CompTIA A+ certification is the foundation-level credential for IT professionals. Globally recognized and accepted by employers worldwide, this certification validates essential knowledge and skills required of technicians in the workplace.
Undoubtedly, it is necessary for every computer technician / IT professional to have CompTIA A+ on their resume.
However, practically speaking, passing both exams to get the certification is not easy. You will need to study diligently to grasp numerous topics by heart.
To speed up your study process, you can take a CompTIA A+ training course. You will learn from experts who have immense industry experience so that you will understand crucial concepts in no time.
This article will outline such courses and elaborate on their pros & cons. Hence, you can select the most suitable course right away and save hours of your valuable time in the research process.
Affiliate Disclosure: This article from Victory Tale contains affiliate links. We will receive a small commission from prep training providers if you purchase their products through those links.
Nevertheless, we always value integrity and prioritize our audience’s interests. You can rest assured that we will present each program truthfully.
Things You Should Know
Exam and Certification Details
According to CompTIA, To obtain the CompTIA A+ certification, every candidate must pass two following certification exams:
- Core 1 (220-1001) – Mobile devices, Hardware technologies, Networking, Cloud computing, Troubleshooting, etc.
- Core 2 (220-1002) – Installation and configuration of operating systems, software troubleshooting, operational procedures, etc.
Each certification exam has up to 90 questions, comprising multiple choices, drag & drops, and performance-based questions. You will have 90 minutes to complete the exam.
Exam fees vary by country. It costs $239 per exam (thus, $478 for both) in the US. You can now take it at Pearson Vue test centers or take it anywhere through the online testing platform.
Criteria
Below are the criteria for the best CompTIA A+ training courses:
1. Cybervista
Cybervista is a workforce development company that offers excellent training programs for various certification exams, including the CompTIA series.
If you are looking for a comprehensive self-paced prep program taught by experts, Cybervista is probably the best option you could find.
Learning Resources & Pricing
Cybervista has two training courses for CompTIA A+ (for Core 1 and Core 2, respectively). All of the lessons are available online on their cloud platform and mobile-optimized. Hence, you can learn anywhere, anytime through laptops, smartphones, and tablets.
Below are the learning resources provided for each training course.
- Complete video lessons for the CompTIA A+ certification exam
- Practice questions for each lesson
- Analytics & Progress Tracker
- Online portal and other learning resources
- Mentor support
- Pass Guarantee (Cybervista will refund all course fees if you fail the CompTIA exam.)
- 180-day access
The price tag for each training course is $499, and you will have 180 days to access the platform. Overall, the program is comprehensive. You will have all the essential resources that help you pass the exam seamlessly.
However, if you want more practice questions or features to help you prepare for the exam, you can opt for a practice test package.
This package costs $129 and provides the following learning resources.
- Customizable, downloadable exam-like questions and quizzes
- Detailed explanations and references for each question
- Exam-related features (Grade-as-you-go or Exam simulation)
- Key concepts flashcards
- Performance Tracker (Cybervista will compare your performance with others, thus showing how far you need to catch up with them)
- Study Calendar
- InstructorLink (for asking questions)
- 180-day access
Overall, this package is an excellent supplement to the training course due to the above high-quality resources and features. However, its price tag is pretty high, and some of these resources should be included in the base training course.
Therefore, I think you will be better off with other economical options elsewhere.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Taught by certified experts with years of teaching experience
- User-friendly, mobile-optimized eLearning platform
- Well-structured curriculum
- Provide excellent learning resources and features to help prepare for the exam
- Include mentor support
- Offer a pass guarantee that will grant a full refund if students are unsuccessful in the exam.
Cons
- You need to pay extra for practice tests and learning resources. Some of which are crucial.
- Despite its no-frills pricing, Cybervista’s training courses are costlier than other alternatives
2. Pearson IT Certification
Pearson IT Certification is another provider that offers various sets of comprehensive training for CompTIA certification exams. For CompTIA A+, you will learn from David L. Prowse, a veteran instructor who authors more than a dozen computer training books and products.
Learning Resources and Pricing
All lessons and course materials are available through Pearson IT Certification’s online learning platform.
Based on my observation, the user interface is pretty outdated and not interactive. However, it does not cause any issues that potentially disrupt your learning.
Generally speaking, the platform is still fast, and navigation through learning resources is effortless, while the visual and sound quality.
Similar to Cybervista, Pearson IT certification programs also come with various high-quality learning resources, including the following:
- 35+ hours of video instruction, including hands-on demonstrations, whiteboard training, animations, video screencasting, and many more.
- Hands-on labs
- Exercises and practice tests
The best thing is that the instructor will drill even deeper than what will appear in the exam in each lesson. He will teach you steps to troubleshoot software, hardware, and basic network infrastructures.
Thus, you will become job-ready and have the technical skills to perform all the tasks as a support technician or other relevant careers in the IT industry.
Regarding pricing, this program costs $239.99 per exam (thus, $480 if you take both). I think the price tag is reasonable, considering the quality of instruction and other learning resources included.
If you are still unsure whether Pearson IT certification courses are suitable for you, I suggest you click one of the links below to try the video course experience for free.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Learn from an experienced instructor with decades of industry experience
- Easy-to-follow curriculum
- Informative, in-depth lessons
- The learning platform is fast and straightforward, though its user interface is outdated.
- Free lessons are available
Cons
- Subpar Customer Support
- No pass guarantee
3. Whizlabs
Whizlabs is a top choice if you want a prep course or practice exam for last-minute preparation.
Compared to Cybervista and Pearson IT Certification, Whizlabs’ CompTIA courses are far more concise and affordable. Still, they provide learners with a detailed summary and beneficial tips and techniques that can help them pass the exam easily.
