The A+ Core 2 requirements take about four lines to state. There is no prerequisite for the 220-1202 exam, CompTIA recommends (but never checks) 12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support specialist role, you need both Core 1 and Core 2 to hold A+, and both must come from the same exam version. That is the whole list of things standing between you and the exam.
The part that takes planning comes after. A+ is valid for three years from the date you earn it, and you keep it either by earning 20 continuing education units (CEUs) and paying a US$75 CE fee for the whole three-year cycle, or by a fee-free route such as passing a higher CompTIA certification that fully renews A+. For many candidates, Core 2 is the second core and the exam that completes A+, so it is also the moment the renewal question becomes yours. This post spends most of its time there. If you want the exam itself first, start with what CompTIA A+ Core 2 is.
What are the A+ Core 2 requirements to sit the exam?
These are covered in full in the A+ Core 1 requirements post, because they apply to both cores equally. The short version:
No prerequisite. No earlier certification, no application, no sponsor. You buy a voucher, schedule through CompTIA, and sit the exam at a Pearson VUE test center or online through OnVUE.
Experience is recommended only. CompTIA's wording is "12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support specialist job role." It describes the level the questions are written at, not a gate.
Both cores, any order. A+ needs Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202), "which you can take in any order."
Same version. "Core 1 and Core 2 exams must be taken from the same version, no mixing allowed." Today that means V15 for both. CompTIA estimates V15 will retire in 2028 and has set no exact date, so your second core has to be passed before then.
The recommendation is worth taking seriously even though nobody checks it. Core 2 has 36 objectives across four domains, and Security and Operating Systems are each 28% of the exam. A lot of those objectives assume you have reset a user's account, cleaned an infected laptop, or worked out why an app crashes on launch. If you have not, you need to build that judgment from scenarios. Our CompTIA A+ Core 2 study guide gives every objective its own short chapter with worked performance-based drills, which is one way to get there. The domains breakdown shows where the weight sits.
The day you pass your second core
Here is the shift most people miss. Before your second pass, A+ has no expiry date because you do not hold it yet. After it, you hold a three-year credential with a renewal deadline attached.
CompTIA's renewal policy measures validity from the certification date, and its FAQ says three years "from the date you pass your certification exam." For a two-exam credential, the safest reading is three years from the date you earn A+, which is when both cores are behind you. CompTIA does not state that the clock starts at your first core, so do not plan as if it does.
A worked example, with an invented date so the arithmetic is clear. Say you pass Core 1 in March 2027 and Core 2 in June 2027. You earn A+ in June 2027. Your cycle runs to June 2030, and everything you do to renew has to land inside that window. Passing Core 1 in March does not shorten it.
That window is the planning unit for the rest of this post. Three years sounds like a lot until you notice that the most efficient renewal route involves studying for, booking and passing another exam.
Four ways to keep A+, side by side
CompTIA offers one route that carries the CE fee and three that do not.
| Route | What you do | CE fee | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEUs | Earn 20 CEUs in the cycle and upload them | US$75 per three-year cycle | You track and document activities yourself |
| Higher certification | Pass a CompTIA cert that fully renews A+ | None | You have to pass another exam inside the cycle |
| Latest A+ release | Pass the next A+ series once it exists | None | You cannot renew by passing the exact exams you hold |
| CertMaster CE | Complete CertMaster CE for A+ | None | The current course is open only to A+ holders certified on the V14 (220-1101/1102) series or earlier, so a V15 holder has to wait for a later course version |
The fee question deserves a sentence of its own, because CompTIA's pages disagree. One renewal-cycle page 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 for the three-year period. Plan for one US$75 payment per cycle, and only if you choose the CEU route.
Why the higher-cert route usually wins
CompTIA lists seven certifications that fully renew A+: Network+, Security+, Linux+, Cloud+ V3, CySA+, PenTest+ and SecurityX. Cloud+ V3 retired in March 2025, and CompTIA's table says Cloud+ V4 does not renew another certification, so for a V15 holder the working list is the other six. Pass one of them inside your A+ cycle and A+ renews with it. No CEU log, no CE fee.
My view: if you are earning A+ to start an IT career, this is the route to plan around from the day you pass Core 2. If a second certification is in your plans anyway, doing it inside the cycle means one exam buys you a new credential and keeps the old one alive.
