objectives changed in 2022.
STEP 2: Watch YouTube videos
Professor Messer is doing excellent work to help you prepare for the CompTIA A+ certification and you can check out his channel here. PowerCert Animated Videos is another excellent channel to help you prepare for the CompTIA A+ certification.
STEP 3: Take practice exams to prepare for the test
I recommend purchasing practice exams from Professor Messer’s website. That are structured similar to the exam. I found the exam to be harder but the practice exams will get you close to the actual test. There are also some other free challenges and resources on the website so be sure to check those out.
If you follow these three steps you should be pretty prepared for the exam.
The CompTIA A+ certification lasts 3 years but you can choose to extend the certification with continuing education (CEUs). Before my certification expired I would receive emails to complete an 8-10hr eCourse for $139 to renew my certification. I did not pay it. In my opinion for most people I would not bother extending the certification and giving CompTIA more money unless your job requires it or you plan to earn a new certification. Doublecheck with CompTIA but a number of more advanced certifications renew previous certifications which is very beneficial. Keep in mind you must earn the new certification before the previous certification expires.
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