The A+ Essentials exam is the first of CompTIA’s two exams required for completing the A+ certification. The A+ certification is an entry-level certification for those individuals who wish to pursue their careers in computer hardware and software support. The candidate must pass two exams in order to get his A+ certification. You can choose one of the other three elective exams—IT Technician Exam 220–602, Remote Support Technician Exam 220–603 or Depot Technician Exam 220–604—to get an appropriate A+ certification. The second part of this book (Chapters 4, 5, and 6) covers the elective exams.
The main focus of the A+ Essentials exam is to test your knowledge on the basics of computer hardware. The exam focuses on your skills to install, build, upgrade, repair, configure, troubleshoot, optimize, diagnose problems, and to perform preventive maintenance of personal computers and the installed operating systems.
Aside from testing your knowledge of computer components and operating systems, this exam also covers networking concepts and printing and scanning devices. It has recently been revised to include newer areas of study, such as computer security, safety and environmental issues, and communications and professionalism. Another new area is the knowledge of laptops and portable devices. In each of the study areas, you are expected to be skilled in identifying individual computer components as well as in installing, upgrading, and configuring them. You must also have hands-on experience in optimizing performance, using appropriate tools to diagnose problems, and performing preventive maintenance.
The approximate percentage of each section in Exams 220–602, 220–603, and 220–604 is given in Table 1-1.
Table 1-1. A+ Essentials exam domains and percentage of coverage
Domain | Percentage of coverage |
|---|---|
Personal computer components | 21 percent |
Laptops and mobile devices | 11 percent |
Operating systems | 21 percent |
Printers and scanners | 9 percent |
Networks | 12 percent |
Security | 11 percent |
Safety and environmental issues | 10 percent |
Communication and professionalism | 5 percent |
CompTIA recommends that in order to be prepared for the A+ Essentials exam, you should have approximately 500 hours of actual active experience with computer hardware, either in the field or in a lab. It is a good idea to have studied an A+ certification exam self-paced study guide or attended a training course before you attempt to write any of the A+ exams. If you have, you should be ready to use this section of the book as your final exam preparation.
Tip
A+ Essentials is the first of the two required exams to complete your A+ certification. For the second exam, you can choose from Exams 220–602, 220–603, and 220–604. The combination of A+ Essentials and 220–602 gets you the IT Technician certification. A+ Essentials and Exam 220–603 gets you the Remote Support Technician certification. Similarly, the combination of A+ Essentials and 220–604 gets you the Depot Technician certification.
Get A+, Network+, Security+ Exams in a Nutshell now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