Since either one renews A+, pick between them on career grounds. Network+ is the natural step if the networking half of Core 1 felt like your ground. Security+ suits you if Core 2's Security domain, the joint-largest at 28%, was the part you enjoyed. What the Network+ certification covers is a good place to compare.
One exception to note. Server+ appears on CompTIA's renewal list with a condition: it renews A+ only for holders whose A+ was earned through the 1100 series. If you earned A+ on V15, through 220-1201 and 220-1202, do not count on Server+ to renew it.
Timing matters too. A pass that lands after your cycle has ended does not rescue a lapsed A+. Book the next exam with months to spare, not weeks, so a failed first attempt still leaves time for a retake inside the window. The Core 2 exam cost post covers how retakes work and what they cost.
The trap in the exam route
The "pass the latest release" route reads like the simplest option: you passed A+ once, so pass it again. The wording rules that out. CompTIA's renewal policy says "certified professionals cannot take and pass the exact exam twice to renew." A V15 holder cannot sit 220-1202 again to restart the clock.
That leaves the next A+ series, and as of today CompTIA has not announced one. V15 launched on March 25, 2025, and CompTIA describes retirement as usually three years after launch, estimated 2028. No successor date is published, so choosing this route means betting your renewal on a release schedule you cannot see.
It is also two exams, not one. A+ is a two-core credential, so renewing it by exam means preparing for the new versions of both. If you are going to sit exams anyway, a higher certification gets you something new for the same effort.
The CEU route, and what the grace period covers
If you are not planning another certification soon, the CEU route is the straightforward one. You need 20 CEUs inside the three-year cycle, uploaded to CompTIA, plus the US$75 fee.
The practical advice is dull and correct: log activities as you do them, not in the final month. Twenty units over three years is a modest pace, but a pile of undocumented work in year three is how people end up rushing.
CompTIA allows a 30-day grace period after the cycle ends. Read the wording carefully: it is time to pay fees or submit CEUs you earned inside the cycle. It is not 30 extra days to earn new ones. Treat it as protection against a late upload, not as part of your plan.
A three-year plan you can actually follow
Here is one way to lay out the cycle once you hold A+. Adjust it to your own next step.
Months 0 to 6. Decide your route. If you want a second certification, pick it now. Network+ and Security+ both fully renew A+.
Months 6 to 24. If you are on the higher-cert route, study for and pass it here, which leaves a full year as buffer for a retake. If you are on the CEU route, log units as you earn them.
Months 24 to 33. CEU route: check your total against 20 and fill the gap. Higher-cert route: if you have not passed yet, this is the last comfortable window to book.
Months 33 to 36. Upload, pay the US$75 fee if you used CEUs, and confirm the renewal shows on your record. The 30-day grace period sits after this, for paperwork only.
If you are still deciding whether A+ is worth this upkeep, is CompTIA A+ worth it weighs the credential as a whole. And if you have not passed Core 2 yet, the Core 2 study plan comes before any of this.
FAQ
Do I need Core 1 before I can take Core 2?
No. CompTIA says you can take the two cores in any order, and there is no prerequisite for 220-1202. The only pairing rule is that both cores must come from the same version, which today is V15.
Does each A+ core have its own renewal date?
No. Renewal applies to the A+ credential, not to each exam. A+ is valid for three years from the date you earn it, which is once both Core 1 and Core 2 are passed.
Can I renew A+ by passing 220-1202 again?
No. CompTIA's renewal policy says you cannot take and pass the exact exam twice to renew. The exam route means passing the next A+ series once CompTIA releases it, and no successor to V15 has been announced.
Does Security+ renew A+?
Yes. CompTIA lists Security+ among the certifications that fully renew A+, along with Network+, Linux+, CySA+, PenTest+ and SecurityX (Cloud+ V3 is also listed, but that exam has retired). Pass it inside your A+ cycle and A+ renews without the CE fee.
What happens if I miss the end of my A+ cycle?
CompTIA gives a 30-day grace period to pay fees or submit CEUs that you earned inside the cycle. It does not extend the time to earn new CEUs, so the grace period only helps if the work is already done.
Preparing for 220-1202? CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 Study Guide gives each of the 36 Core 2 objectives a short chapter with Exam Tips, Common Pitfalls and Key Takeaways, plus worked performance-based drills and 152 practice questions with every answer and distractor explained.
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