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9 Skills to Master for the New CompTIA A+ Exams

What’s new in the CompTIA A+ exams and what skills will you and your IT team need to master? First launched in 1993, the CompTIA A+ certification is considered the foundation for IT careers. It’s ideal for system administrators and IT specialists of all levels since it casts such a wide net across IT topics and is vendor-neutral, unlike AWS or Microsoft Azure certifications.

As of July 31, 2019, the 220-901 and 220-902 exams for the A+ certification were officially retired for the English version of the exams. The translation versions (non English) will be retired October 1, 2019. Changes are made to these exams about every three years to align with the evolution of IT trends and services. The new A+ Core Series replaces the 901 and 902 exams. The A+ Core Series is made up of the Core 1: 220-1001 exam and the Core 2: 220-1002 exam, both of which must be passed to receive the A+ certification.

What is CompTIA?

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a non-profit trade association for IT professionals, is best known for providing vendor-neutral training and certifications for the IT industry. The association counts 200+ IT vendors as members including AT&T, Intel, and Cisco; over 9,000 IT professionals, educators, and students in the US are CompTIA members.

The CompTIA A+ certification is an important credential for those in the IT industry and has seen major changes this year, which I’ll explore in detail here.

What’s new in the CompTIA A+ certification exam?

The new CompTIA A+ exam requires IT specialists to exhibit more knowledge on networking, cloud computing, and virtualization than previous exams. The prior emphasis on hardware and Windows software is now balanced with these additional focus areas:

• IT security fundamentals, including physical security versus logical security, as well as topics like malware detection and removal
• Configuration and support of IoT hardware and knowledge of related network protocols
• Managing network and device connectivity
• Scripting basics so that specialists can readily identify malicious code
• Handling privacy concerns, especially around GDPR
• Basic disaster prevention and recovery

Total Seminars has resources to help you study for your CompTIA Certifications

Practice Tests: TotalTester has hundreds of questions in a pool that allows you to create custom exams by exam domain or by chapter. Take exams in Practice mode with assistance (hints and explanations) or in Final mode to see if you are ready for the real exams. Complete explanations for each question.

Lab Simulations: TotalSims for A+ and Network+ have hundreds of online labs. Prepare for CompTIA’s performance-based questions and learn more about technical concepts covered on the exams.

Discount Exam Vouchers: Purchase a CompTIA voucher and save on the cost of your exams.

9 Skills to master for the CompTIA A+ 1001 and 1002 exams

The two CompTIA A+ exams cover high-level domains foundational for IT specialists. Those domains are then broken down into much more detailed subdomains. The exams themselves are a mix of multiple-choice and scenario-based questions plus performance-based questions to help visualize the real-world application of common technical issues. Each exam is comprised of 90 questions which must be completed in 90 minutes.

Here are the 9 skills areas to focus on as you prepare for the new CompTIA A+ exams, which I cover in detail in my courses for the CompTIA A+ 1001 exam and the 1002 exam.

1. Mobile devices

IT teams have to manage technology that is becoming increasingly mobile. You’ll need to know how to install and configure laptop hardware components and troubleshoot key features on most laptops. Mobile devices go well beyond laptops and exam takers will need to learn their characteristics as well as how to configure tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, e-readers, GPS devices, and even VR headsets.

2. Networking

The exam emphasizes the hardware side of networking with comparisons of the most common networking devices like switches, routers, and firewalls. You’ll also want to be familiar with wireless networking protocols and network configurations concepts.

3. Hardware

The 1001 exam’s hardware emphasis requires knowledge of installing and configuring CPUs, motherboards, RAM, and peripheral devices as well as familiarity with the cabling of these tools. For example, can you identify RJ45 cables and the various connectors needed to support an office-wide Ethernet setup?

4. Virtualization and cloud computing

While you’ll need to show knowledge of fundamental cloud computing concepts like common cloud models and virtual desktops, the exam will also provide scenarios for you to set up and configure client-side virtualizations.

