I was recently asked, in conjunction with my volunteer efforts, to hold four sessions focused on exam preparation for the CompTIA 220-1001 certification exam (more commonly known as the A+ Core 1 Exam). I begin with the first session tomorrow (September 14th) will follow-up sessions on September 17th, 21st, and 24th (Tuesdays and Fridays). The focal point of these sessions will be (1) to detail the information I provided in my February 2017 posting (intelligent guessing and time management) and (2) to show how to utilize the CompTIA exam objectives as the central document in exam preparation.
In my June 2019 posting, I discuss this exam and provide links to the worksheet I created. My updated worksheet can be viewed by clicking HERE. The Word version (in a zip file) can be downloaded by clicking HERE. I’ve learned that anything detailed in the exam objectives is “fair game” and you should walk into the exam booth expecting to be questioned on disclosed items.
The table below identifies the exam domains and the expected percentage content on the exam. I will be basing time spent on each domain based upon this percentage.
Domain Percentage on Exam
1.0 Mobile Devices 14%
2.0 Networking 20%
3.0 Hardware 27%
4.0 Virtualization and Cloud Computing 12%
5.0 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting 27%
I will also introduce students to resources that are available at no cost, including the videos developed by Professor Messer for the exam. All-in-all, I think this will be useful for students as they work towards passing this certification exam.
You can access the videos for each of the exam preparation sessions by clicking on the links below:
Session 1 – September 14, 2021 – Completed Domain 1 (see Note 1)
Session 2 – September 17, 2021 – Completed Domain 2 through 2.6
Session 3 – September 21, 2021 – Completed Domains 2 and 3
Session 4 – September 24, 2021 – Completed Domains 4 and 5 (see Note 2)
Note 1: In Session 1 I could not recall another item relating to performance-based questions (PBQs). Unfortunately due in large part to complexity, they do not use virtual computers (more commonly known as virtual machines), and use a simulated environment. This makes the simulations a bit “wanky” but it also provides an opportunity to figure out the correct pathway because if you go down the wrong path it ends quickly (after a step or two).
Note 2: The focus for Domain 4 is “Virtualization and Cloud Computing.” As noted in our discussion, “cloud” is becoming an ever-increasing component of IT and cybersecurity. I encourage all of you to take advantage of a free line of courses and certifications provided by Oracle, a leading company in databases and cloud computing. To gain a more in-depth understanding of the “cloud” consider taking the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Foundations course (7 hour online course) and take the OCI Foundations Associate certification. Oracle is offering the course and this certification until December 31, 2021 at no cost. I also detailed the virtual network consisting of three virtual computers (Kali, Windows 10, and Metasploitable), created in VirtualBox as the hypervisor, for use in the free Metasploitable course.