Every lesson in APlus Academy Core 2
Self-paced CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202) course with adaptive training and practice exams.
The exam
| Exam | CompTIA A+ Core 2 |
|---|---|
| Code | 220-1202 |
| Questions | Up to 90 |
| Time | 90 minutes |
| Passing | The real exam passes at 700 on a 100 to 900 scale. This course's official-format test uses 78%, that score divided by 900. |
| Lessons | 41 lessons across 9 units, about 6.8 hours of reading |
Exam domains
| Domain | Weight | Lessons |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Systems | 28% | 12 |
| Security | 28% | 13 |
| Software Troubleshooting | 23% | 6 |
| Operational Procedures | 21% | 10 |
How the course works
- Cheat sheet. Everything the exam expects you to recall cold, printable.
- Starter test. A few questions per exam domain, with a confidence rating on each.
- Your tutorial. Lessons chosen from what you missed or guessed, each with a checkpoint and a deeper explanation.
- Practice tests and retraining. 50 questions, weighted like the real exam. Every miss is explained and feeds back into your lessons.
- 3 of your last 5 at 80%. That unlocks one full-length test on the real exam's clock: 90 questions in 90 minutes, at its real passing score of 78%. Pass it once and you are ready to book.
Every lesson
The first 15 lessons are open to read here. Every lesson, with its checkpoint, is free inside the course.
Unit 1: Operating Systems and Installation
The operating systems and filesystems a technician meets, the Windows editions and what each allows, how Windows is installed and upgraded, and how applications and cloud tools are chosen and deployed.
- Operating System Types, Filesystems, Life Cycles, and Compatibility 10 min
- Windows Editions, Feature Differences, Upgrade Paths, and Hardware Requirements 10 min
- Installing and Upgrading Windows: Boot Methods, Installation Types, Partitioning, and Upgrade Considerations 11 min
- Installing Applications and Cloud Productivity Tools: Requirements, Distribution, Impact, and Cloud Services 10 min
Unit 2: Windows Tools, Commands, Settings, and Networking
Every Windows tool by its file name, every command by its job, where each setting lives in Control Panel and Settings, and how a Windows client is put on a network.
- Task Manager and the MMC Snap-Ins 11 min
- The Other Windows Utilities: msinfo32, resmon, msconfig, cleanmgr, dfrgui, and regedit 8 min
- Windows Command-Line Tools 12 min
- Control Panel Applets, File Explorer Options, and Power Options 10 min
- The Settings App 8 min
- Windows Networking on the Client 11 min
Unit 3: macOS and Linux
The Apple desktop's features and utilities, and the Linux commands, configuration files, and components a technician must recognize.
Unit 4: Security Concepts
The vocabulary of security: physical controls, logical controls, wireless protocols and authentication, the malware families and the tools against them, and the social engineering and technical threats a technician must recognize.
- Physical Security and Physical Access Controls 9 min
- Logical Security: Least Privilege, Zero Trust, ACLs, MFA, SAML, SSO, JIT, PAM, MDM, DLP, IAM, and Directory Services 11 min
- Wireless Security Protocols and Authentication Methods 9 min
- Malware Types and the Tools That Fight Them in the course
- Social Engineering, Threats, and Vulnerabilities in the course
Unit 5: Securing Windows, Devices, Networks, and Data
Putting security into practice: Windows security settings and permissions, BitLocker, EFS, and Active Directory tasks, workstation hardening, mobile devices, SOHO routers, browsers, disposal, and the malware removal procedure in order.
- Windows Security Settings: Defender, Firewall, Accounts, Sign-In, NTFS and Share Permissions, and UAC in the course
- BitLocker, EFS, and Active Directory Tasks in the course
- Workstation Hardening in the course
- Securing Mobile Devices in the course
- SOHO Wireless and Wired Network Security in the course
- Browser Security Settings in the course
- Data Destruction and Disposal in the course
- The Malware Removal Procedure in the course
Unit 6: Software Troubleshooting
Windows symptoms and the repair toolbox, PC security and browser symptoms, mobile OS, application, and security problems, and worked cases that follow the troubleshooting method from symptom to documented fix.
- Windows Symptoms: From Blue Screens to Time Drift in the course
- The Windows Repair Toolbox: Safe Mode, WinRE, sfc, DISM, chkdsk, Restore, Reset, Profiles in the course
- PC Security Symptoms and Browser Symptoms in the course
- Mobile OS and Application Issues in the course
- Mobile Security Concerns and Symptoms in the course
- Worked Software Cases: Five Complete Walkthroughs in the course
Unit 7: Documentation, Change, and Backups
The paperwork that keeps IT running: tickets, asset records, the documents every shop needs, change management from request to acceptance, and backup types, recovery, testing, and rotation.
- Ticketing, Asset Management, and Documentation in the course
- Change Management in the course
- Backup and Recovery in the course
Unit 8: Safety, Environment, Policy, and Professionalism
Working safely with electricity and static, handling the environment and disposal, responding to incidents and respecting licenses, regulated data, and policies, and communicating like a professional.
- Safety Procedures in the course
- Environmental Impacts and Controls in the course
- Incident Response, Licensing, Regulated Data, and Policies in the course
- Communication and Professionalism in the course
Unit 9: Scripting, Remote Access, and AI
Script file types and what scripts are used for, the remote access tools and the security each one needs, and the basics of using AI responsibly at work.
- Scripting Basics in the course
- Remote Access Technologies in the course
- Artificial Intelligence Basics in the course
On exam day
- Up to 90 questions in 90 minutes with performance-based items; do the multiple choice first if a simulation stalls you, flag it and return.
- Tool names and their .msc or .exe files, command switches, the seven malware removal steps in order, and the permission rules (most restrictive over the network, Deny wins, move keeps and copy inherits) are pure recall; know them cold.
- Troubleshooting items want the least destructive fix that follows the change: roll back the driver before reinstalling Windows, quarantine before scanning, verify before quarantining.
- Operational procedure items reward the procedural answer: report and preserve rather than investigate, change board rather than just do it, restore to an alternative location rather than overwrite.
- Read for the qualifier: BEST, MOST likely, FIRST, NEXT. Two forms of ID, arrive early, sleep the night before.