SBN

CompTIA A+ Certification: An Overview

Among the certifications available for computer service technicians is the A+ credential. This certification is sponsored by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a non-profit trade association that issues professional certifications for the information technology (IT) industry, certifies entry-level knowledge in PC hardware and software skills in tech support or computer servicing.

CompTIA A+: About the Certification

First issued in 1993, the CompTIA A+ certification is one of the oldest and most widely-recognized credentials in IT, with over a million people worldwide who have already earned it. CompTIA A+ has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) since 2008 as meeting the ISO/IEC 17024 (Conformity assessment – General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons) standard and is approved by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to fulfill the requirements of Directive 8570.01-M (Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program).

CompTIA’s A+ is vendor-neutral and is designed to certify the competency of entry-level PC computer service professionals in installing, maintaining, customizing and operating personal computers. In order to receive CompTIA A+ certification, a candidate must pass both the CompTIA A+ 220-901 and 220-902 exams that, together, cover maintenance of PCs, mobile devices, laptops, operating systems and printers.

The A+ exam has been updated five times, in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012 and most recently in 2015. In fact, CompTIA examinations expire every three years: this is in order to be in line with the requirements of the US-focused ANSI and the internationally-oriented ISO, who want to make sure that certification holders stay up-to-date and are tested on the latest issues and technologies. With this mind, although CompTIA has not made any official announcements about their new A+ exam version yet, the 901 and 902 exams will soon be replaced with the 1001 and 1002 that are expected to be (Read more...)

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from InfoSec Resources authored by Daniel Brecht. Read the original post at: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/infosecResources/~3/hHiGfRcCzNc/