article · Certification difficulty & pass rates
CompTIA A+ Pass Rate: What Is Sourceable
Direct answer
What to do
CompTIA's reviewed A+ page gives two-exam facts, not a candidate pass rate. Use official scope and hands-on readiness evidence instead.
Plan with
- The current exam identity, objectives, format, and vendor guidance.
- A passing score only as the threshold the exam owner publishes—not as a candidate pass rate.
- Your diagnostic results, practical work, and specific weak domains.
Do not infer
- That a 700 passing score means 70 percent of candidates pass.
- That one training provider’s student outcome is the global exam pass rate.
- That an unsourced percentage predicts your result or how much preparation you need.
Reviewed 2026-08-27
Certification details change. Always confirm final pricing, availability, and credential terms on the official provider page linked in the sources below before you pay for anything.
Detailed evidence, examples, and source notes
Last updated 2026-07-21 — the article text's own revision date; dated evidence on this page carries its own check date. See the Citation Ledger at the foot for this page's sources.
The honest CompTIA A+ pass-rate answer is not a percentage. Learnerside does not have a sourceable official CompTIA candidate pass-rate percentage for A+. The official sources are current: we read the official CompTIA A+ page successfully on 2026-07-21, which confirms A+ identity, the two-exam structure (220-1201 and 220-1202), 90 minutes and up to 90 questions per exam, and passing scores of 675 for Core 1 and 700 for Core 2, each on a scale of 900 — and the reviewed official page publishes no candidate pass-rate percentage. Plan from those official facts and hands-on troubleshooting readiness instead of a pass-rate guess.
Next decision
Use the evidence above to decide whether A+ matches your current support-skills gap. Review A+ fit, recommended background, and current costs.
More on CompTIA A+
The short answer: do not plan from an A+ pass-rate number
Do not plan A+ around a pass-rate percentage unless CompTIA publishes one with a clear denominator, candidate population, attempt type, exam version, and time window. It does not. We read CompTIA's official A+ page on 2026-07-21 and it states no candidate pass rate, so this page does not give you one.
That does not make A+ a weak credential. It means the decision should move from a fake certainty question to a better one: are you ready for the two-exam support baseline that A+ is meant to signal? The answer depends on your hardware, operating-system, networking, security, software-troubleshooting, and support-process practice.
The official source was live-verified on 2026-07-21
A+ is current, and we read CompTIA's official page on 2026-07-21. It confirms the V15 series (launched March 25, 2025), exam codes 220-1201 and 220-1202, 90 minutes and up to 90 questions per exam, and passing scores of 675 for Core 1 and 700 for Core 2, each on a scale of 900. The same page publishes no candidate pass-rate percentage, which is why there is no pass-rate figure below.
The exam identity, structure, and passing scores below were read from CompTIA's official page on 2026-07-21. The domain weights and the fee carry earlier check dates, shown with each figure. Exam details change, so confirm anything you are about to spend money on at the official page first.
What the current official vendor pages do support
| A+ fact | What we verified | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Exam identity | 220-1201 and 220-1202, sourced to the official CompTIA A+ page | Confirms that A+ is a two-exam credential. |
| Structure | 90 minutes and up to 90 questions per exam; multiple-choice (single and multiple response), drag-and-drop, and performance-based questions (live-verified 2026-07-21) | Practice pacing and breadth context, not a pass-rate estimate. |
| Passing scores | Core 1: 675 and Core 2: 700, each on a scale of 900 (live-verified 2026-07-21) | Score-target context, not a pass-rate estimate. |
| Core 1 domains | Mobile devices 13%, Networking 23%, Hardware 25%, Virtualization and cloud computing 11%, Hardware and network troubleshooting 28% (confirm on the official page) | A Core 1 study coverage map. |
| Core 2 domains | Operating systems 28%, Security 28%, Software troubleshooting 23%, Operational procedures 21% (confirm on the official page) | A Core 2 study coverage map. |
| Cost | 274 USD per exam, and A+ requires both | Budget context, not ROI. Confirm before purchase. |
| Eligibility | No prerequisite; open registration | Entry-friendly access context. |
| Recommended experience | About 12 months of hands-on IT support experience | Readiness signal, not a hard gate. |
This is enough to create a useful plan. It is not enough to publish a pass-rate percentage, and it is not enough to make a salary, ROI, placement, or job-guarantee claim.
