DestrezaAI ← CompTIA A+ Core 1 Study Kit
220-1201 · Study guide · Checked November 2026

How to pass A+ Core 1, step by step

The exam is full of look-alikes: two parts, cables or settings that sound almost the same, like tethering and a mobile hotspot, or a docking station and a port replicator. Each question is a help desk ticket that asks which one fits, and you get 90 minutes for the whole exam. This guide shows how the exam thinks, what it leaves to the other exam, and how to spend your days. Interactive parts, no jargon test, and nobody asks you to build a PC blindfolded.

8 minute read3 interactive partsFacts checked against CompTIA
01

The 220-1201 exam, on one ticket

Before any strategy, the facts, exactly as CompTIA publishes them. A+ is the entry-level IT support certification, and it comes as two exams, Core 1 and Core 2. This guide is about Core 1: hardware, networking, mobile devices, virtualization and troubleshooting.

Exam
220-1201
A+ Core 1, version V15
Questions
Up to 90
Multiple choice, drag and drop, hands-on tasks
Time
90 min
About one minute per question at the maximum
Experience
12 months
Recommended, in an IT support role
Language
English
As listed on CompTIA’s certification page
Retires
About 2028
Usually three years after the March 2025 launch
675 / 900
Passing score, Core 1

675 is not 75%

The passing score is 675 on a scale of 900. That scale is not a simple percentage of right answers, so do not turn it into one. Aim well above the line instead.

Not only multiple choice

The exam mixes single and multiple answer questions, drag and drop and performance-based tasks. The hands-on tasks take longer than a plain question, so keep an eye on the clock.

Both exams, same version

Core 1 and Core 2 must come from the same version, no mixing allowed. Core 2 has its own passing score, 700 on the same 900 scale.

Two details people miss. Core 1 launched on March 25, 2025, so older books and videos for the previous version may cover the wrong list of topics. And CompTIA recommends about a year of hands-on support work, so the questions read like real tickets, not like definitions.

02

Where the points live, and your plan

CompTIA publishes the weight of each domain as a share of the scored content. Here is how the points split:

DOMAIN 1Mobile Devices
13%
DOMAIN 2Networking
23%
DOMAIN 3Hardware
25%
DOMAIN 4Virtualization and Cloud Computing
11%
DOMAIN 5Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
28%

Read it like this. Troubleshooting (28%), Hardware (25%) and Networking (23%) together are 76% of the exam. Mobile devices and virtualization share the last quarter. So the tickets you will meet most are a broken PC, a dead drive or a network that does not connect.

How many days do you have?

Pick a number: the days are split in proportion to the points, and each one comes with its three tools, in this order. It assumes about an hour a day.

1. Understand20 min with the Concept Map of the day’s domain: see how its terms connect and which ones look alike.
2. Remember15 min with the Flashcards of the same domain, so the terms stick.
3. Prove it25 min of practice questions, to check you can use what you learned.
    03

    Spot the impostor

    This is the real skill the exam tests: telling two look-alikes apart under time pressure. Six pairs below. Each clue describes one of the two. Pick the right one before you see the rule, because on exam day nobody hands you the rule.

    1. A laptop in a hotel needs internet through the phone’s USB cable, just for itself.

      Answer: Tethering. Laptop on the phone’s USB cable or Bluetooth, tethering. Phone creates a Wi-Fi network for the team, hotspot.

    2. A user wants to pay with their phone by touching it to a terminal.

      Answer: NFC. Tap to pay or tap a badge, NFC. Headset, keyboard or speaker a few meters away, Bluetooth.

    3. A worker wants two monitors, the network and charging through one cable to the laptop.

      Answer: Docking station. Extra monitors, network and charging over one cable, docking station. Just the laptop’s own ports, left plugged in, port replicator.

    4. A user moves to a new phone and the carrier sends a QR code, with no card to insert.

      Answer: eSIM. Move the card to the new phone, SIM. Scan the carrier’s QR code, no tray, eSIM.

    5. An employee uses their own phone for work, and IT may not wipe the personal photos.

      Answer: BYOD. Company-issued phone, full wipe allowed, corporate-owned. Personal phone used for work, privacy limits control, BYOD.

    6. A new iPhone 15 and an Android phone must share one charging cable.

      Answer: USB-C. Android, laptops and iPhone 15 or later, USB-C. Older iPhone or Apple accessory, Lightning.

    All 10 pairs on the free Concept Map (opens in a new tab) Drill them as Flashcards (opens in a new tab)
    04

    Zoom out: the USB plug family

    Some look-alikes are not two things but a whole family. The free Domain 1 Concept Map groups the cable connectors by the shape of the plug, which is the first clue on the exam. Pick the wrong plug and the whole ticket goes sideways. Tap a plug to open its card, exactly as on a Concept Map.

    USB (Type-A)
    The classic flat rectangular USB plug, on chargers, computers and flash drives. It only fits one way. Type-A is the host end of most older cables. USB-C is the newer oval plug that fits both ways. “Standard USB port”, “rectangular”.
    USB-C
    The small oval, reversible connector that carries data, charging (USB Power Delivery) and even video, on most current laptops and phones. USB-C is the shape of the plug, not a speed: the cable and port may be USB 2.0, USB 3.x, USB4 or Thunderbolt. “Reversible”, “charge and display over one cable”, “Power Delivery”.
    microUSB
    A thin, one-way USB plug found on older Android phones, cheap accessories and battery packs. microUSB is thin and flat with angled sides. miniUSB is thicker and older. Neither is reversible like USB-C. “Older Android phone”, “not reversible”, “small flat plug”.
    miniUSB
    An older, thicker small USB plug used on older cameras, GPS units and game controllers. miniUSB came before microUSB and is bulkier. A question about a legacy camera cable often points here. “Old digital camera”, “legacy device cable”.
    Lightning
    Apple's small reversible connector for older iPhones and accessories. iPhone 15 and later models switched to USB-C. Lightning is Apple-only. USB-C is the open standard used by Android, laptops and current iPhones. “Older iPhone”, “Apple connector”.
    05

    Four answers that feel right and are not

    The best wrong answers are not random. They are the reflex answer, the one your brain reaches for first. Each card below is one of the free practice questions: the reflex, what the question actually asked, and the rule to keep.

