How I Passed the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1001)

Tyler Woodward |

The following post is how I studied and passed the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1001) in May 2020. Between my interest in getting back into IT, and having an extra 3-4 hours a day (COVID-19 removed my commute, and any chance of leaving the house), it seemed like a perfect time.

Table of Contents

Background

I worked for a cumulative 2+ years in a computer repair shop while going to University. This repair shop was for commercial, off-lease computers.

I stopped working there in 2018 and took a break from IT to study Communications. I knew very little about networking, virtualization, and cloud services before studying for the A+ Core 1.

My hardware and software troubleshooting experience were unique to this environment. Since the A+ targets a help desk environment, I had some unlearning and relearning to do. It took me 2-3 days of studying to figure out these differences.

Time Dedicated to Studying

I spent about one month and two weeks studying in total during the evenings and weekends. My target was 1.5 hours on weekdays and 6 hours a day on weekends. I was rarely able to study 6 hours on the weekend, as life often happened. However, I was able to study 1.5 to 2 hours in the evening on weekdays 95% of the time.

Study Material

Study Methods and Reasoning

I have summarized an average study session while working with Professor Messer's Video Course in Flowchart 1 below.

Flowchart 1: A flowchart of how an average study session went for me while studying Professor Messer's CompTIA A+ Core 1 video course.

Earlier in the year, I listened to Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning and this influenced the way I studied for the A+ Core 1. I tried to design my study method based on the principles of learning set out in the book. Make it Stick highlights the effectiveness of low-stakes quizzing and free recall as more effective study methods than taking notes or re-reading. For this reason, I created flashcards on everything I didn't know from each Professor Messer video.

When I first started, I used a Google Form to create flashcards because Anki was too cumbersome. Yet, the form itself became difficult to use. So I programmed a simple desktop app, which I will write about another time.

Make it Stick also shows the importance of spacing and interleaving practice. For this reason, I used Anki, a flashcard application that uses a Space Repetition System. I also set flashcards to appear in random order. This way, everything I studied was mixed.

These principles are also why I completed a set of videos for an exam objective and waited 2-3 days before I quizzed myself using the corresponding Exam Cram section.

I followed the process from Flowchart 1 until I finished Professor Messer's Course.

After Finishing Professor Messer's Course

Upon finishing Professor Messer's Course, and again drawing from Make it Stick, I focused on "Practicing Like You Play" and "Avoiding Illusions of Knowing." I also spent a lot of time reviewing flashcards, as I made many more than I could review in one day.

Practicing Like You Play

Here, the concept is to replicate the real task as best as possible when practicing. So, for every practice test I wrote, I did the following:

  • Cleared my desk of everything
  • Closed my door and asked not to be disturbed
  • Set a 60-minute timer
  • Had only the practice test open on my computer, and nothing else

Avoiding Illusions of Knowing

Sometimes, people believe they know something when, in fact, they do not. The easiest way to dispel the illusion of knowing is to take a test. I incorporated this into the earlier study sessions by using flashcards and the Exam Cram quizzes. The practice exams also fit this concept. Anything I got wrong, I went back and read the corresponding Exam Cram section.

Practice Exams

I used the Exam Cram Practice Exams, Exam Compass' Free Exams, and Dion Training's A+ Core 1 Test Prep, Exams and Simulations. Table 1 below lists all my scores.

Exam Attempt Grade
Exam Cram Practice Exam #1 1 92%
Exam Cram Practice Exam #1 2 100%
Exam Cram Practice Exam #2 1 86%
Exam Compass Not Recorded
Dion Practice Exam #1 1 87%
Dion Practice Exam #1 2 97%
Dion Practice Exam #2 1 83%

Table 1: All exams I took and the grades achieved.

Thoughts on the Different Practice Exams

As I progressed, I noticed that the Exam Cram tested information not listed in CompTIA's exam objectives for the A+ Core 1. While overlearning is a valid learning strategy, I prefer to be told when something is essential to the exam or is extra learning. This same criticism is true of Dion's Test Prep.

