There are five A+ Core 1 domains on the 220-1201 (V15) exam: Mobile Devices (13%), Networking (23%), Hardware (25%), Virtualization and Cloud Computing (11%), and Hardware and Network Troubleshooting (28%). Between them they hold 27 objectives, and the biggest single domain is the one that asks you to fix things rather than name them.
The short version of how to read that list: Hardware and Networking are what you learn, Troubleshooting is where you get tested on them a second time, and the two small domains are cheaper points than their weights suggest. Below, each domain in turn, heaviest first. If you want the exam format, scoring and cost first, start with the A+ Core 1 overview.
What are the A+ Core 1 domains and weights?
These are the figures from CompTIA's 220-1201 V15 exam objectives document (Version 4.0). The last column is simple division, weight over objective count, and it is the column most people never work out.
| Domain | Weight | Objectives | Weight per objective (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 Mobile Devices | 13% | 3 | 4.3% |
| 2.0 Networking | 23% | 8 | 2.9% |
| 3.0 Hardware | 25% | 8 | 3.1% |
| 4.0 Virtualization and Cloud Computing | 11% | 2 | 5.5% |
| 5.0 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting | 28% | 6 | 4.7% |
| Total | 100% | 27 |
Read the right-hand column carefully. Virtualization and Cloud is the second-smallest domain, yet each of its two objectives carries more weight than any objective in Networking or Hardware. Networking and Hardware are large because they are wide, not because any one topic inside them is heavy.
What changed in the domains from V14 to V15?
V15 replaced the 220-1101 (V14) series, and English V14 is now retired. The domain names stayed the same; the weights moved a little, according to CompTIA's own 1101-to-1201 comparison document.
| Domain | V14 (220-1101) | V15 (220-1201) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Devices | 15% | 13% | down 2 |
| Networking | 20% | 23% | up 3 |
| Hardware | 25% | 25% | no change |
| Virtualization and Cloud Computing | 11% | 11% | no change |
| Hardware and Network Troubleshooting | 29% | 28% | down 1 |
Networking gained the most, mostly at the expense of Mobile Devices. If you are working from V14-era notes, recheck the networking material first. The other V15 point worth knowing is that the six-step troubleshooting methodology is printed in the objectives document but, in CompTIA's words, "does not constitute a formal objective or part of the A+ certification exam." More on that below, because it changes how you should study Domain 5.
Domain 5.0: Hardware and Network Troubleshooting (28%)
All six objectives in this domain start with the words "Given a scenario, troubleshoot", and they split by what is broken: motherboards, RAM, CPUs and power (5.1); drive and RAID issues (5.2); video, projector and display issues (5.3); common mobile device issues (5.4); network issues (5.5); and printer issues (5.6).
What these objectives test is reasoning from a symptom. A question describes beeps and a blank screen, a clicking drive, a laptop showing a 169.254 address, or pages coming out with ghost images, and you pick the most likely cause or the right first action. Knowing what RAID 5 is will not carry you; knowing what to check, and what not to touch, when one disk in a RAID 5 array fails will.
Where candidates misjudge it:
- Over-studying the methodology. Many people spend real time memorizing the six troubleshooting steps in order. That list is not a tested objective. It is a useful habit of thought, so learn it as a way to work through scenarios, not as something to recite.
- Under-studying the "first action". The most common wrong answers in this domain jump straight to replacing hardware. A display that shows nothing often needs the input source checked before anyone opens the case, and a frozen print queue is usually a spooler problem, not a printer fault.
- Studying it last and lightly. Because it reads like a summary of the other domains, candidates treat it as revision. At 28%, it is the largest share of the exam.
Domain 3.0: Hardware (25%)
Hardware has eight objectives, and they come in two kinds. Four are compare-and-summarize objectives about parts: display components and attributes (3.1), basic cable types and their connectors (3.2), RAM characteristics (3.3), and storage devices (3.4). The other four are scenario objectives about doing the work: installing and configuring motherboards, CPUs and add-on cards (3.5), installing the appropriate power supply (3.6), deploying and configuring multifunction devices and printers (3.7), and performing printer maintenance (3.8).
The part objectives are about telling similar things apart. M.2 is a form factor, not a protocol, so an M.2 slot might take SATA, NVMe or both. ECC memory needs a board and CPU that support it. The build objectives then ask you to put those parts together correctly, which is where details like a power supply's input voltage switch or a disabled virtualization setting in UEFI come in.
Where candidates misjudge it: printers. Two Hardware objectives (3.7 and 3.8) and one Troubleshooting objective (5.6) are about printers, so 3 of the 27 Core 1 objectives sit in a topic many IT newcomers have never touched professionally. Laser, inkjet, thermal and impact printers each have their own maintenance routine, and the exam expects you to know which is which.
Domain 2.0: Networking (23%)
Networking has eight objectives and the widest spread of topics on Core 1. Most are explain-or-compare objectives: TCP and UDP ports, protocols and their purposes (2.1), wireless networking technologies (2.2), services provided by networked hosts (2.3), common network configuration concepts (2.4), networking hardware devices (2.5), internet connection types and network types (2.7), and networking tools (2.8). One is a scenario: configuring a basic wired or wireless small office/home office (SOHO) network (2.6).
In practice this is a domain of pairs. Proxy versus load balancer. A record versus AAAA record. DHCP reservation versus exclusion. SAN versus WAN. A loopback plug versus a cable tester. The SOHO objective then pulls the pieces together: addressing, subnet mask, default gateway, and why a device that reaches the local network but not the internet might have the wrong mask rather than the wrong gateway.