    Domain 1 · Power

    The faster phone charger

    A laptop that charges over USB-C lost its 65 W charger. It complains about a borrowed 20 W phone charger. A 25 W fast phone charger is on offer.

    Your reflexThe 25 W one. It is stronger than the 20 W, so it must be the upgrade.
    What it askedA USB-C Power Delivery charger of 65 W or more. Both phone chargers are far below what the laptop needs.

    Carry this: same connector does not mean same power. For a USB-C laptop, match the wattage of the original charger.

    Domain 5 · Troubleshooting

    The spare on the shelf

    A four-drive RAID 5 server reports one failed drive. A second drive shows warnings, the backup is three weeks old, and a spare drive is on the shelf.

    Your reflexInsert the spare and rebuild now. That is what the spare is for.
    What it askedBack up the current data first. The rebuild is the heaviest load the drives face, and it can kill the weak one.

    Carry this: degraded array, another drive weakening, stale backup: back up first, rebuild second.

    Domain 3 · Hardware

    The premium screen

    A print shop buys monitors for color proofing. Clients view the screen from the side, and the toolbars stay on screen ten hours a day.

    Your reflexOLED. It has the best color and perfect blacks.
    What it askedIPS LCD. It keeps colors accurate from any angle, with no burn-in risk.

    Carry this: accurate color from any angle on an LCD, IPS. OLED matches the image but risks burn-in when static content stays for hours.

    Domain 2 · Tools

    The unlabeled panel

    None of the 48 patch panel ports is labeled. Desk 14’s wall jack is dead, and the technician must find which panel port its cable reaches.

    Your reflexA cable tester. It is the tool for network cables.
    What it askedA tone generator at the jack and a probe at the panel. The tester needs both ends known, and finding the far end is the whole problem.

    Carry this: find where a cable goes, tone generator and probe. Check the wiring of a known run, cable tester.

    Now try one for real

    On the real exam you only learn whether you passed. Here, every option is explained, the wrong ones too, because that is where the learning is. Pick an answer.

    Domain 5 · Free practice question

    The office DHCP server was down for an hour and is back now. One PC still shows 169.254.20.7 and no internet, while PCs restarted since then work. The user cannot restart now. Which command should the technician run NEXT?

    Rule to carry forward: 169.254.x.x after a DHCP outage: run ipconfig /renew. Release only helps when a real lease exists.

    Try the 10 free questions (opens in a new tab) The full question bank
    06

    A guide is a map. You still need reps.

    Reading about look-alikes is not the same as spotting them. These three are free, with no sign-up, and they cover Domain 1 and the first ten practice questions.

    Understand
    Free Concept Map Every Domain 1 term on one page, with the 10 look-alike pairs the exam swaps and the clue words that give the answer away.
    Open the map →
    Remember
    Free Flashcards Each Domain 1 term as a card that comes back just before you would forget it.
    Flip a card →
    Prove it
    10 free questions Scenario questions with an explanation for every option, including why the tempting one is wrong.
    Start practicing →
    See the full Study Kit → Back to the overview

    Practice improves your chances. Nobody can promise a pass. Domain 1 is free; Domains 2 to 5 come with the full Study Kit.

    07

    What the Core 1 exam leaves to Core 2

    CompTIA does not publish a list of out-of-scope topics. Its certification page gives the split anyway: Core 1 covers hardware, networking, mobile devices, virtualization and troubleshooting, and Core 2 covers operating systems, security, software troubleshooting and operational procedures.

    Left to Core 2, per CompTIA’s certification page

    • Installing and managing Windows, macOS and Linux
    • Security measures and removing malware
    • Software and operating system troubleshooting
    • Documentation, safety and communication procedures

    Our reading of CompTIA’s certification page. CompTIA does not publish an out-of-scope list.

    What you need instead

    Know each part, port and tool by its job, then pick the next step that fixes the ticket without breaking something else.

    Leaving Windows to Core 2 does not make Core 1 easy. You will still need the exact connector, the right RAID level or the right command for the situation described.

    08

    Five small rules for 90 minutes

    1. Do the clock math.90 minutes for up to 90 questions is about one minute each, and the hands-on tasks take longer. Answer what you know first, flag the slow ones and come back.
    2. Never leave a blank.A blank is never right. In the last minute, fill every gap, and finish any drag and drop you left half done.
    3. Find the sentence that decides.“The owner will pay only for the failed part”, “the user cannot restart now”. The constraint in the ticket picks the answer, not the most expensive fix.
    4. Read FIRST and NEXT.Many tickets ask what to do first or next. Several options may be right in general, but only one belongs at that point in the order.
    5. Think like a technician.Protect the data, try the cheapest safe step, and change one thing at a time. A fix that destroys the evidence or the customer’s files is rarely the answer.
    Start with the free questions →
    Sources. Exam facts checked on November 13, 2026. CompTIA can change them, so confirm before you book.