Why unsupported A+ pass-rate folklore is weak evidence
A+ requires two exams, so any pass-rate source has to identify whether it measures one core or the full two-exam credential before the number means anything. Public pages can present passing standards, first-attempt anecdotes, retake stories, classroom results, and training-provider marketing, and those are not the same thing as a CompTIA-published candidate pass rate.
A usable pass-rate source would identify the data owner, candidate population, exam version, time window, attempt type, and denominator. It would also say whether it counts each A+ core separately or the full two-exam credential. Without that, a single percentage can hide more than it reveals. Learnerside is not quoting unsupported A+ numbers here because repeating weak numbers makes them look stronger.
What to do next: a readiness plan
Use a plan that tests support readiness rather than a pass-rate rumor. Step 1: split the credential into Core 1 and Core 2, then map the domain weights to two separate study plans. Step 2: build a small lab with at least one Windows environment, one macOS or Linux comparison point if available, and a few common peripherals. Step 3: practice ticket-style troubleshooting: symptom, questions asked, likely causes, test performed, result, escalation decision. Step 4: write short notes for DNS, VPN, Wi-Fi, printer, login, malware, storage, backup, and update problems. Step 5: use AI to quiz you and critique your troubleshooting notes, but verify every command or policy claim. Step 6: compare your evidence against local help desk and IT support job language before scheduling.
That sequence gives you more control than a pass-rate percentage. It turns A+ into a readiness decision instead of a bet on a rumor.
Frequently asked questions
Does CompTIA publish an A+ pass rate?
Learnerside does not have a sourceable official CompTIA A+ candidate pass-rate percentage. A live fetch of the reviewed official CompTIA page succeeded on 2026-07-21, and the reviewed official page publishes no candidate pass-rate percentage. Any specific figure elsewhere should be treated with caution.
Is the A+ passing score the same thing as a pass rate?
No. A passing score is the score a candidate must reach. A pass rate is the share of candidates who pass. The passing scores are live-verified as of 2026-07-21: Core 1 requires 675 and Core 2 requires 700, each on a scale of 900; the reviewed official page still publishes no pass rate.
What A+ facts are source-backed here?
The live-verified facts (2026-07-21) are two exam codes, 220-1201 and 220-1202, 90-minute exam context, up to 90 questions per exam, passing scores of 675 (Core 1) and 700 (Core 2) on a scale of 900, and about 12 months of recommended IT support specialist experience. Separately sourced: objective-domain weights awaiting re-verification (confirm on the official page), a 274 USD per voucher row retrieved 2026-06-13, and open registration.
Related, with the cited detail
Core source records
This table lists the page’s core content records and when they were checked. Claim-specific citations appear beside the relevant text and may not be repeated here.
| ID | Supports | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIT-01 | Learnerside does not have a sourceable official CompTIA A+ candidate pass-rate percentage. | https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/a/core-1-and-2-v15/ | 2026-09-09 |
| CIT-02 | A+ is a current CompTIA credential, and we re-read its official page successfully on 2026-07-21. | https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/a/core-1-and-2-v15/ | 2026-09-09 |
| CIT-03 | Current A+ facts include two exams, 220-1201 and 220-1202, with a 90-minute time limit, up to 90 questions per exam, and passing scores of 675 for Core 1 and 700 for Core 2, each on a scale of 900. | https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/a/core-1-and-2-v15/ | 2026-09-09 |
| CIT-04 | The A+ objective-domain weights below are official-source summaries awaiting re-verification. | https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/a/core-1-and-2-v15/ | 2026-09-09 |
| CIT-05 | A+ cost should be treated as cited exam-fee context, not an ROI or salary claim. | https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/a/core-1-and-2-v15/ | 2026-09-09 |
| CIT-06 | A+ eligibility is entry-friendly open registration with recommended support experience, not a hard prerequisite gate. | https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/a/core-1-and-2-v15/ | 2026-09-09 |