5. Hardware and network troubleshooting

IT technicians are the front line for any sort of hardware and networking issues that occur in the workplace. By carefully learning best practices and troubleshooting for common problems, you’ll not only pass the 220-1001 exam, but you’ll also be a standout at work.

6. Operating systems

We now move on to the skills needed for the 220-1002 exam, which begins with learning the common operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. You’ll need to know installation and upgrade methods, command line tools, and how to solve for common operating system questions you’ll face on the job.

7. Security

Learn to keep individual computers and office networks safe by employing host-based and network-based security measures such as encryption, website authentication, and malware removal. You’ll also want to know the basics of physical security to keep your company’s hardware secure.

8. Software troubleshooting

To measure your comprehension of the software and operating systems you’re likely to work closely with, the CompTIA A+ 1002 exam will provide common scenarios that you’ll troubleshoot such as slow computer performance, short battery life on a tablet, or printing issues.

9. Operational procedures

IT technicians will inevitably face tasks that require documentation. This is necessary for inventory management, tracking regulations and compliance, and toxic waste handling, among many other best practices that may affect an IT department. 

Why get A+ certified?

The IT industry is built on certifications. I’ve been in the industry for over 25 years and am still getting certifications. They serve as a reference point for your overall experience level. If the world of IT is built on certifications, the CompTIA A+ should be the first certification pursued in an IT career. In fact, the A+ certification is named among CIO.com’s top 10 certifications to kickstart an IT career.

For individual IT professionals, a certification like the A+ will get you in the door to a company. Certification names are often used as the keywords recruiters and hiring software screen for in open roles. Even when candidates are hired without an A+ certification on their resume, I often see employers insist the new employee take the CompTIA A+ exam within the first 6 months on the job since it’s such a well-known part of an IT specialist’s toolkit.

For IT managers, ensuring your team receives industry-standard certifications validates the team’s knowledge of essential skills required for most IT tasks within the company or with any IT work that may affect customers and clients.

Finally, there are quite a bit of new topics covered in the A+ Core Series exams, so be sure to take the time to study and adequately prepare yourself before sitting for the exam. As topics like cybersecurity, networking, and the internet of things become ubiquitous across organizations of all sizes, it’s important for IT pros to keep their professional skills razor-sharp with the concepts and best practices outlined in certifications like the CompTIA A+. Future-proof your career and team by keeping your certifications current.

CompTIA launched a new version of the CompTIA A+ Exams in January 2019. You still have until July 31^st, 2019 to take the 901/902 exams. I recommend you take the 90x series while you can. No one ever asks which exam version you took. Either series makes you A+ Certified and current for 3 years from the date you take the exams.  After 3 years you must earn Continuing Education credits, pass new A+ Exams or a higher-level CompTIA exam such as Network+ or Security+.

The new exams are called:

CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1001)

CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1002)

The Current 220-901 and 220-902 exams will continue to be offered until July 31, 2019.

Either set of exams will qualify you as a CompTIA A+ Certified Tech. You must take two exams from the same series. You can’t take 901 and 1002 for example.

The new CompTIA A+ Core Series covers expanded content on growing parts of the IT support role including an expansion of baseline security topics and a different approach to defining competency in operational procedures.

Exam Details

Training:

Total Seminars has video courses, lab simulations and practice tests to prepare you for the CompTIA A+ Exams. Save with our A+ Tester + Simulation Bundle

Total Tester; is an interactive practice test software with over 800 practice test questions. You can create custom exams by chapter in Mike’s book or by exam objective.

TotalSims; prepares you for CompTIA’s performance-based questions and reinforces the technical concepts you learn in Mike’s books and videos. A+ TotalSims has over 200 lab simulations.

You can save on the cost of your CompTIA exams by purchasing Discount Vouchers from our web site.

