CompTIA · 220-1201 · Beginner
CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) exam objectives
CompTIA publishes 5 exam domains with official weightings. The weight tells you where your marks come from, so your study time should roughly follow it.
1. Mobile Devices
13%- Replace laptop displays, batteries, keyboards, storage and memory
- Identify display components: panel types, backlight, digitiser, webcam and antenna placement
- Know the accessories and ports, including docking stations versus port replicators and USB-C versus Thunderbolt
- Set up mobile connectivity and synchronisation, including corporate email and MDM enrolment
2. Networking
23%- Know the common ports and protocols cold: HTTP/S, SSH, RDP, DNS, DHCP, SMB, SMTP, IMAP
- Identify network hardware: switches, routers, access points, firewalls, PoE injectors, patch panels
- Pick wireless standards, frequencies and channels, and know where long-range fixed wireless fits
- Work through IP addressing: IPv4 versus IPv6, static versus DHCP, APIPA, subnet masks, default gateways
3. Hardware
25%- Match cable and connector types to the situation in front of you
- Compare storage options: HDD, SSD and NVMe form factors, plus RAID 0/1/5/10 trade-offs
- Know motherboards, CPUs, RAM types and channel configuration, expansion cards and BIOS/UEFI settings
- Size power supplies (wattage, rails, connector types), and know printer hardware and consumables
4. Virtualization and Cloud Computing
11%- Tell the cloud models apart: public, private, hybrid and community, plus IaaS, PaaS and SaaS
- Describe cloud characteristics: elasticity, metered use, shared resources, high availability
- Set up client-side virtualization: hypervisor types, resource requirements, the purpose of a sandbox
- Know when virtual desktop infrastructure beats a physical build
5. Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
28%- Apply the CompTIA troubleshooting methodology in its published order
- Diagnose motherboard, RAM, CPU and power symptoms: POST behaviour, no boot, intermittent shutdown
- Spot storage and RAID failures: clicking drives, SMART warnings, failed arrays
- Fix display and network faults: dim or flickering screens, limited connectivity, intermittent wireless, printer output defects
Our practice exam spreads its questions across these exact domains at these weightings, so your score in each one tells you precisely where you stand.
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