My other major gripe with Exam Cram is that it was scaled. Each exam was harder than the previous one. Three practice tests with difficulties equal to the actual exam would have been better.

However, I would have to recommend the Exam Cram Practice Exams over Dion's. I have several problems with the Dion Test Prep course, but in brief, it is the following:

  1. Numerous spelling and grammar mistakes
  2. Questions that will not appear on the actual exam
  3. Somewhat misleading advertising regarding the simulation questions

Providing a full review of Dion's Test Prep course would make this post too long, I will write a full review later (Edit: You can read now read the full review). But in summary, I paid \$12 for Dion's Test Prep Course, and this is similar in price to the Exam Cram Practice Tests. I would not recommend the Dion Test Prep Course for anyone looking for practice tests.

Dion does seem to have a corner in the market for specific information about the simulations (PBQs), as this was the primary reason I purchased the course. This section of the course was done well, and I would recommend it for \$12. If you know other resources with similar information about the PBQs for a comparable price, please let me know!

Taking the Test

Two days after taking the Dion Practice Exam 2, I wrote the actual CompTIA A+ Core 1 online via PearsonVUE. I have read many nightmare stories about taking the test online with Pearson. However, I started my sign-in process 30 minutes before and waited maybe 3-4 minutes for a proctor after completing my sign-in process.

We spoke once at the beginning, and that was it, the entire time I took the exam, they did not talk to me. It was a smooth process, and I had no issues.

Statistics

Image 1 shows the huge number of flashcards this method generated. This deck is a mix of Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, Reverse Engineering, and CompTIA A+ flashcards. CompTIA A+ topics make up the majority of cards.

Image 1: 2004 Total Cards Created in Anki.

Image 2 shows how often I studied flashcards and how many flashcards I would study a day. A darker shade of green means more cards were studied. The darkest shades represent over 500 cards reviewed in one day.

Image 2: A heat map of my flashcard reviews.

What I Changed About my Study Method for Core 2

I wrote this debrief some time ago to reflect on my study methods and see how I could improve my study methods for the CompTIA A+ Core 2. At the time of writing this blog post, however, I've already studied for, written, and passed the Core 2. In general, the process outlined in Flowchart 1 was the same process I followed for Core 2. The following things are what I changed in my study method.

I did not Factor my Previous Experience into my Study Plan

This meant I did not study from my worst subject to best subject, I studied in the order of the exam objectives. Before I started studying for the Core 2, I took the Exam Compass practice tests and used the grades from worst to best to determine what I studied first.

This ended up being somewhat irrelevant, as I still had enough time to learn everything, and I would not write a CompTIA exam without studying every exam objective. It was nice to see the quiz scores go up, however.

I Missed Essential Rote Information

When I started reading the Exam Cram book more after three weeks of studying, I found essential tables and charts with facts and figures I could have turned into flashcards three weeks earlier. In my Core 2 studies, I spent my first week combing the Exam Cram book's tables and charts for important rote facts.

I Didn’t Book my Exam in Advance

Parkison's Law took effect, and I spent a week extra studying and worrying over whether I would pass the exam if I wrote it at that moment. For Core 2, I purchased the exam voucher shortly after finishing the Core 1 Exam and booked my exam right away. Booking the exam beforehand gave me a clear deadline and goal.

I Measured my Progress in Too Many Systems

I did not mention these systems above, but between:

  • Beeminder
  • A Spreadsheet
  • Trello
  • Whiteboard

I split my tracking and duplicated it across too many different pieces of software or in the physical world. When I studied the Core 2, I kept my progress in a spreadsheet and a Trello board only.

I used the spreadsheet to track practice exam grades, time spent on different study tasks, and my progress on Professor Messer's Course. On the Trello board, I kept all courses and major tasks I had to do. I would comment on my cards after each study session as a chance to reflect on my learning.

Conclusion

Overall, studying and writing the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (and 2) was a great way to warm up my IT muscles and memory after taking a break, and to learn new things. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have questions about the test, my study method, or anything related to the A+. I would be happy to help!