Here’s how it works: CompTIA member companies like Total Seminars are able to purchase vouchers for the CompTIA exams and resell them to our students at a discount to the full price you would pay when you register with VUE or buy at the CompTIA web store.

Before you register for your CompTIA exam, go to Total Seminars web site and purchase a Discount Voucher. Your order will be processed and you will receive an email with your voucher number.

When you register for your CompTIA exam online at the VUE web site, you have an option to pay by credit card or by voucher. Select “voucher” and type in the voucher number you received by email when you purchased the Discount Vouchers from Total Seminars.

Example: you can save over $38* on the cost of the two CompTIA A+ Exams.

When you purchase a discount voucher it is good for up to 11 months (the exact date the voucher expires is included in your email). You must register for your exam online with VUE before the date the discount voucher expires.

NOTE; The vouchers sold on Total Seminars web site are only good in the US and Canada. Sorry we don’t have international vouchers.

Total Seminars’ TotalSims and TotalTester products will help you prepare for your CompTIA exams and make sure you are ready to pass. TotalSims help you prepare for the performance-based questions and let you do hands-on exercises to reinforce the concepts you learn while studying for the exams. Total Tester provides hundreds (A+ and Net+ have over 1000) of questions to create practice exams. You can create custom exams that focus only on objectives or chapter content you are having trouble with.

* prices change from time to time, at the time of this blog the savings sighted in the example were available on the Total Seminars web site when purchasing the “Two VUE A+ Certification Vouchers” bundle.

Effective October 1, 2018 CompTIA is raising prices on all their exams. Total Seminars sells Discount Vouchers and we are holding our voucher prices as long as supplies last. Here’s a summary of the retail pricing:

Exam                     Old Retail Price       New Retail Price       TS Discount Voucher (while they last)

A+ (each)                             $211                          $219                          $194.99

Network+                            $302                           $319                          $282.99

Security+                             $330                           $339                          $309.99

CySA+                                  $346                           $349                          $314.00

Here’s how it works: CompTIA member companies like Total Seminars are able to purchase vouchers for the CompTIA exams and resell them to students at a discount to the full price you would pay when you register with VUE or buy at the CompTIA web store.

Before you register for your CompTIA exam, go to Total Seminars web site and purchase a Discount Voucher. Your order will be processed, and you will receive an email with your voucher number.

When you register for your CompTIA exam online at the VUE web site, you have an option to pay by credit card or by voucher.  Select “voucher” and type in the voucher number you received by email when you purchased the Discount Vouchers from Total Seminars.

Example: While supplies last you can save over $48 on the cost of the two CompTIA A+ Exams.

When you purchase a discount voucher it is good for up to 11 months (the exact date the voucher expires is included in your email). You must register for your exam online with VUE before the date the discount voucher expires.

Act now before we have to raise our prices!

You studied hard, left sweat on the testing center mouse and BAM you passed your certification exam. You are officially certified as an IT pro now what? Beyond the social high-fives, like telling your friends, there are some strategic moves you can make to get the most traction from your new technology certification. Here are four ways to take immediate action.

Effective January 1, 2017 CompTIA is raising the price for all their exams. A quick summary of the old and new full retail prices:

Exam               Old Price         New Price

A+ (each)         $199.00           $205.00

Network+         $285.00           $294.00

Security+          $311.00          $320.00

Total Seminars (www.totalsem.com) sells discount vouchers (priced below the CompTIA web store retail prices) for these CompTIA exams. We are holding last year’s prices until our inventory runs out. Purchase yours now while supplies last.

If you plan on taking your exams this year be sure and purchase your vouchers now before we have to raise our discount voucher prices to reflect the higher CompTIA prices!

Act now before we have to raise our prices!

Here’s how it works: CompTIA member companies like Total Seminars are able to purchase vouchers for the CompTIA exams and resell them to students at a discount to the full retail price you would pay when you register with VUE or buy at the CompTIA web store.

