A two-year-old office desktop fails the Windows 11 compatibility check with a message that TPM 2.0 is required. The motherboard documentation lists Intel PTT support. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?

Enable the firmware TPM in the UEFI security settings

Order a plug-in TPM module for the motherboard header

Clear the TPM from within Windows and reboot

Replace the motherboard with a newer model

Staff working near a break room report that their Wi-Fi drops for a few minutes at a time, mostly around lunchtime. The laptops connect on 2.4 GHz, and the problem does not occur elsewhere in the office. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

A microwave oven operating near the access point

An expired wireless security certificate

A duplex mismatch on the access point uplink

Do I need to pass both Core 1 and Core 2?

Yes. The A+ certification needs both 220-1201 and 220-1202, from the same version. You can take them in either order, and each is a separate exam with its own voucher.

How much does it cost?

CompTIA lists each exam at US$274 in its US and global stores. Prices vary by region: its emerging-market store, which covers Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria and Kenya, charges US$192 per exam. You need two vouchers, one per core.

Which version should I study?

V15, exam 220-1201. It launched in March 2025, and the previous version, 220-1101, retired in September 2025. Older study material for 220-1101 misses topics that V15 added.

How long is A+ valid?

Three years from the date you pass your second exam. You renew through CompTIA's continuing education programme, for example by earning continuing education units or a higher CompTIA certification.

Should I take Core 1 or Core 2 first?

Either works. Many people start with Core 1 because the hardware and networking basics help with Core 2's troubleshooting and security questions.

All certifications

CompTIA · 220-1201 · Entry

CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201)

Proves you can set up, connect and fix the hardware of everyday IT support: mobile devices, networking, PCs, printers, virtualization and cloud, and troubleshooting all of them.

Free practice: 216 questions written to the official exam guide, with the diagnostic, practice papers, timed mocks, a study plan and an explanation on every answer.

Official exam page

Find out where you stand on 220-1201

20 questions drawn in the exam’s own domain weights. You get a report straight away: your score against the pass mark, where the points went, and what to study first.

Questions: 20
Time: about 20 minutes
Cost: free

Your email

Your answers save as you go, and the report stays in your record. A new email needs no code.

· your answers stay on this device and you can save the report at the end.

The course

The diagnostic shows where you stand. Then you learn the syllabus chapter by chapter, answer that chapter’s questions, and move on. When every chapter is mastered, you sit full timed mocks in the real exam’s shape.

16 chapters, about 12 hours in all. Each is a 45-minute study session with quick checks, then a 10-question quiz on that chapter.

Mobile Devices13% of the exam

Mobile device hardware and accessories45 min
Mobile connectivity, MDM and synchronization45 min

Networking23% of the exam

TCP and UDP ports and protocols45 min
Wireless technologies and networked host services45 min
DNS, DHCP, VLANs, VPNs and networking hardware45 min
SOHO addressing, connection types, network types and tools45 min

Hardware25% of the exam

Displays, cables and connectors45 min
RAM, storage devices and RAID45 min
Motherboards, CPUs, add-on cards, cooling and power supplies45 min
Multifunction devices, printer setup and maintenance45 min

Virtualization and Cloud Computing11% of the exam

Virtualization concepts45 min
Cloud computing concepts45 min

Hardware and Network Troubleshooting28% of the exam

Troubleshooting motherboards, RAM, CPUs, power, drives and RAID (with the troubleshooting methodology)45 min
Troubleshooting video, projectors, displays and mobile devices45 min
Troubleshooting network issues45 min
Troubleshooting printers45 min

About the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) (220-1201) exam

CompTIA A+ is the entry-level IT support certification employers ask for most: help desk technician, desktop support, field service technician and junior systems roles. You earn it by passing two exams, Core 1 and Core 2, in either order. This page is Core 1, exam 220-1201, which covers the hardware side of the job.

The current version, V15, launched in March 2025, and the old 220-1101 exam retired in September 2025. Core 1 tests mobile devices, networking (ports and protocols, wireless, small office networks), hardware (displays, cables, RAM, storage, motherboards, power supplies and printers), virtualization and cloud computing, and hardware and network troubleshooting, which is the largest domain at 28 percent.

Nothing is formally required. CompTIA recommends about a year of hands-on IT support experience, but many people pass with study and a home lab. Plan on six to ten weeks for Core 1 if the hardware is new to you.

The exam at a glance

Questions: Up to 90 questions: multiple choice, drag and drop, and performance-based
Time: 90 minutes
Pass mark: 675 on a scale of 100 to 900
Exam fee: US$274 per exam at CompTIA's list price, US$192 in its emerging-market store; A+ needs both Core 1 and Core 2
Valid for: 3 years from passing your second A+ exam, renewable through CompTIA's continuing education programme
Where you sit it: Pearson VUE test centre or online proctored
Prerequisites: None required; CompTIA recommends 12 months of hands-on IT support experience

As published in the vendor’s exam guide at the time of writing. Fees vary by country and change; the vendor’s page is the source of truth.

