The CompTIA A+ certification is the industry standard for computer support technicians. The international, vendor-neutral certification proves competence in areas such as installation, preventative maintenance, networking, security and troubleshooting. CompTIA A+ certified technicians also have excellent customer service and communication skills to work with clients. CompTIA A+ is part of the certification track for corporations such as Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco and Novell. Other technology companies, including CompuCom and Ricoh, have made CompTIA A+ certification mandatory for their service technicians. More than 700,000 people worldwide have become CompTIA A+ certified since the program’s inception in 1993. The latest version of CompTIA A+ is CompTIA A+ 2009 Edition. Two exams are necessary to be certified: CompTIA A+ Essentials, exam code 220-701; and CompTIA A+ Practical Application, exam code 220-702. CompTIA A+ Essentials measures the necessary competencies of an entry-level IT professional with at least 500 hours of hands-on experience in the lab or field. It tests for the fundamentals of computer technology, networking and security, as well as the communication skills and professionalism now required of all entry-level IT professionals. CompTIA A+ Practical Application is an extension of the knowledge and skills identified in CompTIA A+ Essentials, with more of a "hands-on" orientation focused on scenarios in which troubleshooting and tools must be applied to resolve problems. View the new objectives here View information on the previous version of CompTIA A+ For candidates certified under previous versions of the exam: CompTIA A+ certified professionals who are encouraged or required by their employers to remain current on their certifications have two options: 1. Take the CompTIA A+ 2009 Edition (two exams). 2. Only those who are certified in the most recent version of CompTIA A+ (2006 objectives) by taking 220-601 and one of the following: 220-602, 220-603 and 220-604 exams are eligible to update their currency through taking the CompTIA A+ bridge exam (one exam), which covers the new objectives. The existing CompTIA A+ 600 series exams remain relevant and are in use by organizations and educational institutions throughout the world. The regular, non-academic English version of these exams will retire in the U.S. and Canada on February 28, 2010. The educational versions of these exams (JK0-601, JK0-602, JK0-603 and JK0-604), as well as the German, Korean, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese translations of the 220-601 through 220-604 CompTIA A+ exams, will remain in the market for use until August 31, 2010. Questions? Contact questions@comptia.org. Why A New Exam? The CompTIA A+ exam was last updated in 2006. Releasing a new version of the exam ensures that CompTIA A+ reflects changes in technologies and covers the latest skills needed by IT technicians. Additionally, CompTIA A+ is ISO 17024 accredited and must be reviewed and updated every three years to maintain accreditation.
2009 edition required exams: Comptia a+ essentials, comptia a+ practical application number of questions: 100 for each exam length of test: 90 minutes each passing score: 675 for comptia a+ essentials, 700 for comptia a+ practical application on a scale of 100-900 languages: English exam codes: 220-701 for comptia a+ essentials 220-702 for comptia a+ practical application
TEST DETAILS 2009 Edition Bridge Exam Required exam parts: One exam Number of questions: 85 Length of test: 90 minutes Passing score: 500 on a scale of 100-900 Languages: English Exam code: BR0-003