Before you register for your CompTIA exam, go to Total Seminars web site and purchase a Discount Voucher. Your order will be processed and you will receive an email with your voucher number.

When you register for your CompTIA exam online at the VUE web site, you have an option to pay by credit card or by voucher. Select “voucher” and type in the voucher number you received by email when you purchased the Discount Vouchers from Total Seminars.

When you purchase a discount voucher it is good for up to 11 months (the exact date the voucher expires is included in your email). You must register for your exam online with VUE before the date the discount voucher expires.

You can save on the cost of your CompTIA exams by purchasing Discount Vouchers from our web site.

Here’s how it works: CompTIA member companies like Total Seminars are able to purchase vouchers for the CompTIA exams and resell them to students at a discount to the full price you would pay when you register with VUE or buy at the CompTIA web store.

Before you register for your CompTIA exam, go to Total Seminars web site and purchase a Discount Voucher. Your order will be processed and you will receive an email with your voucher number.

When you register for your CompTIA exam online at the VUE web site, you have an option to pay by credit card or by voucher. Select “voucher” and type in the voucher number you received by email when you purchased the Discount Vouchers from Total Seminars.

Example: you can save over $40* on the cost of the two CompTIA A+ Exams.

When you purchase a discount voucher it is good for up to 11 months (the exact date the voucher expires is included in your email). You must register for your exam online with VUE before the date the discount voucher expires.

* prices change from time to time, at the time of this blog the savings sighted in the example were available on the Total Seminars web site when purchasing the “Two VUE A+ Certification Vouchers” bundle.

CompTIA A+ 801/802 Exams to Retire June 30^th

CompTIA will be retiring the A+ 801/802 exams June 30^th. If you have been studying for the 80x series of exams you need to complete BOTH exams before the deadline. You cannot mix and match one 80x exam with one 90x exam.

The new A+ 901/902 exams were released December 2015. CompTIA allows a 6 month overlap between launching a new series of exams and retiring the previous version. Either set of exams qualifies you to be CompTIA A+ Certified.

Make sure you are ready to pass the A+ exams with Total Seminars Total Tester and TotalSims bundle. Total Tester; is an interactive practice test software with over 1000 practice test questions. You can create custom exams by chapter in Mike’s book or by exam objective. TotalSims; prepare for CompTIA’s performance-based questions and learn more about technical concepts covered on the exams.

You can also save on the cost of the exams with CompTIA Discount Vouchers.

The new 90x exams have dropped coverage of Windows XP and added Linux and OS X coverage. There is also more mobile technology, configuration and troubleshooting. Finally, there is more coverage on security and cloud computing issues.

A+ Certification Overview:

Held by over 1 ​million IT professionals worldwide, CompTIA A+ is the most essential IT certification for establishing an IT career. If you’re new to the IT industry, this will help you put your best foot forward. And if you’re already an IT professional, the CompTIA A+ certification validates your skills and can boost your career.

A+ is comprehensive and vendor-neutral A+ certified professionals have mastered the technologies found in today’s extensive and varied IT environments, from mobile to traditional devices and operating systems. They can confidently handle the most challenging technology problems more efficiently. Learn more with this infographic.

A+ validates foundational skills A+ establishes best practices in troubleshooting, networking and security across a variety of devices to set the stage for IT careers. The certification also matches professional tech skills with communication skills.

A+ is trusted by employers As businesses and governments worldwide continue to adopt mobile and cloud technology, they trust A+ certified professionals to keep their devices running and organizations working smoothly.

A+ is globally recognized and accredited CompTIA A+ is compliant with ISO 17024 standards and is approved by the U.S. Department of Defense to meet directive 8570.01-M requirements.

A+ is industry supported A+ is developed and maintained by leading IT experts. The A+ exam content stems from a combination of industry-wide survey feedback and contributions from our team of subject matter experts. Learn more about the people behind the CompTIA A+ exam development and the CompTIA A+ Advisory Committee.

