A+ Core 2 Domains Explained: What the 36 Objectives Ask You to Do

The A+ Core 2 domains on the 220-1202 (V15) exam are Operating Systems (28%), Security (28%), Software Troubleshooting (23%) and Operational Procedures (21%). They hold 36 objectives between them, split 11, 11, 4 and 10, and every one of those objectives starts with a verb that tells you what kind of question to expect.

That verb is the useful part. Twenty-three of the 36 objectives begin "Given a scenario", which means most of Core 2 asks you to pick an action, not recite a definition. Below is each domain in plain English, what moved from the old 220-1102 exam, and what the new AI objective actually covers. For the exam format, the 700 pass mark and the cost, start with the A+ Core 2 overview.

The A+ Core 2 domains at a glance

These figures come from CompTIA's 220-1202 V15 exam objectives document (Version 4.0) and its 1102-to-1202 comparison document. The scenario column is a count of objective titles that begin "Given a scenario".

Two things stand out. Security now ties Operating Systems as the largest domain. And Software Troubleshooting is the only domain where every objective is a scenario, which tells you how its questions will read before you open a single chapter.

Why do the verbs matter more than the percentages?

CompTIA writes each objective with a fixed verb: Explain, Identify, Summarize, Compare and contrast, or Given a scenario. The first four are recognition work. You see a description and name the thing. "Given a scenario" objectives describe a user, a symptom or a requirement and ask what you do next, and those are where performance-based questions come from.

So a 28% domain with seven scenario objectives is a different study job from a 28% domain with six. Treat the verb as the instruction. If an objective says "Explain", flashcards are fine. If it says "Given a scenario", you need to have worked through situations, ideally on a real or virtual machine.

Domain 1.0 Operating Systems (28%): is it all Windows?

Mostly, yes. Five of the eleven objectives name Microsoft Windows in the title, and the others lean on it. Here is the run of the domain:

• 1.1 OS types and their purposes: workstation and mobile operating systems, default filesystems, and what end of life means for a product.
• 1.2 Installs and upgrades: boot methods, clean install versus in-place upgrade, image deployment, GPT versus MBR.
• 1.3 Windows editions: which edition you need for BitLocker, domain join, Remote Desktop hosting or the Group Policy Editor.
• 1.4 Windows tools: Task Manager, Event Viewer, Disk Management, Device Manager and the rest, usually asked by their .msc or .exe names.
• 1.5 Command-line tools: navigation, network, disk, file and informational commands.
• 1.6 Windows settings: Control Panel applets and the Settings app.
• 1.7 Client networking: IP configuration, firewall, proxy, public versus private network profiles, domain versus workgroup.
• 1.8 macOS and 1.9 Linux: which tool or command does which job, plus Linux permissions, sudo, package managers and key config files.
• 1.10 Installing applications against stated requirements.
• 1.11 Cloud productivity tools: email setup, storage sync, identity sync and licensing.

The scope note matters here. CompTIA's objectives put both Windows 10 and Windows 11 in scope, as long as the version is not past Microsoft Mainstream Support. If you only use one of them day to day, the navigation differences in 1.6 are where that gap shows up.

Domain 2.0 Security (28%): what does it actually test?

Security splits neatly into two halves. Five objectives are knowledge: security measures and what they protect against (2.1), wireless protocols and authentication methods such as WPA3, RADIUS and Kerberos (2.3), malware types and tools (2.4), social engineering attacks, threats and vulnerabilities (2.5), and data destruction methods (2.9).

The other six are configuration work, each one a "Given a scenario" objective. You set Windows security options such as UAC, BitLocker and NTFS versus share permissions (2.2), run SOHO malware removal (2.6), harden a workstation (2.7), secure a lost or stolen mobile device (2.8), lock down a SOHO router and wireless network (2.10), and configure a browser safely (2.11).

Of those six, 2.6 is the one that behaves differently. It is an ordered procedure, so its questions test position as much as content. It opens with investigating and verifying the symptoms and closes with educating the end user, and the A+ Core 2 difficulty breakdown works one of its sequencing questions through.

Domain 3.0 Software Troubleshooting (23%): why only four objectives?

Because each objective is large. Four objectives carry 23% of the exam, and all four are scenarios:

• 3.1 Windows OS issues: blue screens, boot problems, services not starting, slow profile loads, time drift and others.
• 3.2 Mobile OS and app issues: apps that will not launch, update or close, failed OS updates, battery drain, connectivity, a screen that will not autorotate.
• 3.3 Mobile security issues: the symptoms of a compromised or jailbroken device and the right fix.
• 3.4 PC security issues: pop-ups, browser redirects, certificate warnings and other signs of infection.

Because every objective here is a scenario, the domain reads as a list of symptoms rather than a list of tools. Study it by symptom: for each one, know the likely cause and the smallest fix that addresses it.

One point that confuses people: CompTIA's note that the troubleshooting methodology is not a tested objective appears in the Core 1 objectives document, not in Core 2's. It is still a sensible way to reason through these scenarios, but you will not be asked to recite it.

Where does Security show up outside Domain 2?

