The A+ Core 1 requirements are lighter than most people expect. There is no formal prerequisite for the 220-1201 exam: no earlier certification, no experience form, no employer sign-off. CompTIA recommends 12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support specialist job role, but that is a recommendation, and nothing in the booking process asks you to prove it.
The rules that actually bind you sit around the exam rather than in front of it. Core 1 only counts toward A+ when you also pass Core 2 (220-1202), and both must come from the same exam version. Once you hold A+, it is valid for three years, and you keep it by earning 20 continuing education units (CEUs) with a US$75 CE fee for the whole cycle, or by passing a qualifying higher certification such as Network+ or Security+. The rest of this post walks through each of those rules in the order you will meet them. For the exam basics, start with what CompTIA A+ Core 1 is.
What are the A+ Core 1 requirements before you book?
No. You buy a voucher, schedule through CompTIA, and sit the exam at a Pearson VUE test center or online through OnVUE. There is no application to approve and no waiting period while someone reviews your background.
What does "12 months recommended" really mean?
CompTIA's wording on the Core 1 page is "12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support specialist job role." It tells you the level the questions are pitched at, not who may sit.
A typical Core 1 scenario assumes you have swapped a laptop battery, traced a dead network drop to a bad patch cable, or cleared a printer that keeps jamming in the same place. The exam leans on that kind of experience because its largest domain, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting at 28%, is entirely "given a scenario" objectives. Hardware is next at 25%, then Networking at 23%. The domains breakdown covers each one.
So what happens if you have no support job behind you? You can still pass, but you have to manufacture the experience the recommendation assumes. The fastest way is to work scenarios rather than read definitions: for each troubleshooting objective, walk through a realistic fault from symptom to fix, and then ask why the tempting wrong fix fails. Our CompTIA A+ Core 1 study guide is built around that habit, with a worked drill for every "given a scenario" objective. If you are starting from zero, expect your study plan to run longer than someone already working a help desk.
Why Core 1 is only half a requirement
A+ is one credential earned through two exams. CompTIA's A+ page states that you need both Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202), "which you can take in any order." Each is booked, sat and scored on its own. Core 1 passes at 675 on a scale of 100 to 900, across a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes.
Two consequences follow, and both are about money and planning rather than study.
First, you pay for two exams, because one voucher covers one core. The Core 1 exam cost post has the figures, the retake options and the bundles.
Second, passing Core 1 on its own gives you a passed exam, not a certification. You are not A+ certified until Core 2 is also done. If an employer asks for A+, a Core 1 score report does not answer that request.
The same-version rule: no mixing V14 and V15
This is the requirement most likely to cost you money if you ignore it. CompTIA's wording is blunt: "Core 1 and Core 2 exams must be taken from the same version, no mixing allowed."
The current version is V15, which launched on March 25, 2025. Its Core 1 code is 220-1201 and its Core 2 code is 220-1202. The previous version, V14, used 220-1101 and 220-1102. You cannot pair a 220-1101 pass with a 220-1202 pass, or a 220-1201 pass with a 220-1102 pass. The two halves must match.
For anyone starting now, this is simple. The English V14 exams retired on September 25, 2025, so a new English-language candidate is on V15 for both cores. Where it matters is for people who passed a V14 core and never finished. That V14 pass can no longer be completed with its partner exam, and it does not carry across to V15. Starting over on V15 means sitting both V15 cores.
If you are weighing which core to take first under this rule, the Core 1 vs Core 2 comparison works through the sequencing.
What if you pass Core 1 and not Core 2?
Your Core 1 pass does not expire on a personal timer. CompTIA publishes no separate deadline for passing the second core. The limit is the version itself: you must pass Core 2 before the V15 exams retire.
CompTIA lists the 220-1201 retirement as "usually three years after launch (estimated 2028)." No exact date has been set, and no successor exam has been announced. In practice that gives a candidate who passes Core 1 today a long window, but it is not an open-ended one. The V14 cohort had the same rule, and CompTIA's own advice to them was to pass the second exam before the previous series retired.
A failed Core 2 attempt does not touch your Core 1 result; you pay for another attempt under CompTIA's normal retake rules. Once you hold A+, CompTIA's policy also bars retaking the same exam code without its prior consent, so recertifying by exam means waiting for a new series.
