New A+ Exams 220-1100 and 220-1101 Due for April Release

By Bob Weiss

The new A+ exams will be released on April 20th, and the current A+ exams will be retiring six months later on October 20th. To all those still studying for the 1000 series, you have almost 6 months left before the current exam retires.

Every time the exams change, about once every three years, there is a flurry of concern from those who have prepared for the retiring exam. I can say with certainty, because as an Instructor for CompTIA and other certifications, that there are usually not too many changes to worry about. There will be new content about newer technologies, and some older technologies will be removed from the exam. The vast majority of the content and exam topics will never change. Things like the CompTIA Troubleshooting Guide, for instance, never change. In other words, if you are prepared for the 1000 series, you should do fine on the 1100 series. I have passed all of the A+ exams since 220-801. My existing knowledge and training were enough for me to take the next exam without a lot of additional study and preparation. Of course, I have a 20+ years of professional experience, and have been an A+ Instructor since 2014. But you, at whatever level of experience, can expect to pass the new exam if you have prepared for the current exam..

Boson Practice Exams, my personal favorite, is not offering new 1100 series practice exams yet, but there should be new practice exams for the 220-1100 series in late April or early May. I recommend Boson due to their extensive explanations when using Study Mode. Boson goes into detail about why the correct answer is right, and also why the other answers are wrong. Working with new practice exams should be sufficient to upgrade your knowledge for the new exam series. So keep an eye out for the new Boson exam.

I have information on the changing content that I am posting here and on the Reddit CompTIA site.

Subscribe to WyzGuys Cybersecurity here to get up to date information about this certification exam and others.

Here are three downloadable PDF files about the coming 220-1100 series exams.

Changes to the A+ Exam in 220-1100 series.pdf This is from a CompTIA Webinar that was offered to instructors.

CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Core 2 Objectives 220-1101.pdf

CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Core 2 Objectives 220-1102.pdf

In the meanwhile, this is what CompTIA has to say bout the new exam

The NEW exams launch April 20th, 2022 to learners exploring an IT career in the IT Support Specialists and Help Desk Technician job roles. Any vouchers that have been purchased for A+ Core 1 (220-1001) & A+ Core 2 (220-1002) and have not yet expired may still be used for the A+ Core 1 (220-1101) & A+ Core 2 (220-1102) exams. Review both set of Exam Objectives here, or learn more about the new exam below.

The CompTIA A+ Core Series requires candidates to pass two exams: Core 1 (220-1101) and Core 2 (220-1102) covering the following new content, emphasizing the technologies and skills IT pros need to support a hybrid workforce.

Increased reliance on SaaS applications for remote work
More on troubleshooting and how to remotely diagnose and correct common software, hardware, or connectivity problems
Changing core technologies from cloud virtualization and IoT device security to data management and scripting
Multiple operating systems now encountered by technicians on a regular basis, including the major systems, their use cases, and how to keep them running properly
Reflects the changing nature of the job role, where many tasks are sent to specialized providers as certified personnel need to assess whether it’s best to fix something on site, or to save time and money by sending proprietary technologies directly to vendors

Good luck to all of you who are preparing for this certification.

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About the Author:

I am a cybersecurity and IT instructor, cybersecurity analyst, pen-tester, trainer, and speaker. I am an owner of the WyzCo Group Inc. In addition to consulting on security products and services, I also conduct security audits, compliance audits, vulnerability assessments and penetration tests. I also teach Cybersecurity Awareness Training classes. I work as an information technology and cybersecurity instructor for several training and certification organizations. I have worked in corporate, military, government, and workforce development training environments I am a frequent speaker at professional conferences such as the Minnesota Bloggers Conference, Secure360 Security Conference in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, the (ISC)2 World Congress 2016, and the ISSA International Conference 2017, and many local community organizations, including Chambers of Commerce, SCORE, and several school districts. I have been blogging on cybersecurity since 2006 at http://wyzguyscybersecurity.com

Shameer Mulji April 8, 2022

I’m looking to get my start in IT. With companies moving their infrastructure to the cloud, what value do you think there will be for IT certifications like from CompTia & Cisco? Do you still there will be demand for IT positions that require physical hands-on of routers / switches?

bobwyzguy April 10, 2022

Thanks for your comment Shameer. First I believe it is important to begin at the beginning, so entry level, hands on certs like A+, Net+ Security+ and CCNA still have an important place.

Hands on skills are important because not everyone ends up working in a Fortune 500 NOC or SOC on big complex, and mostly automated administrative systems. I spent my entire career working for small companies where there is no budget for sophisticated systems. Much of the work is hands on at a console session , command prompt, or terminal screen.

I do also believe that having Cloud certifications are a major advantage if you are looking for a position. Cloud, Virtualization, and Software Defined Anything are becoming much more important.

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