More often than the 28% label suggests. Objectives 3.3 and 3.4 are security objectives filed under troubleshooting, and 3.4 points straight back to the 2.6 removal procedure. Objective 4.6 covers incident response, evidence handling and regulated data, and the data-privacy part of 4.10 is about what you must never paste into a public AI tool.

That is an opinion about overlap, not a weight. CompTIA publishes weights per domain only. Still, if security is your weak area, it will cost you in more than one domain, and that is worth knowing before you plan your study time.

Domain 4.0 Operational Procedures (21%): what are its ten objectives?

This is the smallest domain by weight, yet it has almost as many objectives as the two largest. Here they are:

• 4.1 Documentation and ticketing: what a good ticket contains, asset management, document types.
• 4.2 Change management: moving a change request from the request form through risk analysis, change board approval and end-user acceptance.
• 4.3 Backup and recovery: full, incremental, differential and synthetic full backups, restore chains, onsite versus offsite rotation.
• 4.4 Safety: equipment safety and personal safety, including ESD and lifting.
• 4.5 Environment: safety data sheets, temperature and humidity, surge suppressors versus a UPS.
• 4.6 Prohibited content, privacy, licensing and policy: incident response, EULAs and licensing, NDAs, regulated data, acceptable use policies.
• 4.7 Communication and professionalism.
• 4.8 Scripting basics: match .bat, .ps1, .vbs, .sh, .js and .py to their environment, plus use cases and risks.
• 4.9 Remote access: RDP, VPNs, SSH and third-party remote tools, and when each fits.
• 4.10 Basic AI concepts, covered in the next section.

The soft-skills objective, 4.7, deserves a warning. Its questions have one right answer, and the distractors are things a reasonable person might actually do, like explaining the fault in technical terms to show competence or taking a quick personal call during a visit. Answer as the procedure says, not as you would on a friendly day.

What does objective 4.10 on AI cover?

Objective 4.10, "Explain basic concepts related to artificial intelligence (AI)", is new in V15. It sits inside Operational Procedures and covers four areas:

• Application integration: where AI tools turn up in support work, and the fact that the technician stays accountable for the output.
• Policy: appropriate-use rules, including the plagiarism risk of passing off AI-generated work as your own.
• Limitations: bias, hallucinations and accuracy. A hallucination is confident, fluent output that is wrong, so any command or setting an AI suggests gets checked before you act on it.
• Private versus public: data security, data source and data privacy. Pasting customer records or internal configuration into a public AI tool is a privacy problem whatever the intent.

You will see figures online claiming AI is some percentage of Core 2. Ignore them. CompTIA gives a weight for the domain, 21%, and none for any single objective inside it. The verb is "Explain", so this is recognition work: know the four areas well enough to spot a policy breach in a short scenario.

Which weights moved since 220-1102?

The four domain names carried over from V14. The weights moved, according to CompTIA's comparison document:

• Operating Systems fell from 31% to 28%.
• Security rose from 25% to 28%.
• Software Troubleshooting rose from 22% to 23%.
• Operational Procedures fell from 22% to 21%.

The net effect is a three-point swing from Operating Systems to Security, which now ties for the top. Add the new AI objective and the Windows 10 and 11 scope, and those are the shifts worth knowing if you are working from older notes. The English 220-1102 exam retired on September 25, 2025, so V14 material is a starting point at best.

In what order should you take the four domains?

Our view: start with Operating Systems, because Windows tools, commands and settings are the vocabulary the troubleshooting scenarios in Domain 3 are written in. Take Security second and Software Troubleshooting third. Operational Procedures depends on the others least, so it can run alongside them rather than wait at the end.

If you want one chapter per objective to work through in that order, the CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 Study Guide follows the 36 objectives one to one. For a week-by-week version of this order, see the A+ Core 2 study plan, and to test yourself on scenario-style items, try the A+ Core 2 practice questions walkthrough. If you are still on the first exam, the A+ Core 1 domains explained post covers the other half of the credential.

FAQ

How many domains are on A+ Core 2?

Four: Operating Systems (28%), Security (28%), Software Troubleshooting (23%) and Operational Procedures (21%). Together they hold 36 objectives, split 11, 11, 4 and 10.

Which A+ Core 2 domain is the largest?

Operating Systems and Security tie at 28% each. Security grew from 25% on the 220-1102 exam, and Operating Systems shrank from 31%, which is how they ended up level.

How much of A+ Core 2 is about AI?

CompTIA does not say. AI is objective 4.10, one of ten objectives in the Operational Procedures domain, which is weighted at 21%. CompTIA publishes no weight for individual objectives, so any specific AI percentage you see is an estimate, not an official figure.

What does "Given a scenario" mean in the A+ Core 2 objectives?

It is the opening of an objective title, and it signals the question style. A "Given a scenario" objective describes a user, a symptom or a requirement and asks what you do next, while "Explain" or "Identify" objectives ask you to recognize a concept or tool. Twenty-three of the 36 Core 2 objectives are scenarios.

Working through Core 2 one domain at a time? CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 Study Guide has a short chapter for each of the 36 Core 2 objectives with Exam Tips, Common Pitfalls and Key Takeaways, worked performance-based drills, and 152 practice questions with every answer and distractor explained.

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