CompTIA A+ V15 (exams 220-1201 and 220-1202) launched in March 2025, replacing the older 220-1101/1102 series. The update restructures both exams around scenario-based troubleshooting instead of rote hardware memorization. If you are preparing for or considering A+ certification, the V15 changes affect your study strategy, lab setup, and resource choices. This guide covers every major update, a concrete 8-week study plan, and what to expect on exam day.
Core 1 (220-1201): Key Changes
Core 1 remains hardware and networking focused but now weights troubleshooting at 28%, the single largest domain. CompTIA shifted questions toward real-world support scenarios rather than static component identification. You will still need to know RAM types, CPU sockets, and storage interfaces, but expect questions framed as “a user reports X symptom” rather than “what does Y connector do.”
Display and Peripheral Updates
Modern display technology received a significant overhaul. The exam now tests knowledge of Mini-LED panels, high refresh rates (120Hz+), pixel density scaling, and expanded color gamuts. Common troubleshooting scenarios include flickering, screen tearing, washed-out colors, and blurry text scaling on high-DPI displays — exactly the tickets a help desk technician handles for design or engineering departments.
Expect questions where you diagnose a display issue through a chain of elimination: verify cable type (DisplayPort vs HDMI bandwidth limits), check dock station display output limits, confirm the laptop supports the external monitor’s resolution, and rule out GPU driver issues. According to ITU Online’s analysis of the V15 objectives, display troubleshooting now appears in approximately 15% of hardware-related questions, up from under 5% in the previous version.
3D Printing is Now on the Exam
One of the more unexpected additions: 3D printer troubleshooting. You need to understand calibration, nozzle condition, filament quality, bed leveling, temperature settings, and slicer software profiles. This might seem niche, but CompTIA includes it because schools, engineering firms, and even some enterprise departments now maintain 3D printers as shared equipment. A typical exam question presents a print failure symptom — layers not adhering, warped output, or under-extrusion — and asks you to identify the root cause from a list.
Core 2 (220-1202): Security Gets Bigger
Core 2 splits its weight between Operating Systems (28%) and Security (28%), making security equal in importance to OS knowledge. This reflects how help desk roles have evolved: tier-1 technicians handle MFA failures, locked accounts, endpoint quarantine alerts, and basic malware triage daily.
Zero Trust and Modern Security Frameworks
Zero Trust architecture is now an explicit objective. You need to understand that network location no longer confers trust — every access request gets verified against identity, device posture, and policy. The exam tests this concept through scenario questions: “A remote employee cannot access a cloud application after a password reset. MFA is confirmed. What is the most likely cause?” The answer involves checking device compliance posture, not just credentials.
Extended Detection and Response (XDR) and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) appear as awareness-level objectives. You do not need to configure these tools, but you must understand what they do: XDR aggregates signals across endpoints, email, and cloud workloads; MDR outsources monitoring and response to a third-party provider. Privileged Access Management (PAM) and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) are also testable. Expect questions about why an admin account accessing customer data triggers a DLP alert or why a standard user cannot install software due to PAM restrictions.
Windows 11: TPM, UEFI, and Secure Boot
Windows 11 configuration now dominates OS-related questions. You need practical knowledge of Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 requirements, UEFI firmware settings, and Secure Boot chain validation. Common exam scenarios involve boot failures: a user upgrades to Windows 11 and the system will not complete startup. The root cause is typically a disabled TPM in UEFI, an unsupported CPU lacking TPM, or Secure Boot being turned off.
Windows Hello biometric authentication and PIN-based sign-in troubleshooting are also on the objectives. Know how to reset a Windows Hello PIN from the Settings app, what to do when facial recognition fails due to camera driver issues, and how to fall back to a password when biometric hardware fails.
Virtualization and Cloud Computing
Virtualization and cloud computing account for 11% of Core 1, but the depth increased substantially. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) troubleshooting is a new focus area: when a user reports that their virtual desktop session is lagging or disconnecting, you need to diagnose whether the problem is the endpoint device, the network path, or the host server resources. Know the difference between Type I hypervisors (VMware ESXi, Hyper-V bare metal) and Type II hypervisors (VMware Workstation, VirtualBox running on a host OS).
Container basics are now an objective. You need to understand that containers package applications with their dependencies, run in isolated environments, and share the host kernel (unlike VMs which include their own OS). The exam does not require Docker commands, but you should know why a containerized app fails (wrong port mapping, resource limits exceeded, permission denied on volume mounts) and how containers differ from full virtual machines.
Cloud service models — IaaS, PaaS, SaaS — remain testable, but expect questions framed around real purchasing decisions. For example: “An organization needs a database platform but does not want to manage the underlying server OS. Which cloud model fits?” The answer is PaaS, and you need to distinguish it from IaaS (where you still manage the OS) and SaaS (where you do not manage the application at all).
