A+ Certification Oct. 9, 2012 release

CompTIA A+ Certification Vendor Neutral Certification 2 exams exams ISO Certified ANSI Accredited Kept current via Continuing Ed program ISO Certified ANSI Accredited Kept current via Continuing Ed program Measures Necessary Competencies for today’s Entry Level IT Professionals A+ Knowledge and Skills Installation, configuring and troubleshooting of the following: PC hardware (including laptops and mobile devices, and custom configurations Printers Networking components Operating systems including Windows 7 Enterprise Operational procedures including safety, environment and customer communications Security (22% of exam 802) 3

Career Advancement for IT Professionals Target Audience Individuals working in or planning to work in technical support roles such as: Field Support Technician Desktop Support Technician Bench Technician Helpdesk Technician 4

2011 IT Technician Job Role Survey PC Technicians (71%) Field Support Technicians (65%) Help Desk Technicians (64%) Customer Service Technicians (48%) Network Support Technicians (41%) 5 Survey respondents chose the following job roles that A+ is most often required

Why A+ Over 900,000 A+ Certified IT Professionals Companies such as Ricoh, Dell and CompuCom Have Made A+ Certification Mandatory U.S. DoD Mandates A+ Certification for Level I Technical Personnel in Information Assurance Among Top 10 certifications in the industry (DICE TechRepublic, New Horizons) CompTIA A+ Certified by ISO and Accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 6

Organizations that Require, Mandate or Teach A+ Professionals 7 Baltimore City Public Schools Government OrganizationsCorporate OrganizationsAcademic Organizations

A+ Exam Details 2 exams Certification Requirement Exam Numbers Maximum of 90 questions; 90 minutes to take the exam Length 12 months hands-on lab or field experience Recommended Experience : : 700 (Scale of 900) Passing Score 8

CompTIA A+ Objectives A PC HardwareNetworkingLaptopsPrinters Operational Procedures A Operating SystemsSecurityMobile DevicesTroubleshooting 9

Changes from the 700 series A+ 1.Windows 7 Enterprise has been added to the covered Windows operating systems 2.Mobile Devices (802: 3.0) is a new subject matter domain. It includes Apple iOS and Android. Coverage includes just what a helpdesk technician would be expected to do: Establish network connectivity for the device, configure , set up security, and troubleshoot. 3.Virtualization (802: 1.9) is new 4.All troubleshooting is in one exam (802: 4.0), more extensive, and organized by specific hardware/software area (e.g. hard drives, display, etc.) 5.Troubleshooting wireless (802: 4.5) is new 6.There is more coverage of troubleshooting security issues (802: 4.7) 7.SOHO-specific security is new (802: 2.5,2.6) 10

Objectives on the CompTIA Website 11

Performance Based Questions 12 For performance based items, the A+ candidate will be given a scenario/problem, and will be prompted to push a button to launch a simulated environment that is created via software. The simulated environment should be familiar to a PC support professional with the level of hands- on experience recommended for the A+ exam. Once the simulation is launched, the candidate will need to perform whatever tasks s/he believes appropriate, based on the given scenario and the tools/information that are provided in the question. Performance- Based Question Description

New A+ Test Educational Video YouTube Video Performance based questions section Begins at roughly the 5 minute mark 13 Video demonstrates what a candidate can expect, from the beginning of a CompTIA exam to the end.

Case Study 14 Chuck Cooper, program director for certification at IBM believes: To be Proficient in Technology…. you need to build your skills and take training Certifications - are a baseline measurement of skills and a consistent measure that validates the skills you achieve Certifications - build confidence on the part of prospective customers, sellers and business partners Certifications - listed on a proposal denote people with whom you can collaborate

Keeping CompTIA A+ certification current with Continuing Education CEUs required for renewal Annual CE fee Total CE fee (3- year period) CompTIA A+20$25$75 15 Those who became A+ certified before January 1, 2011 have until December 31 of this year (2012) to sign up for the Continuing Education program. Otherwise they must take the new exams to have a current A+ certification. Those who have certified since January 1, 2011 have received CompTIA A+ CE and are automatically enrolled in the Continuing Education program. For complete information on the program:

Study Resources Via CompTIA MarketPlace 16

A+ Certification Oct. 9, 2012 release