News

CompTIA Unveils New A+ Cert with Electives

After months of speculation, the Computing Technology Industry Association unveiled a new structure for its flagship A+ hardware technician certification.

After months of speculation, the Computing Technology Industry Association unveiled a new structure for its flagship A+ hardware technician certification.

The popular vendor-neutral, entry-level title will retain its two-exam format, but CompTIA is moving away from the current Core Hardware and Operating Systems exams.

Instead, candidates will be required to pass one "A+ Essentials" exam (#220-601) that covers both hardware and software, plus choose one of several elective exams that focus on different areas of support.

The electives will be:

Exam #
Exam Name
Example Job Roles
220-602
IT Technician
Enterprise Tech, PC Tech, Desktop Support, Student, Sales
220-603 Remote Support Remote Support Tech, Help Desk Tech, Call Center Tech
220-604 Depot Technician Depot Tech, Bench Tech

All of the above exams are scheduled to be release in "late Q3 2006," according to the company's Web site. And more electives may be coming, a company representative told CertCities.com. Candidates will be able to take the exams in any order, but CompTIA recommends taking the Essentials exam first.

Each of the elective exams' objectives focus on different technologies in varying levels depending on the job role, the organization said. For example, the Remote Technician exam puts special emphasis on laptops and portable devices (20 percent of the objectives), and the Depot Technician exam, for positions that typically have little customer interaction, leaves off the Communications and Professionalism objective found on the other exams (including Essentials).

According to CompTIA, the title's overall emphasis on security, soft skills as well as safety and environmental issues have also been increased.

"Employers want a foundation-level certification that covers both technology essentials and the specialized skills required in different computer services and support environments," commented CompTIA President and CEO John Venator in a released statement.

"The most significant and exciting aspect of this update is the flexibility it will offer," he continued. "More than ever before, individuals will have the power to take control of their career options...[and] employers will be able to select the exam elements that best suit their businesses' needs."

While the new exams are scheduled to debut this fall, the current exams (2003 objectives) will remain available until the end of the year in the U.S. (later for some non-English exams and specialty programs).

There is no public beta period planned for the exams. CompTIA would not comment on why or what other steps would be taken to ensure the psychometric accuracy of the exams. In the past, the organization has been known to seed unscored beta items onto the live versions of current exams instead of holding separate betas.

The organization also did not comment on what, if any, new question types might be present on the exams.

Those planning to take the current versions of the exams should proceed, the organization said. "Candidates now studying for, or considering, CompTIA A+ certification are encouraged to continue their preparation [for the 2003 exams], as there is ample time available to them to achieve the certification," said Neill Hopkins, vice president of skills development.

The change will not affect those already A+ certified, as the title is "good for life" and does not need to be updated. Those who do wish to update, however, may do so simply by passing one of the new elective exams, the organization said.

Those who want to earn more than one of the new A+ credentials can also do so by taking the elective exam; the Essentials exam does not need to be repeated.

A+ is CompTIA's flagship, vendor-neutral certification, with more than 700,000 granted worldwide, according to the organization. The entry-level title also serves as an optional or required elective for several other vendors' certification programs, including Microsoft's.

CertCities.com will bring you more information on the new A+ as it becomes available. Meanwhile, for more details and to download the objectives of the upcoming exams, go here.

About the Author

Becky Nagel serves as vice president of AI for 1105 Media specializing in developing media, events and training for companies around AI and generative AI technology. She also regularly writes and reports on AI news, and is the founding editor of PureAI.com. She's the author of "ChatGPT Prompt 101 Guide for Business Users" and other popular AI resources with a real-world business perspective. She regularly speaks, writes and develops content around AI, generative AI and other business tech. She has a background in Web technology and B2B enterprise technology journalism.

Featured

  • Microsoft Appoints Althoff as New CEO for Commercial Business

    Microsoft CEO and chairman Satya Nadella on Wednesday announced the promotion of Judson Althoff to CEO of the company's commercial business, presenting the move as a response to the dramatic industrywide shifts caused by AI.

  • Broadcom Revamps VMware Partner Program Again

    Broadcom recently announced a significant update regarding its VMware Cloud Service Provider (VCSP) program, coinciding with the release of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0, a key component in Broadcom’s private cloud strategy.

  • Closeup of the new Copilot keyboard key

    Microsoft Updates Copilot To Add Context-Sensitive Agents to Teams, SharePoint

    Microsoft has rolled out a new public preview for collaborative "always on" agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot, bringing enhanced, context-aware tools into Teams channels, meetings, SharePoint sites, Planner workstreams and Viva Engage communities.

  • Windows 365 Cloud Apps Now Available for Public Preview

    Microsoft announced this week that Windows 365 Cloud Apps are now available for public preview. This aims to allow IT administrators to stream individual Windows applications from the cloud, removing the need to assign Cloud PCs to every user.