220-1202 CompTIA A+ Certification Exam: Core 2 Exam Topics and Questions

Operating systems carries the single largest share of the exam, and it earns that weight. The domain spans Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile platforms, which means you cannot afford to specialise. Where candidates bleed marks is in the details: the right tool for the right OS, the right file system for the right scenario, the right upgrade path when things go sideways. Surface-level familiarity with each platform is not enough.

How Operating systems is tested

At 28%, this domain will shape your result more than any other. Items tend to be scenario-based: a technician needs to accomplish a specific task on a specific OS, and you must identify the correct tool or sequence of steps. Knowing that Task Manager exists is not enough; items reward knowing which tab or feature addresses the described symptom. The same pattern applies to Command Prompt: candidates who know the name of a command but not its flags or output will lose marks consistently.

File system questions often hinge on compatibility, not just naming. The trap is picking the answer that sounds right for the task without checking whether it fits the OS in the scenario. Upgrade and update questions reward a sequential mindset: skipping a step in the process is the most common wrong move.

Mobile OS items are frequently underestimated. Candidates who focus almost entirely on Windows and overlook macOS or mobile platform differences will find several items where that gap costs them.

Security ties Operating systems at 28%, and the two domains interact constantly in the exam. Where OS items test procedural knowledge, Security items test judgment: given a described environment, which control or protocol is the appropriate response. The domain splits between encryption and access controls on one side and malware threats on the other, and both halves demand precision. Vague awareness of security concepts will not carry you here.

How Security is tested

Items in this domain are built around choosing between controls that are all plausible. Encryption questions reward knowing which method fits the described data type, storage location, or transmission requirement. Access control items often present a situation where multiple mechanisms could apply; the strongest answer matches the principle of least privilege to the specific scenario described, not just to access control in general.

Wireless security questions are a consistent source of dropped marks. Candidates who can name protocols but cannot distinguish when one is preferred over another in a given environment will find these items difficult. The trap is defaulting to the most secure-sounding option without checking whether the scenario supports it.

Malware items reward a process: recognise the symptom, identify the likely threat type, then select the appropriate response in the correct order. Candidates lose marks by jumping to remediation steps before containment, or by confusing one malware category's behaviour with another. Knowing what a threat does is as important as knowing what to do about it.

After two domains that reward knowing what things are, Software troubleshooting rewards knowing what to do when they break. The shift matters because the item style changes: you are reading symptoms and working backwards to causes, not forward from a concept. At 23%, this domain is the third-largest on the exam. Candidates who are strong on OS knowledge but weak on systematic fault isolation will feel that gap here.

How Software troubleshooting is tested

Items in this domain present symptoms and ask for the next step or the most likely cause. OS and application issues are tested through scenarios where multiple causes could explain the symptom; the strongest answer is the one that fits all the details in the stem, not just the most obvious one.

Mobile troubleshooting items cover connectivity, app behaviour, and performance. Candidates often lose marks by applying desktop OS logic to mobile scenarios. The platforms behave differently, and items reward knowing those differences rather than treating mobile as a simplified version of Windows.

Security-related troubleshooting items in this domain overlap with the Security domain in content but differ in style. Where Security items ask what control to apply, these items ask how to identify and resolve a problem that has already occurred. Malware removal steps are frequently tested in sequence: items reward following the established process in order. Skipping steps or reversing them is the most common source of lost marks. Unauthorized access scenarios reward identifying the vector before recommending a fix.

Operational procedures closes the exam at 21%, and candidates routinely underestimate it. The domain does not test flashy technical skills; it tests whether you handle the unglamorous parts of the job correctly: paperwork, safety, communication, and backups. That profile makes it easy to deprioritise during study. It also makes it one of the more reliable places to gain marks, because the material is consistent and the items are predictable in structure.

How Operational procedures is tested

Documentation items reward knowing what gets recorded, when, and in what form. Change management questions in particular test sequence: candidates who know that documentation is required but not when it happens relative to the change itself will lose marks.

Safety and communication items are often framed around a technician interacting with a customer or colleague. The strongest answer typically reflects both technical correctness and professional conduct. Candidates who focus only on the technical side of a scenario and ignore the communication element will frequently pick an answer that is technically sound but professionally wrong.

Backup and recovery items test specifics. Knowing that backups should be performed is not enough; items reward knowing which backup type fits the described retention requirement or recovery time objective. The trap is selecting a backup strategy that sounds thorough without checking whether it matches the scenario's constraints.

Across all three sub-topics, the common failure mode is treating this domain as common sense rather than a body of knowledge with specific correct procedures. Items are written to distinguish candidates who know the standard from those who are guessing.