Effective January 1, 2016 CompTIA is raising the price for all their exams. A quick summary of the old and new prices:

Exam               Old Price         New Price
A+ (each)         $194.00           $199.00
Network+         $277.00           $285.00
Security+          $302.00          $311.00

Total Seminars (www.totalsem.com) sells discount vouchers for these CompTIA exams. We have decided to hold last year’s prices until the end of January 2016.

If you plan on taking your exams this year be sure and purchase your vouchers now before we have to raise our discount voucher prices to reflect the higher CompTIA prices!

Act now before we have to raise our prices!

At a time when some industries are shedding jobs, IT offers a wider range of entry-level positions and career advancement opportunities than just about any other field.

Consider these facts:

• There are currently over 500,000 job openings for IT professionals in the U.S., according to CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association.

• U.S. employers are expected to need 140,000 network system and data communications analysts, a 53% increase, over the next decade, according to the U.S. Department of Labor..

• Industry observers are sounding the alarm about a growing networking and security skills gap. That’s good news for Network+ certified techs with these much needed skills.

• 91% of hiring managers indicate that CompTIA certifications are valuable in validating expertise.

• The average salary of a network engineer is $91,000

Think of an IT career as a lifelong learning path. Earning certifications is how you show employers you’re advancing your skills and are ready for the next step. A typical certification path would include:

CompTIA A+ Cert. => Network+ Cert. => Security+ Cert. => Microsoft or Cisco Certs.

The Network+ Certification exam covers a lot of material. The list price for the exam is $277. You want to make sure you’re ready to pass the exam the first time so you don’t have to pay for a retake.

Studying for the Network+ exam: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Here’s the best way to learn the concepts, memorize the material, and make sure you’re ready to pass the exam:

Learn

Step 1; whether you’re an experienced network tech or just starting out, you need to make sure you know all the concepts covered on the exams. With so much to learn the best way to start is to find a good textbook or video training course. Don’t try to learn everything at once. Start with bite sized pieces. Take a first bite; read a few chapters or watch a series of videos that cover a related group of topics.

Practice

Step 2; Take a break from learning new concepts and practice what you have learned in the first group of topics. I recommend setting up a home lab. You will need several computers, routers, switches, cabling and a simple server to start. You can usually get some used equipment to start with and build from there. You will need to set up a network in your home lab and add functions as you cover topics in your studies. You can also purchase a set of Network+ simulations. Try to find simulations that track chapter by chapter the book or videos you are using to study. This will allow you to get hands-on experience that will reinforce what you have learned and help you commit the information to memory. These types of simulations can also help prepare you for the performance-based questions you will see on the CompTIA Network+ exam.

Take a practice test

Step 3; Get a good set of practice test questions; preferably one that works with your study materials and allows you to test on groups of chapters or topics. This way you can test yourself only on the topics you have studied so far, see where your weak areas are and go back and review them before you go on to the next group of topics.

Repeat

Step 4; Repeat this process one bite size set of topics at a time. Keep the amount of material you try to master at one time small, practice and test yourself until you are confident before you take the next bite. Pretty soon the elephant doesn’t look so big. Finally, once you have covered all the material for the entire exam use the practice test software to covering everything and find any last weak areas for review.

This step-by-step study methodology will help you tackle the large amount of material covered on the CompTIA Network+ exam in a systematic way that makes it easier to remember everything and make sure you are ready to pass the exam the first time.

The key to this approach is to find training videos, simulations and practice test software that work well together and allow you to use them in matching bite size pieces. Total Seminars offers videos, simulations and practice test software that all map to Mike Meyer All-in-One book. The author Mike Meyers offers Video training plus TotalSims, Network+ simulations and Total Tester, Network+ practice test software on his Total Seminars web site. Both these products track chapter by chapter with the videos. Total Seminars also has discount vouchers that will save you on the cost of the CompTIA exam.