Where candidates misjudge it: the port list in 2.1 gets most of the attention, and it deserves a lot of it, because secure and insecure protocol pairs are a favorite question hook. But it is one objective of eight. Candidates who drill ports for a week and skim DNS record types, DHCP scopes and network tools are spending heavily on a small slice of 23%.
Domain 1.0: Mobile Devices (13%)
Three objectives: monitoring mobile device hardware and using appropriate replacement techniques (1.1, a scenario), comparing accessories and connectivity options (1.2), and configuring basic mobile device network connectivity and application support (1.3, also a scenario).
The content is practical. Which laptop parts are field-replaceable, what to do with a swollen battery (stop charging it and replace it, never "use it until it drains"), why two USB-C ports on the same laptop can support different features, how Bluetooth pairing works step by step, what mobile device management enforces, and the fact that hotspot traffic counts against the phone's cellular plan.
Where candidates misjudge it: the weight dropped from 15% to 13% in V15, and some people read that as permission to skip it. Two of its three objectives are scenarios, and mobile troubleshooting comes back in 5.4. Study it efficiently, but study it.
Domain 4.0: Virtualization and Cloud Computing (11%)
Two objectives: explain virtualization concepts (4.1) and summarize cloud computing concepts (4.2). Both are recall-and-distinguish objectives with no scenario wording.
For virtualization that means what a virtual machine does, Type 1 versus Type 2 hypervisors, how containers differ from VMs (containers share the host kernel; VMs run their own), and the hardware requirements for running virtualization at all. For cloud it means deployment models, the service models and who manages what in each, and characteristics such as metered utilization, multitenancy and elasticity. Elasticity is the one that catches people: a system that a person has to scale up by hand is scalable, not elastic.
Where candidates misjudge it: this is the cheapest domain on Core 1 to get right. It is a bounded vocabulary, and at roughly 5.5% per objective it pays more per hour of study than anything else on the exam. Leaving it for the night before wastes easy points.
Why does a weak Hardware score cost you twice?
The structure is easier to remember once you see that Domain 5 is built from the other four. Map the troubleshooting objectives back to where their content lives:
- 5.1 (motherboards, RAM, CPUs, power), 5.2 (drives and RAID) and 5.3 (video and displays) draw on Hardware.
- 5.4 (mobile devices) draws on Mobile Devices.
- 5.5 (network issues) draws on Networking.
- 5.6 (printers) draws on the printer objectives in Hardware.
So weak spots compound. If you are shaky on RAM channels and storage interfaces, you lose points in Domain 3 and again in Domain 5. The reverse also holds: solid Hardware and Networking knowledge makes the troubleshooting domain much easier, because a scenario question is mostly a recall question with a symptom wrapped around it.
Virtualization ties in too. Objective 3.5 includes virtualization support in BIOS/UEFI settings, which is why "the hypervisor will not start on a new build" can be a Hardware question with a Domain 4 idea inside it.
One more pattern runs across the whole exam. Thirteen of the 27 objectives begin "Given a scenario": two in Mobile Devices, one in Networking, four in Hardware and all six in Troubleshooting. Those ask you to apply what you know, and that is the style performance-based items use. The other 14 objectives are compare, explain or summarize. A study plan that is all flashcards will be fine on the second group and thin on the first.
How should the domain weights shape your study time?
Roughly in proportion to the weights, with two adjustments. Study Hardware and Networking before Troubleshooting, because Domain 5 assumes them. And do not let the small domains slide to the end: Virtualization and Cloud is quick to learn and pays well per objective, and Mobile Devices has scenario objectives of its own.
A practical test of whether your plan matches the exam: after a practice set, sort your misses by objective number rather than by domain. A low Domain 5 score usually traces back to one or two Hardware or Networking objectives, and fixing those lifts both domains at once. Our week-by-week A+ Core 1 study plan puts that ordering into a schedule, and the Core 1 practice question walkthrough shows what scenario questions look like when worked through.
If you would rather study one objective at a time, the Simply Certified A+ Core 1 study guide gives each of the 27 objectives its own section, numbered to match CompTIA's list, so a weak objective on a practice set points straight to the pages that cover it.
For a view of how much effort the exam takes overall, see how hard A+ Core 1 is. And remember that Core 1 is half the credential: Core 1 versus Core 2 covers what the second exam adds and which order makes sense.
FAQ
How many domains are on the A+ Core 1 exam?
Five: Mobile Devices (13%), Networking (23%), Hardware (25%), Virtualization and Cloud Computing (11%), and Hardware and Network Troubleshooting (28%). They contain 27 objectives in total, split 3, 8, 8, 2 and 6.
Which A+ Core 1 domain is the largest?
Hardware and Network Troubleshooting, at 28%. All six of its objectives are scenario-based, and they draw on the content of the Hardware, Networking and Mobile Devices domains, so it rewards solid knowledge of those first.
Is the troubleshooting methodology tested on A+ Core 1?
No. CompTIA prints the six-step methodology in the 220-1201 objectives document but states that it "does not constitute a formal objective or part of the A+ certification exam." It is still a useful way to reason through Domain 5 scenarios.
Did the A+ Core 1 domains change from 220-1101 to 220-1201?
The domain names stayed the same, but the weights shifted. Networking rose from 20% to 23%, Mobile Devices fell from 15% to 13%, Troubleshooting fell from 29% to 28%, and Hardware (25%) and Virtualization and Cloud (11%) did not change.
Studying for Core 1 one domain at a time? CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1201 Study Guide has a short chapter for each of the 27 V15 objectives, worked performance-based drills on the Core 1 scenario objectives, and 133 practice questions organized by domain, each with an explained answer and the reasoning behind every wrong option.
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