CompTIA A+ (220-1201 and 220-1202) Fact Sheet¶

Quick Reference¶

Exam Code: 220-1201 + 220-1202 Exams: Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202). You must pass both, from the same series. Series: V15, launched March 25, 2025. CompTIA estimates retirement in 2028. Duration: 90 minutes per exam Questions: Maximum of 90 per exam (multiple choice, drag-and-drop, performance-based) Passing Score: Core 1 675/900, Core 2 700/900 Cost: Two vouchers, one per exam. Price not verified on an official page (see below) Validity: 3 years from passing the second exam Delivery: Pearson VUE (testing center or online proctored) Languages: English, German, Japanese

Verified facts and sources (checked 2026-09-28)¶

Fact	Value	Source
Core 1 code, length, questions, passing score, weights	220-1201, 90 min, max 90, 675	CompTIA Core 1 V15 page
Core 2 code, length, questions, passing score, weights	220-1202, 90 min, max 90, 700	CompTIA Core 2 V15 page and the 220-1202 objectives PDF
V15 launch date	March 25, 2025	CompTIA Core 1 and Core 2 V15 pages
V14 (220-1101/1102) retirement	"September 2025" on CompTIA's FAQ; third-party trackers give September 25, 2025 as the last test date	CompTIA Core 1 V15 FAQ
Both exams must be the same version	Yes. A Core 1 pass from a retired series no longer counts	CompTIA Core 1 V15 FAQ
Price	Not verified. CompTIA loads prices per region in its store and no USD figure could be read from an official page. Third-party guides in 2026 quote about $246 to $274 per exam	Check the CompTIA store for your region

Exam Domain Breakdown¶

Core 1 (220-1201)¶

Domain	Weight	Focus
1.0 Mobile Devices	13%	Laptop parts, USB-C/Lightning/NFC/Bluetooth, hotspot, MDM, BYOD
2.0 Networking	23%	Ports, Wi-Fi, DNS/DHCP, VLAN, VPN, PoE, SOHO IP, tools
3.0 Hardware	25%	Displays, cables, RAM, storage, RAID, motherboards, CPUs, PSUs, printers
4.0 Virtualization and Cloud Computing	11%	Hypervisors, containers, VDI, IaaS/PaaS/SaaS, cloud characteristics
5.0 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting	28%	Symptom to cause for every hardware area plus networks and printers

Core 2 (220-1202)¶

Domain	Weight	Focus
1.0 Operating Systems	28%	Windows tools and commands, editions, installs, macOS, Linux
2.0 Security	28%	Controls, Windows security, wireless, malware, hardening, data destruction
3.0 Software Troubleshooting	23%	Windows, mobile OS, mobile security, PC security symptoms
4.0 Operational Procedures	21%	Ticketing, change, backup, safety, professionalism, scripting, remote access, AI

Ports You Must Know (Core 1 objective 2.1)¶

Port	Protocol	Transport	Purpose
20-21	FTP	TCP	File transfer (20 data, 21 control). Cleartext
22	SSH	TCP	Encrypted remote shell. SFTP also runs here
23	Telnet	TCP	Cleartext remote shell. Replace with SSH
25	SMTP	TCP	Sending mail between servers
53	DNS	UDP and TCP	Name resolution (UDP queries, TCP zone transfers and large replies)
67/68	DHCP	UDP	Address assignment (67 server, 68 client)
80	HTTP	TCP	Web, cleartext
110	POP3	TCP	Mail download, usually deletes from server
137-139	NetBIOS/NetBT	UDP and TCP	Legacy Windows name and session services
143	IMAP	TCP	Mail access, keeps mail on the server and syncs
389	LDAP	TCP and UDP	Directory queries (Active Directory)
443	HTTPS	TCP	Web over TLS
445	SMB/CIFS	TCP	Windows file and printer sharing
3389	RDP	TCP and UDP	Remote Desktop

Handy extras (outside the 2.1 list but seen in Core 2): RADIUS 1812/1813 UDP, TACACS+ 49 TCP, Kerberos 88, VNC 5900, WinRM 5985/5986, secure mail variants (IMAPS 993, POP3S 995, SMTP submission 587).

