Learn how to get ready for your exam day and know what to expect during and after the test.
What is a CompTIA Exam?
Watch this video to get an overview of the in-person testing environment, the features of the test as well as the type of questions that are included, and how long the test will take.
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How Do I Schedule an Exam?
- Buy your certification exam voucher.
- Find a testing center.
- Create a Pearson VUE testing account and schedule your exam. Once you are registered for your exam, you will receive a confirmation email with testing information.
- Bring two forms of identification to your exam.
- Leave electronic devices such as a notebook computer or a tablet at home. You’ll have to give up all electronic devices during your test, including smartphones and smartwatches.
How Can I Prepare for My Exam?
- Download the exam objectives for your CompTIA exam to see exactly what the exam covers.
- Download a list of sample questions to give you a general idea of how questions on CompTIA exams are structured.
- Practice on home equipment, read tech forums, visit vendor websites and watch tutorials online to find valuable information.
- Try to get real-world experience to help you use what you learn during studying.
- Use practice exams to see the kinds of questions you’ll encounter during the test. Practice exams are available on the CompTIA Store.
- Organize what you learn and thoroughly review it.
- Do not use “brain dump” websites that claim to provide actual exam questions. Not only does CompTIA regularly refresh the exam questions, you may also run the risk that CompTIA will revoke your certification (see Exam Policies).
What Can I Expect During My Exam?
On the day of your exam, bring two forms of identification with you, and leave electronic devices such as a notebook computer or a tablet at home. You’ll have to give up all electronic devices during your test, including smartphones and smartwatches.
You’ll be answering different types of questions during your CompTIA exam, such as:
- Multiple choice
- Multiple response
- Fill in the blank
- Drag and drop
- Exhibits
- Performance-based (Learn more)
Each CompTIA exam uses different types of questions and you may see some or all of these question types during your test.
Prior to starting your exam, you’ll learn how much time you have to complete the test and what score you’ll need to achieve to pass your exam. For example, you can take up to 90 minutes to answer the questions in each of the two CompTIA A+ exams and you'll need a score of 850 or higher to pass.
What Happens After I Complete the Exam?
Your exam score will be shown on your screen immediately after you’ve completed your exam. If you’ve passed the exam, you will receive a congratulatory email from CompTIA Certmetrics with instructions on how to access your record.
Please make sure that you keep records of:
- Your score report with your exam registration number and instructions on how to access your record.
- The email address that you used to register for your exam.
You will need this information to be able to log in to your certification account.
If you did not pass your exam
Don’t give up! It’s not the end of your certification path, and you can take your exam again. Here are ideas how to prepare for your retake.
- Keep your score report to understand in which areas you are doing well and which areas need improvement. Focus your study on these areas.
- Use CompTIA CertMaster to address your knowledge gaps.
When you’re ready and feel confident about what you’ve added to your knowledge, purchase a voucher and schedule your exam.