What is on the exam, domain by domain

Mobile Devices
Replacing laptop and mobile parts, accessories and connection types, and setting up mobile network connectivity, Bluetooth pairing, mobile device management and synchronization.
13% of the paper
Networking
TCP and UDP ports and protocols, Wi-Fi bands and standards, the services networked hosts provide, DNS records, DHCP, VLANs and VPNs, networking hardware, small office addressing, connection and network types, and network tools.
23% of the paper
Hardware
Display types, cables and connectors, RAM, hard drives, SSDs and RAID, motherboards, CPUs, BIOS and UEFI settings, add-on cards, cooling, power supplies, and setting up and maintaining printers and multifunction devices.
25% of the paper
Virtualization and Cloud Computing
Why and how virtual machines, containers and hypervisors are used, and cloud models (public, private, hybrid, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and characteristics such as elasticity and metered use.
11% of the paper
Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
The largest domain. Working from symptoms to causes for motherboards, RAM, CPUs, power, drives and RAID, displays and projectors, mobile devices, networks and printers.
28% of the paper

How to prepare

Read CompTIA's 220-1201 objectives and study to every bullet. The exam asks about the named items, such as port numbers, connector types and printer maintenance steps, by name.
Learn the common ports and protocols until you can match number, protocol and purpose without thinking. They come up across the exam, not only in the networking domain.
Get hands on: open an old PC, swap RAM and a drive, change BIOS or UEFI settings, set up a small Wi-Fi network and crimp a cable if you can.
Practise troubleshooting from symptoms. For each symptom on the objectives, know the most likely cause and the first thing to check, and learn CompTIA's six-step troubleshooting method.
Take two timed practice papers above 80 percent before you book, then do the same for Core 2.

Sample questions

Three questions in the exam’s style, written by Square 1 against the published domains. They are ours, not the vendor's. The answer and the reasoning are under each one; the practice papers on this page draw from a bank written the same way, with an explanation on every question.

Question 1 · Networking
A user reads mail on a phone and a laptop. Messages read on the phone still show as unread on the laptop, and messages downloaded on the laptop disappear from the phone. Which of the following should the technician configure on both devices?
1. SMTP on port 25
2. POP3 on port 110
3. LDAP on port 389
4. IMAP on port 143
Answer: D. IMAP keeps mail on the server and syncs folders and read status, so every device shows the same mailbox. POP3 typically downloads mail to one device and removes it from the server, which causes exactly the symptoms described.
Question 2 · Hardware
A two-year-old office desktop fails the Windows 11 compatibility check with a message that TPM 2.0 is required. The motherboard documentation lists Intel PTT support. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?
1. Order a plug-in TPM module for the motherboard header
2. Enable the firmware TPM in the UEFI security settings
3. Clear the TPM from within Windows and reboot
4. Replace the motherboard with a newer model
Answer: B. Intel PTT is a firmware TPM 2.0 that is often turned off by default, so enabling it in UEFI is the quickest fix. Clearing the TPM from Windows does nothing useful when the TPM is not enabled in the first place.
Question 3 · Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
Staff working near a break room report that their Wi-Fi drops for a few minutes at a time, mostly around lunchtime. The laptops connect on 2.4 GHz, and the problem does not occur elsewhere in the office. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
1. DHCP leases expiring at midday
2. An expired wireless security certificate
3. A duplex mismatch on the access point uplink
4. A microwave oven operating near the access point
Answer: D. Microwave ovens operate around 2.45 GHz, so they disrupt nearby 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi while running, which matches drops near a break room at lunchtime. Lease expiry and certificate problems would not cluster in one area at mealtimes, and an uplink duplex fault would affect every client of that access point all day.

Questions people ask before they book

Do I need to pass both Core 1 and Core 2?: Yes. The A+ certification needs both 220-1201 and 220-1202, from the same version. You can take them in either order, and each is a separate exam with its own voucher.
How much does it cost?: CompTIA lists each exam at US$274 in its US and global stores. Prices vary by region: its emerging-market store, which covers Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria and Kenya, charges US$192 per exam. You need two vouchers, one per core.
Which version should I study?: V15, exam 220-1201. It launched in March 2025, and the previous version, 220-1101, retired in September 2025. Older study material for 220-1101 misses topics that V15 added.
How long is A+ valid?: Three years from the date you pass your second exam. You renew through CompTIA's continuing education programme, for example by earning continuing education units or a higher CompTIA certification.
Should I take Core 1 or Core 2 first?: Either works. Many people start with Core 1 because the hardware and networking basics help with Core 2's troubleshooting and security questions.