Learning Resources and Pricing
Like other alternatives, Whizlabs’ CompTIA training courses are self-paced and available online. Thus, you will have complete freedom in your training.
Below is a summary of what you will get from this course:
- 12 hours of video training, covering all exam content
- 24/7 support from subject matter experts
This course costs only $9.95, which is unarguably one of the most affordable certification training programs for CompTIA A+. In my opinion, it will serve well as a crash course that you can take to review all concepts before the exam date.
The drawback of this course is that it does not include a practice test. However, you can buy it for $7.95, which is also inexpensive. This package will consist of 85 practice questions that resemble the actual exam.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Excellent course for last-minute review
- Clear and concise explanations
- Affordable pricing for the video course and practice tests
- Lifetime Access + Updates
Cons
- Not as informative as other courses
- No other resources and features to assist your learning
4. Total: CompTIA A+ Certification
This Udemy course is probably the online training course that provides the most value for money. You can get a comprehensive video course along with considerable supplementary learning materials for $20 or lower.
Besides, you will learn from Mike Meyers, one of the most skilled CompTIA certified trainers. Mike is an instructor with more than 25 years of experience and adopts a humorous and easy-to-follow approach in his teaching.
Throughout these years, his students found success in the CompTIA certification exams by taking Mike’s courses alone.
Course Content and Resources
The Core 1 training course has more than 17 hours of video content. Below is a summary of topics that you will learn from this course.
- Safety and Professionalism
- Hardware – CPUs, RAM, Firmware, Motherboards, Powerboards, Mass Storage Technologies, Peripherals
- Networking Technology – Key concepts, LAN, Wireless, Internet, Virtual Machines, Cloud Computing
- Portable Computing
- Mobile Devices
- Printers and Multifunction Devices
- and many more
The training course for the Core 2 exam is slightly shorter (15 hours long), comprising the following topics:
- Safety and Professionalism
- Introduction to an Operating System
- 32-bit vs. 64-bit, Virtual Memory, Mass Storage Implementation
- Building a PC
- Registry, Processes, Services, Information and Configuration Tools, Performance Monitoring
- Users, Groups, and Permissions
- Maintain and optimize operating systems
- Deep dive into the command line interface
- OS Troubleshooting
- Network Troubleshooting, Firewalls, Wireless Encryption
- Mobile device security, Computer security, and operational procedures
- and many more
Overall, Mike will walk you through all the CompTIA A+ essential concepts and provide you with valuable tips and tricks that help you score well on the exam.
However, that’s not all. In addition to the video lessons, each course includes additional learning resources as follows:
- Quizzes for each chapter
- A PDF file containing all exam objectives, a valuable tool for last-minute review
Reviews: 4.7/5.0 (for both courses)
Practice Exams
Since the training courses above will not include practice exams, you will need to buy them separately.
Both practice exam packages have 270 practice problems or, in other words, three complete practice exams. Also, you will get detailed explanations for each question. Therefore, you will identify your weaknesses and eliminate them before taking an actual exam.
I believe these resources are enough for anyone to pass the exams, so you will not need to purchase more practice tests elsewhere.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Learn from a veteran instructor with an engaging teaching style
- Informative, in-depth lessons
- Many students pass both CompTIA A+ certification exams by taking this series alone.
- Active Q&A Forum
- Lifetime Access + 30-day money-back guarantee
- Inexpensive ($20 or lower when on sale)
Cons
- Mike assumes that his learners are already familiar with technical terms in some lessons. Thus, he will not explain their definitions. This causes problems for some absolute beginners.
- Several students reported that a few practice questions have poor wording or do not accurately reflect the actual A+ exam.
5. CompTIA A+ Test Prep, Exams, and Simulations
Have you taken several CompTIA A+ certification courses but are still unable to pass the actual exams?
If so, you may lack a reliable strategy for the exam. Your approach to exam questions, particularly the PBQs, may be in disarray. Thus, it bars you from success.
This Udemy course from Jason Dion is probably the best solution for those facing this situation.
Jason is a former college professor who currently holds various CompTIA A+ certifications. Instead of teaching you the fundamentals like other courses, Jason will recommend strategies, techniques, and other tips that will help you tackle the most challenging questions on both parts of the CompTIA A+ certification exam.
Course Content and Resources
This course has two parts. Both will have the same content structure as follows:
- Test-taking strategies – Divide-and-Conquer, Time Management, Playing the Odds, etc.
- Detailed guide on performance-based questions (PBQs)
The video content will be approximately 3.5 hours long. Thus, it is concise enough to complete on the last day before the exam.
Furthermore, each course will provide you with two complete practice tests (180 questions in total). Thus, you can practice your newly learned tactics in the simulated environment right away.
Reviews: 4.7/5.0 and 4.6/5.0
Practice Exams
The practice exams included in the above courses are sufficient for most students. However, some may want more to sharpen their test-taking skills. If that’s the case, you can buy additional practice test packages from Jason as well.
Each package is packed with more than 500 practice questions (6 full practice sets) and detailed solutions. Thus, you can practice through them to build your confidence and pass the actual exam.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Feature valuable tips and strategies for specific exam questions
- Straightforward explanations
- Offer high-quality practice test packages that accurately reflects the actual exam
- Lifetime Access + 30-day money-back guarantee
- Inexpensive ($20 or lower when on sale)
Cons
- Some practice questions are repetitive.
Other Alternatives
Grey Campus (CompTIA A+ Group Training) – Grey Campus is a training provider that offers top-notch live online prep training for various certification exams such as the PMP.
However, as for CompTIA A+, Grey Campus now only provides group training (5 students or more). Thus, the course is not available for individual learners.
Related Courses
CompTIA Network+ – Coming Soon
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