📖 IANA Service Name and Port Number Registry - The authoritative port list

Wi-Fi Standards¶

Standard	Wi-Fi name	Bands	Max theoretical speed
802.11a	-	5 GHz	54 Mbps
802.11b	-	2.4 GHz	11 Mbps
802.11g	-	2.4 GHz	54 Mbps
802.11n	Wi-Fi 4	2.4 and 5 GHz	600 Mbps (MIMO)
802.11ac	Wi-Fi 5	5 GHz	About 6.9 Gbps (MU-MIMO)
802.11ax	Wi-Fi 6 / 6E	2.4, 5 GHz (6E adds 6 GHz)	About 9.6 Gbps (OFDMA)
802.11be	Wi-Fi 7	2.4, 5, 6 GHz	About 46 Gbps (320 MHz channels, MLO)

2.4 GHz - Longer range, better through walls, crowded. Non-overlapping channels 1, 6, 11 in the US.
5 GHz - Faster, shorter range, many more non-overlapping channels.
6 GHz - Wi-Fi 6E and 7 only, very clean spectrum, shortest range, requires WPA3.
Channel width - 20, 40, 80, 160 MHz (320 MHz on Wi-Fi 7). Wider is faster but uses more spectrum and overlaps more.

Cabling Quick Reference¶

Copper twisted pair¶

Category	Max speed	Max distance
Cat 5	100 Mbps	100 m
Cat 5e	1 Gbps	100 m
Cat 6	1 Gbps (10 Gbps to about 55 m)	100 m
Cat 6a	10 Gbps	100 m
Cat 8	25/40 Gbps	30 m

T568B pin order: white-orange, orange, white-green, blue, white-blue, green, white-brown, brown.
T568A pin order: white-green, green, white-orange, blue, white-blue, orange, white-brown, brown.
Straight-through = same standard both ends. Crossover = A on one end, B on the other.
UTP is standard. STP adds shielding for EMI. Plenum-rated jacket is required in air-handling spaces (low smoke, fire resistant). Direct burial is for underground runs.
Coax (RG-6) uses the F-type connector for cable internet and TV.

Fiber¶

Type	Light source	Distance	Typical use
Single-mode	Laser	Kilometers	ISP and campus backbones
Multimode	LED or VCSEL	Hundreds of meters	Inside a building or data center

Connectors: ST (round, bayonet twist), SC (square, push-pull), LC (small, latching, common on SFP modules).

Peripheral and video¶

Cable	Notes
USB 2.0	480 Mbps
USB 3.0 (3.2 Gen 1)	5 Gbps, blue insert on Type-A ports
USB-C	Reversible connector. Can carry USB 3.x/4, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, and power
Thunderbolt ¾	40 Gbps over USB-C connector
Lightning	Apple 8-pin, older iPhones and iPads
Serial (DB9)	Legacy RS-232, still used for console ports
HDMI	Digital video plus audio
DisplayPort	Digital video plus audio, daisy-chaining
DVI	Digital (DVI-D), analog (DVI-A), or both (DVI-I). No audio
VGA	Analog, DE-15 connector. No audio
SATA / eSATA	Internal and external drive data
Molex	Legacy 4-pin drive power
RJ11 / RJ45	Phone line (2-4 wires) / Ethernet (8 wires)

RAM¶

Type	Desktop DIMM pins	Laptop SODIMM pins
DDR3	240	204
DDR4	288	260
DDR5	288 (different notch)	262

ECC detects and corrects single-bit errors. Servers and workstations. Board and CPU must support it.
Channels - Dual or quad channel doubles or quadruples bandwidth. Install matched sticks in the color-coded slot pairs.

