CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201): Official Exam Format, Cost, and Domain Weightings for the V15 Series

What CompTIA  Exam Actually Certifies

Core 1 is the hardware-and-infrastructure half of CompTIA's A+ certification — a credential you only fully earn by passing both Core 1 (220-1201) and its companion exam, Core 2 (220-1202). CompTIA doesn't offer a single combined exam; the two are independent, can be taken in either order, and must be passed within three years of each other to count toward the full A+ certification. This page covers Core 1 specifically, which focuses on the physical and logical skills tied to devices, networking, and infrastructure rather than operating systems and security (Core 2's territory).

Core 1's scope centers on mobile devices, networking fundamentals, hardware components, virtualization and cloud computing basics, and — the single heaviest domain — hardware and network troubleshooting. This is the current V15 exam series, launched March 25, 2025, which replaced the prior 220-1101/220-1102 exam pair. If you're studying from material referencing those older exam codes, it describes a retired version — Core 1 and Core 2 must be taken from the same version, so mixing old 220-1101 study material with the current 220-1201 exam is a genuine mistake, not just a minor mismatch.

Who CompTIA Exam Is For (and Who It's Not For)

There's no formal prerequisite — CompTIA recommends, but doesn't require, 12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support specialist role, specifically citing help desk support technician, desktop support technician, or field service technician job roles as the relevant background. Anyone can register and sit the exam regardless of documented experience.

A+ remains the most commonly requested credential in entry-level IT job postings, ahead of any vendor-specific certification at that level, which makes Core 1 a strong starting point for someone entering IT support, help desk, or desktop support work with limited or no prior professional credentials. It's a weaker fit for someone already established in a specialized IT role (say, a working network engineer or systems administrator) looking to validate advanced skills — A+ sits at the foundational end of CompTIA's certification ladder, and more experienced candidates typically find its content review-level rather than genuinely challenging.

Exam Format and Structure

The exam runs 90 minutes with a maximum of 90 questions, mixing standard multiple choice (both single- and multiple-response) with drag-and-drop items and performance-based questions (PBQs) — simulated, hands-on tasks rather than straightforward recall questions. PBQs are worth specifically preparing for separately from multiple choice study, since they test whether you can actually complete a task (like correctly cabling a network diagram or configuring a device setting) rather than just recognize the right answer among options.

A commonly repeated pacing tip among test-takers: answer the straightforward multiple-choice questions first, then work through the more time-intensive performance-based tasks, since PBQs can consume disproportionate time relative to their question count if tackled first and get stuck on.

Domains and Topics Covered

CompTIA's official exam domains for 220-1201, as published directly through CompTIA's authorized training partners, break down as follows:

Hardware and Network Troubleshooting is the single largest domain, and it's worth treating as more than just "domain 5" in isolation — it draws directly on material from domains 2 and 3, testing whether you can apply networking and hardware knowledge to systematically diagnose and resolve real problems rather than just recall component specifications. Candidates who memorize hardware specs in isolation but skip troubleshooting scenario practice are a commonly cited pattern among those who fail on a first attempt.

Virtualization and Cloud Computing, despite carrying the smallest weight at 11%, reflects a genuinely modern addition to A+'s traditional hardware-support scope — covering cloud service models, deployment types, and virtual machine concepts that wouldn't have appeared in older A+ exam versions from years past.

Cost Breakdown

Exam voucher pricing shows some real variance across sources and regions — figures ranging from roughly $246 to $265 USD appear depending on the reseller or region, with $253 being a commonly cited figure tied to CompTIA's official U.S. retail store price. Since Core 1 is only half of the full A+ certification, budget for both exams: passing Core 1 and Core 2 together typically runs in the $490–$530 range at standard pricing, before any bundle discounts, academic pricing, or employer-sponsored voucher programs that CompTIA's training partner network sometimes offers.

Once certified, maintaining A+ through CompTIA's Continuing Education (CE) program carries additional fees — commonly cited at a total of around $75 over the three-year renewal cycle — separate from the initial exam costs.

Prerequisites and Eligibility

None are formally enforced. CompTIA's recommended 12 months of hands-on IT support experience is exactly that — a recommendation for readiness, not a registration requirement. Complete beginners regularly attempt and pass A+ as a genuine entry point into IT, though CompTIA's own guidance suggests real hands-on exposure (even informal, personal troubleshooting experience) meaningfully improves first-attempt pass rates given how much of Core 1 leans on applied, scenario-based problem-solving rather than pure definitions.

How CompTIA Exam Is Scored and What Passing Requires

You need a scaled score of 675 out of a possible 900 to pass Core 1 — note this differs from Core 2's passing threshold of 700, since the two exams use independently calibrated scaled-scoring models rather than a shared cutoff. Like most CompTIA exams, this isn't a simple percentage-correct calculation; the scaled score accounts for the relative difficulty of the specific set of questions a given candidate receives, which is standard practice across large-scale professional certification testing.

Renewal and Recertification

CompTIA A+ falls under CompTIA's standard Continuing Education (CE) program, with a 3-year renewal cycle. Rather than requiring a full exam retake, CE credits can be earned through a range of qualifying activities — additional CompTIA certifications, relevant training, or other approved continuing-education activities — with associated CE program fees (commonly cited around $75 total over the three-year period) separate from what you paid for the original Core 1 and Core 2 exams.

How CompTIA Exam Compares to Its Closest Alternative

Within entry-level IT certifications, A+ doesn't have a single direct one-to-one competitor the way, say, AWS and Azure compete for cloud certification mindshare — it occupies a fairly unique position as the broadest, most vendor-neutral entry-level IT credential, recognized under the U.S. DoD 8140 directive for government IT support roles including technical support specialist, system administrator, and cyber defense infrastructure support specialist positions.

The closer internal comparison is actually Core 1 versus Core 2 themselves, since candidates sometimes wonder which to prioritize: Core 1 covers hardware, networking, and infrastructure fundamentals, while Core 2 covers operating systems, security, and software troubleshooting. Most candidates study and sit for Core 1 first, since foundational hardware knowledge tends to make OS-level troubleshooting concepts in Core 2 more intuitive to learn — though CompTIA explicitly allows either order, and neither exam requires the other as a formal prerequisite.

Realistic Preparation Timeline

For a genuine IT newcomer with limited hands-on experience, a commonly cited timeline is 6 to 12 weeks of focused study for Core 1 alone (with Core 2 typically adding similar additional time), working through each domain roughly in proportion to its exam weighting rather than spending equal time on all five.

For someone with informal or job-adjacent hardware/networking exposure already — someone who's built their own PCs, troubleshot home networks, or worked informally in tech support — 4 to 6 weeks of structured review, with particular focus on the troubleshooting domain's scenario-based question style, is a more realistic target. Regardless of starting point, hands-on practice with performance-based question formats specifically (not just multiple-choice review) is worth prioritizing, since PBQs test a meaningfully different skill than recall-based study alone develops.