AI Fundamentals for IT Support
AI literacy is a new objective across both exams, reflecting how generative AI tools have entered the workplace. You need to understand the risks IT support staff face when users interact with AI tools: bias in outputs, hallucinated information presented as fact, and data exposure when employees paste confidential information into public AI chatbots.
The exam tests this through policy-based scenarios. For example: “A user reports that a customer’s financial data was included in a query to an AI writing assistant. What is the primary concern?” The answer is data leakage and potential compliance violation. You should also know when IT should restrict AI tool access per corporate policy and how to advise users to verify AI-generated technical answers against approved documentation sources.
Linux and macOS Support Objectives
Multi-OS support is no longer a peripheral topic. Core 2 now expects you to navigate Linux file structures (understand that /home is the user directory equivalent, /etc holds configuration files, and /var/log stores logs), manage basic file permissions (read, write, execute for owner, group, and others), and use command-line tools for system information gathering.
For macOS, know System Settings (the redesigned Control Panel replacement), device enrollment for enterprise management, AirDrop troubleshooting, and how Time Machine backups work. Expect mixed-environment scenarios: “A user with a Mac laptop cannot connect to the corporate Wi-Fi network that Windows devices access without issue.” The troubleshooting path includes verifying certificate installation on macOS, checking the network profile configuration, and confirming that the macOS version supports the enterprise authentication method (such as EAP-TLS).
8-Week Study Plan for A+ V15
This plan assumes 12-15 hours per week, which aligns with CompTIA’s recommended experience level and the typical completion time for candidates with some IT background.
Weeks 1-2: Core 1 — Hardware and Networking
Focus on mobile devices (13%), networking (23%), and hardware (25%). Build a physical lab if possible: disassemble and reassemble a desktop PC, crimp Ethernet cables, configure a SOHO router with DHCP, port forwarding, and a basic VPN. For networking, use CompTIA’s official exam objectives document as your checklist — every objective is fair game. Practice with packet tracer or a free network simulator to reinforce protocol and port knowledge.
Weeks 3-4: Core 1 — Virtualization and Troubleshooting
Study virtualization concepts (11%) and the hardware/network troubleshooting domain (28%). Install VirtualBox or Hyper-V on your machine. Create two VMs (Windows and Linux), practice snapshot management, adjust resource allocation, and break things deliberately: remove a virtual network adapter and diagnose connectivity loss, restrict RAM allocation and observe performance degradation. This hands-on approach directly maps to the exam’s scenario-based format.
Weeks 5-6: Core 2 — Operating Systems and Security
Core 2’s two largest domains run parallel in your study. Configure Windows 11 security features: enable TPM 2.0 in UEFI, activate Secure Boot, set up Windows Hello, configure BitLocker, and test MFA through Microsoft Authenticator. For Linux, install Ubuntu in a VM and practice navigating the file system, changing file permissions with chmod, and checking logs with journalctl. Study Zero Trust, XDR, MDR, PAM, and DLP concepts using vendor-neutral explanations rather than memorizing specific product features.
Weeks 7-8: Practice Tests and Weakness Review
Take full-length practice exams for both Core 1 and Core 2. Our guide to the best IT certification practice tests ranked for 2026 covers which platforms offer the most accurate A+ V15 question banks. For every missed question, document three things: the exact symptom described, the subsystem involved, and why the correct answer is right. This habit trains diagnostic thinking rather than pattern matching. According to FigiGeExams’ 2026 certification guide, candidates who complete at least three full practice exams score 15-20% higher on their first attempt than those who rely on reading alone.
Exam Day: What to Expect
Each exam has a maximum of 90 questions (multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, and performance-based) with a 90-minute time limit. Core 1 requires a score of 675 out of 900; Core 2 requires 700 out of 900. Both exams launched on March 25, 2025, with an estimated retirement around 2028. You cannot mix versions — both exams must be from the same series (either 1101/1102 or 1201/1202).
Performance-based questions (PBQs) appear at the beginning of each exam. These simulate a troubleshooting environment where you click through interfaces to identify and resolve issues. Budget 15-20 minutes for PBQs and flag them if you get stuck — you can return to them later. The remaining time should be sufficient for multiple-choice questions at roughly one minute per question.
Salary and Career Impact in 2026
CompTIA A+ remains the most requested entry-level IT certification by employers. According to Crucial Exams’ salary analysis, IT support specialists with A+ certification earn an average of $56,500 per year to start, while help desk technicians average $48,500. PassItExams’ 2026 salary report places the range for A+ holders in IT support roles at $45,000-$65,000, with Security+ stacked on top pushing the upper bound higher.
The A+ certification is DoD 8140 approved for technical support specialist, system administrator, and cyber defense infrastructure support specialist roles, which makes it a gateway for government and contractor positions. For career changers or early-career professionals, A+ delivers the highest ROI among IT certifications when measured by exam cost (approximately $370 per exam, $740 total) against salary increase — most candidates recoup the investment within their first month of certified employment. From A+, most professionals advance to CompTIA Security+ as their next certification, and combining both significantly increases earning potential.