CompTIA certifications

CompTIA's certifications are vendor-neutral and stacked. A+ is the support technician's credential and the only one here made of two exams — Core 1 on hardware, networking, mobile devices, virtualisation and troubleshooting; Core 2 on operating systems, security, software troubleshooting and operational procedures — both required for the certification. Network+ covers networking concepts, implementation, operations, security and troubleshooting. Security+ is the entry security credential and the one most often required by employers and public-sector roles. CySA+ sits above it, covering detection, analysis and response to threats.

None has a formal prerequisite; CompTIA recommends experience or the lower credential but does not require it. All are delivered by Pearson VUE at a centre or by online proctoring under CompTIA's candidate policies, scored on a scale with a published passing score per exam, and valid for three years. Renewal is by continuing-education units — activities such as training, higher certifications or work experience — rather than by retaking the exam, and a higher CompTIA certification renews the lower ones.

The exam objectives are the study plan. Each lists its domains with a percentage weight and the specific tasks under each; the exam pages here map practice sets to those domains and note the current exam version, since CompTIA retires versions on a schedule.

Two habits of CompTIA's program matter for planning. Exam versions retire on a published schedule — a new version launches, the old one remains available for a transition period, then closes — so the practice sets here carry the version code, and a candidate mid-preparation should sit the version they studied before it closes. And the question mix includes performance-based items that simulate a task in a console or on a diagram, not just multiple choice; budget time for them, because they sit early in the exam and can be flagged and returned to.