A+ Core 1
- Questions
- 90
- Minutes
- 90
- PBQs
- 4
- To pass
- 675
| Domain | Weight | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 Mobile Devices | 13% | 12 |
| 2.0 Networking | 23% | 21 |
| 3.0 Hardware | 25% | 22 |
| 4.0 Virtualization and Cloud Computing | 11% | 10 |
| 5.0 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting | 28% | 25 |
Free with an account
Free CompTIA A+ practice exam
One full-length practice exam for each A+ core comes free with an account: 90 questions in 90 minutes, with four performance-based questions at the start and the rest distributed across the domains according to CompTIA's weighting. At the end, you receive a score on the 100 to 900 scale and a breakdown by domain.
Each core's free exam is one fixed paper, the same 90 questions for every free account, and you get one graded sitting of it. A plan creates a new exam each time you sit for one, and it opens the answer review.
What's on each paper
Each paper was drawn the same way as a paid sitting and then fixed, so the number of questions from each domain follows CompTIA's published weights.
A+ Core 2
- Questions
- 90
- Minutes
- 90
- PBQs
- 4
- To pass
- 700
| Domain | Weight | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 Operating Systems | 28% | 25 |
| 2.0 Security | 28% | 25 |
| 3.0 Software Troubleshooting | 23% | 21 |
| 4.0 Operational Procedures | 21% | 19 |
How the sitting runs
- A 90-minute countdown that submits for you at zero. Anything left blank is marked wrong.
- The four performance-based questions come first, then multiple choice with the domains mixed together.
- Flag any question you want to come back to, and move through the exam with Previous and Next.
- Pause it if you need a break and finish later. Cancel it before you submit and it is not scored, so you can start it again.
- No feedback until you finish. The exam ends on an item review that lists every question and calls out the ones you left incomplete or flagged.
What you get back
- A pass or no pass against the core's pass mark: 675 for Core 1, 700 for Core 2.
- A score on CompTIA's 100 to 900 scale. It's an estimate, since CompTIA doesn't publish how it converts answers into that number.
- Your percentage correct in each domain, next to how much that domain weighs on the exam.
- Your weakest objectives, weakest first, each with a link to its lesson.
- The answers and explanations once you have a plan, this sitting included.
The free exam or a plan
| Feature | Free account | 90-Day Pass or Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| Full timed exam | One graded sitting per core | A new one every sitting |
| Questions | The same fixed paper for every free account | Drawn fresh each time, skipping questions you have already seen |
| Score and domain breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Answers and explanations | With a plan | Every sitting |
One A+ plan covers both cores. Compare the plans.
When to sit it
You only get one graded sitting per core, so it provides the most useful information near the end of your study, once you've covered every domain. If you sit the exam in the first week, it mostly tests what you haven't studied yet. On the A+ study plan, it goes in the last week of each core, before you book the real exam.
Free practice with no account
- Sample examTen questions for each core, untimed, with every answer explained at the end.
- Practice questionsTen questions across both cores, graded the moment you pick.
- PBQ practiceTwo real PBQs to try, one from each core.
- Ports and protocolsThe Core 1 port list, with a quiz.
- Cheat sheetExam format, domain weights, ports and RAID on one page.
Questions about the free practice exam
Is the A+ practice exam really free?
Yes. A free account gives one graded sitting of the full practice exam in each core, with no card. Each core has one fixed paper, the same 90 questions for every free account.How many questions are on the A+ practice exam?
90 in 90 minutes, the most either real exam can have. Each paper starts with four performance-based questions, and the rest follow CompTIA's domain weights for that core.Is the practice exam score the same as a real exam score?
It's an estimate. You get a score on CompTIA's 100 to 900 scale (675 passes Core 1, 700 passes Core 2), but CompTIA doesn't publish how it turns answers into that number, so no practice test can match it exactly.Can I take the free practice exam more than once?
You get one graded sitting per core. If you stop before you submit, it starts again on the same paper, and a second account gets that same paper too. A 90-Day Pass or Lifetime builds a new exam every time you sit one, skipping questions you have already seen.Do I see the answers afterwards?
You see your score and whether it passes, plus how you did in each domain and objective. The answers and explanations unlock with a 90-Day Pass or Lifetime, and that includes the free sitting.Are these real A+ exam questions?
No. They're original questions written to the 220-1201 and 220-1202 objectives. CompTIA doesn't give out real exam questions, and using leaked ones goes against its exam rules.
Sit your free A+ practice exam
Pick a core. It's one fixed paper and one graded sitting, so save it for when you've covered the material.
Keep studying: PBQ practice, the ports list, the study plan, and the cheat sheet.