CompTIA A+ Certification Overview

CompTIA-A The CompTIA A+ certification is the industry standard for computer support technicians. The international, vendor-neutral certification proves competence in areas such as installation, preventative maintenance, networking, security and troubleshooting. CompTIA A+ certified technicians also have excellent customer service and communication skills to work with clients.

CompTIA A+ is part of the certification track for corporations such as Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco and Novell. Other technology companies, including CompuCom and Ricoh, have made CompTIA A+ certification mandatory for their service technicians. More than 700,000 people worldwide have become CompTIA A+ certified since the program’s inception in 1993.

The latest version of CompTIA A+ is CompTIA A+ 2009 Edition. Two exams are necessary to be certified: CompTIA A+ Essentials, exam code 220-701; and CompTIA A+ Practical Application, exam code 220-702.

CompTIA A+ Essentials measures the necessary competencies of an entry-level IT professional with a recommended 500 hours of hands-on experience in the lab or field. It tests for technical understanding of computer technology, networking and security, as well as the communication skills and professionalism now required of all entry-level IT professionals.

CompTIA A+ Practical Application is an extension of the knowledge and skills identified in CompTIA A+ Essentials, with more of a "hands-on" orientation focused on scenarios in which troubleshooting and tools must be applied to resolve problems.


For candidates certified under previous versions of the exam:

CompTIA A+ certified professionals who are encouraged or required by their employers to remain current on their certifications have two options:

1. Take the CompTIA A+ 2009 Edition (two exams). 

2. Only those who are certified in the most recent version of CompTIA A+ (2006 objectives) by taking 220-601 and one of the following: 220-602, 220-603 and 220-604 exams are eligible to update their currency through taking the CompTIA A+ bridge exam (one exam), which covers the new objectives.

    CompTIA has retired the English version of the 600 series of CompTIA A+ in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and South Africa. The English version will retire in all other countries on August 31, 2010. The educational versions of these exams (JK0-601, JK0-602, JK0-603 and JK0-604), as well as the German, Korean, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese translations of the 220-601 and 220-602 CompTIA A+ exams, will remain in the market for use until August 31, 2010.

    TEST DETAILS

    CompTIA A+ 2009 Edition

    Required exams:
    CompTIA A+ Essentials, CompTIA A+ Practical Application
    Number of questions:
    100 for each exam
    Length of test:
    90 minutes each
    Passing score:
    675 for CompTIA A+ Essentials, 700 for CompTIA A+ Practical Application
    on a scale of 100-900
    Languages:
    English, Spanish, German, Turkish, Japanese, Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
    Coming Soon: Korean, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese
    Exam codes:
    220-701 for CompTIA A+ Essentials
    220-702 for CompTIA A+ Practical Application
     

    CompTIA A+ 2009 Edition Bridge Exam

    Required exam parts:
    One exam
    Number of questions:
    85
    Length of test:
    90 minutes
    Passing score:
    500 on a scale of 100-900
    Languages:
    English
    Exam codes:
    BR0-003

    Download Exam Objectives

    2009 Exam Objectives
    Both CompTIA A+ 220-701 and CompTIA A+220-702 are required for certification.

    2006 Exam Objectives
    Two exams are required to achieve certification. One of the exams must be CompTIA A+ Essentials, CompTIA A+ 220-601.