Storage and RAID¶

RAID	Min drives	Fault tolerance	Usable capacity
0 (striping)	2	None, one failure loses everything	100%
1 (mirroring)	2	One drive	50%
5 (striping with parity)	3	One drive	(n-1) drives
6 (double parity)	4	Two drives	(n-2) drives
10 (stripe of mirrors)	4	One per mirror pair	50%

HDD spindle speeds: 5,400 and 7,200 rpm (desktops/laptops), 10,000 and 15,000 rpm (servers).
SSD interfaces: SATA (up to about 600 MB/s) vs NVMe over PCIe (several GB/s).
Form factors: 2.5-inch, 3.5-inch, M.2 (keyed B, M, or B+M), mSATA.

Motherboards and Power¶

Form factor	Size
ATX	12 x 9.6 in (305 x 244 mm)
microATX	9.6 x 9.6 in (244 x 244 mm)
Mini-ITX	6.7 x 6.7 in (170 x 170 mm)

Power rail / connector	Detail
3.3 V (orange), 5 V (red), 12 V (yellow)	Main DC outputs. Black is ground
20+4 pin ATX	Main motherboard power
4/8 pin EPS	CPU power
6/8 pin PCIe, 12V-2x6 (16 pin)	Graphics cards
15-pin SATA power	Drives
Input	110-120 VAC (North America) vs 220-240 VAC (most of the world). Most PSUs auto-sense

Printer Types¶

Type	How it prints	Maintenance
Laser	Charged drum, toner fused by heat	Replace toner, apply maintenance kit (fuser, rollers), calibrate, clean
Inkjet	Liquid ink sprayed by printhead	Clean printheads, replace cartridges, calibrate/align, clear jams
Thermal	Heat on special paper (or ribbon)	Replace paper, clean heating element, remove debris
Impact	Pins strike an inked ribbon	Replace ribbon, printhead, and paper. Handles multipart forms

Laser imaging steps: processing, charging, exposing, developing, transferring, fusing, cleaning.

Windows Command Line (Core 2 objective 1.5)¶

Command	Use
`cd`, `dir`	Navigate and list
`md`, `rmdir`	Make and remove directories
`robocopy`	Robust copy with retry, mirror, and logging
`ipconfig /all`, `/release`, `/renew`, `/flushdns`	View and reset IP config
`ping`, `tracert`, `pathping`	Reachability, route, route plus per-hop loss
`netstat -ano`	Connections and listening ports with process IDs
`nslookup`	Query DNS
`net use`, `net user`	Map drives, manage user accounts
`chkdsk /f /r`	Fix filesystem errors and find bad sectors
`format`, `diskpart`	Format volumes, manage disks and partitions
`sfc /scannow`	Repair protected system files
`gpupdate /force`, `gpresult /r`	Refresh and report Group Policy
`hostname`, `whoami`, `winver`	Computer name, current user, Windows version
`[command] /?`	Help for any command

📖 Windows Commands Reference - Microsoft's reference for every command above

Windows GUI Tools (Core 2 objective 1.4)¶

Tool	Run command	Use
Event Viewer	`eventvwr.msc`	System, Application, Security logs
Disk Management	`diskmgmt.msc`	Partitions, volumes, drive letters
Task Scheduler	`taskschd.msc`	Scheduled jobs
Device Manager	`devmgmt.msc`	Drivers and hardware status
Certificate Manager	`certmgr.msc`	User certificates
Local Users and Groups	`lusrmgr.msc`	Local accounts (not on Home editions)
Performance Monitor	`perfmon.msc`	Counters and logging over time
Group Policy Editor	`gpedit.msc`	Local policy (not on Home editions)
System Information	`msinfo32.exe`	Hardware and software inventory
Resource Monitor	`resmon.exe`	Live CPU, memory, disk, network per process
System Configuration	`msconfig.exe`	Boot options, safe boot, services
Disk Cleanup	`cleanmgr.exe`	Remove temp files
Defragment and Optimize	`dfrgui.exe`	Defrag HDDs, TRIM SSDs
Registry Editor	`regedit.exe`	Edit the registry (back up first)

