CompTIA A+ Core 2 and This Course

An entry-level credential for IT support

CompTIA A+ is an entry-level credential for people who work, or want to work, in information technology (IT) support: help desk analysts, desktop support technicians and field service technicians. It is awarded by CompTIA, a non-profit IT industry association. To earn it, a candidate must pass two exams, called Core 1 and Core 2.

Core 1 is mostly about hardware, mobile devices, networking and the troubleshooting of hardware and networks. Core 2 is about the software side of support: operating systems, security, software troubleshooting and operational procedures such as documentation, safety and professional conduct. The current Core 2 exam has the code 220-1202.

This course is part 2 of 2. It follows the CompTIA A+ Core 1 Exam Preparation course, which covers the Core 1 exam.

Why an entry-level exam gets an intermediate course

A+ is entry level, but most Core 2 objectives begin with the words "Given a scenario". The exam does not only ask what a tool is. It describes a user, a symptom or a policy and asks what you would do: which command to run, which setting to change, which step comes next. That is applying, choosing and diagnosing, which is intermediate depth in our course standard.

So every module here does two things. It teaches the vocabulary of the objective, and then it makes you choose between plausible options in realistic support situations at fictional companies such as Quorvale Logistics, a logistics firm with offices in Texas, and Brenlow Engineering, an engineering firm in Ohio.