Our advice is to close the gap quickly anyway. The window is long on paper, but the material fades, and a candidate six months out from Core 1 is usually rebuilding habits they had on exam day.
When does the three-year clock start?
A+ is valid for three years. CompTIA's policy pages measure that from the "certification date," and its FAQ says three years "from the date you pass your certification exam." For a two-exam credential, the plain reading is that the clock runs from the date you earn A+, which means once you have passed both cores.
What CompTIA does not say anywhere is that the clock starts at Core 1. So do not plan your renewal around your Core 1 pass date. Check your CompTIA account after Core 2 for the dates that apply to you.
What renewal requires: 20 CEUs and one US$75 fee
Renewal applies to the A+ credential, not to each core separately. You do not renew Core 1 on its own.
The CEU route asks for 20 CEUs inside the three-year cycle. You upload the CEUs and pay the CE fee, which is US$75 for the entire three-year period.
That fee is where CompTIA's own pages disagree. One page on the renewal cycle lists a step to "pay the annual CE fee." The CE fees page, which is the more specific source, says you are not required to pay CE fees annually and gives US$75 as the total fee for the three-year period. Budget for one US$75 payment per cycle, not US$75 a year.
If you miss the end of the cycle, CompTIA allows a 30-day grace period to pay fees or submit CEUs that you earned inside the cycle. The grace period is not extra time to earn new units. Treat it as a safety net only.
Can you renew A+ without paying the CE fee?
Yes, by one of three single-activity routes. The US$75 fee applies when you renew by uploading CEUs, so these routes skip it:
Pass the latest release of the A+ exams. CompTIA does not let you renew by passing the exact exams you were certified on, so for a V15 holder this means the next A+ series once it is released. It also means paying for exams rather than a fee.
Earn a higher CompTIA certification that fully renews A+. CompTIA's list is Network+, Security+, Linux+, Cloud+ V3, CySA+, PenTest+ and SecurityX. Server+ is a partial exception: CompTIA says it renews A+ only for holders who earned A+ through the 1100 series, so V15 holders should not count on it.
Complete CertMaster CE for A+.
For most people the second route is the one worth planning around. If your next certification is going to be Network+ or Security+ anyway, passing it inside your A+ cycle renews A+ at the same time, with no CEU tracking and no separate fee. That is a good reason to think about your next exam before your A+ cycle is half gone. What the Network+ certification covers is a sensible place to look, and whether Network+ is worth it covers the case for making it your next step.
The requirements on one page
| Requirement | What it says |
|---|---|
| Prerequisites | None. No eligibility check before booking. |
| Experience | 12 months in an IT support specialist role, recommended only |
| Exams | Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202), any order |
| Version | Both cores from the same version, no mixing V14 and V15 |
| Second-core deadline | Before the V15 exams retire (estimated 2028) |
| Validity | Three years from the date you earn A+ |
| Renewal by CEUs | 20 CEUs plus a US$75 CE fee per three-year cycle |
| Grace period | 30 days to pay fees or submit CEUs earned in the cycle |
| Fee-free renewal | Latest A+ exams, a qualifying higher cert, or CertMaster CE |
FAQ
Can I book A+ Core 1 without an employer or school behind me?
Yes. There is no application, sponsor or sign-off. You buy a voucher, schedule through CompTIA Central, and sit the exam at a Pearson VUE test center or online through OnVUE. The 12 months of experience CompTIA recommends is never checked.
How long do I have to pass Core 2 after Core 1?
CompTIA publishes no personal deadline. The limit is that Core 2 must be passed before the V15 exams retire, which CompTIA estimates will be in 2028 with no exact date set. You cannot pair your Core 1 pass with a Core 2 from a different version.
Is the A+ CE fee paid every year?
No. The CE fee is US$75 for the whole three-year cycle, according to CompTIA's CE fees page, even though another CompTIA renewal page mentions an annual fee. You only pay it if you renew by uploading 20 CEUs.
Does passing Network+ or Security+ renew A+?
Yes. CompTIA lists Network+ and Security+ among the higher certifications that fully renew A+, along with Linux+, Cloud+ V3, CySA+, PenTest+ and SecurityX. Passing one inside your A+ cycle renews A+ without the CE fee.
Preparing for 220-1201? CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1201 Study Guide gives each of the 27 Core 1 objectives its own short chapter, with worked drills for the scenario objectives and 133 practice questions, every answer explained.
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