Linux Commands (Core 2 objective 1.9)¶

Command	Use
`ls`, `pwd`, `cd`	List, print working directory, change directory
`mv`, `cp`, `rm`	Move/rename, copy, delete
`chmod`, `chown`	Change permissions, change owner
`grep`, `find`	Search text, search for files
`fsck`, `mount`	Check a filesystem, attach a filesystem
`su`, `sudo`	Switch user, run one command as root
`apt`, `dnf`	Package managers (Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora/RHEL)
`ip`, `ping`, `curl`, `dig`, `traceroute`	Network config and testing
`man`, `cat`, `top`, `ps`, `du`, `df`	Help, show file, live processes, process list, directory usage, free disk space
`nano`	Simple text editor

Config files: /etc/passwd (accounts), /etc/shadow (password hashes), /etc/hosts (static name mapping), /etc/fstab (mounts at boot), /etc/resolv.conf (DNS servers).

Windows Editions (Core 2 objective 1.3)¶

Feature	Home	Pro	Enterprise
Join a domain	No	Yes	Yes
Group Policy Editor	No	Yes	Yes
BitLocker	No (device encryption only on some hardware)	Yes	Yes
Host RDP sessions	No (client only)	Yes	Yes
Max RAM (64-bit)	128 GB	2 TB	6 TB

Windows 11 minimums: 64-bit 1 GHz dual-core CPU on the supported list, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage, UEFI with Secure Boot capable, TPM 2.0.

📖 Windows 11 Specifications and System Requirements - Microsoft's hardware requirements

Security Quick Reference¶

Topic	Remember
Wireless	WPA3 (SAE) best, WPA2-AES acceptable, TKIP and WEP obsolete
RADIUS vs TACACS+	RADIUS: UDP, combines auth and authz, encrypts only the password. TACACS+: TCP 49, separates AAA, encrypts the whole payload
Kerberos	Ticket-based authentication used by Active Directory
NTFS + share permissions	Effective access over the network is the most restrictive of the two
Malware removal	10 steps - investigate, quarantine, disable System Restore, remediate, update, scan, reimage if needed, schedule scans, re-enable System Restore, educate
Data destruction	Drill, shred, degauss (magnetic only), incinerate. Get a certificate of destruction from vendors

Backup Types¶

Type	Backs up	Clears archive bit	Restore needs
Full	Everything	Yes	Last full
Incremental	Changes since last backup of any type	Yes	Last full + every incremental since
Differential	Changes since last full	No	Last full + last differential
Synthetic full	Built from a full plus incrementals, without re-reading the source	-	The synthetic full

3-2-1 rule: three copies, two different media, one offsite. GFS: daily (son), weekly (father), monthly (grandfather) rotation.

Common Exam Scenarios¶

"Laptop will not charge" - Check the adapter wattage and port first, then battery health.
"Users get 169.254.x.x addresses" - APIPA, the DHCP server is unreachable or out of addresses.
"Can reach IPs but not names" - DNS problem. Check DNS settings, ipconfig /flushdns, nslookup.
"Ghost images on laser prints" - Drum or cleaning issue.
"Clicking noise and slow file access" - Failing HDD. Back up now, check S.M.A.R.T.
"BSOD after installing a driver" - Boot to Safe Mode, roll back the driver.
"Browser redirects and new toolbar" - Adware or browser hijacker. Follow the malware removal steps.
"Need Windows features like domain join and BitLocker" - Pro or higher, not Home.
"Move a file and keep NTFS permissions" - Move within the same volume.
"Dispose of drives with sensitive data" - Physical destruction or certified wipe, with documentation.

Good luck on your exams! Memorize the port table, the RAID table, and the command lists cold. Most of the rest is recognizing a symptom and matching it to the cause.