Finished Dion Training's A+ course? Test both cores on questions you have never seen
CompTIA A+ is two separate exams, and that doubles the problem with re-using a familiar question bank. Jason Dion's A+ material is solid and widely used - but once you have worked through a bank, your score stops being a measurement, because you are partly recalling rather than reasoning. FigigExams gives you free, full-length practice exams for both Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202) that you have never seen, each with a domain board ranking your gaps by what they actually cost. No credit card.
Your free A+ exam codes
Full-length practice exams for both cores, unseen, with an Explanation and an Exam Tip on every question. Create an account on the next screen, the code auto-applies.
APLUS1-EXAM-FULL
Free Core 1 (220-1201)
APLUS2-EXAM-FULL
Free Core 2 (220-1202)
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In This Guide
Why a bank you have already worked cannot measure you
Dion Training publishes its own A+ practice tests alongside the course, and they are well regarded. That creates a specific problem that has nothing to do with quality: once you have worked through a bank, you cannot use it to measure yourself again.
The second time you see an item you are partly recalling your previous answer rather than reasoning from knowledge. Scores climb, and the climb is real practice effect - but it is contaminated as a measurement. This is the single most common way candidates talk themselves into booking too early: three passes through a familiar bank, scores rising each time, and no idea how much of the rise is learning versus recognition.
The fix is not a better bank, it is an unseen one. A fresh full-length paper you have never met, sat once under time, is worth more as a readiness signal than a fourth run at material you have half-memorised. That is the job this page is for.
Two exams, two separate readings
A+ certification requires passing both Core 1 and Core 2, and they test genuinely different material. A confident Core 1 result tells you nothing about Core 2. Treat them as two independent readiness checks, and take them in that order only because Core 1's networking content makes Core 2's security domain easier to place.
| Exam | Domains | Free code |
|---|---|---|
| Core 1 (220-1201) | Mobile Devices · Networking · Hardware · Virtualization and Cloud · Hardware and Network Troubleshooting | APLUS1-EXAM-FULL |
| Core 2 (220-1202) | Operating Systems · Security · Software Troubleshooting · Operational Procedures | APLUS2-EXAM-FULL |
Most candidates find Core 2 deceptively harder. Security and Operational Procedures are full of best-practice judgment questions that are easy to half-know and hard to get exactly right - the "what should you do FIRST" family, where the correct answer is a process step rather than the eventual fix. Weighted domain lists: Core 1 objectives and Core 2 objectives.
What our data shows about picking a domain to revise
In every certification we have measured so far - CCNA 200-301, Security+ SY0-701 and CCNP ENCOR 350-401 - the domain candidates scored worst on was never the domain that cost them the most marks. Blueprint weights inside a single exam vary by a factor of two or three, so a mediocre result in a heavy domain outranks a poor result in a light one.
That is why a percentage score alone is a poor guide to what to revise, and why every FigigExams result ranks your domains by weight rather than by raw score. Read the full report →
CompTIA A+ is not yet in that report - its blueprint mapping is a known gap on our side, and we would rather say so than publish a number we cannot stand behind. The method applies regardless: on Core 1, Hardware at its published weight will outrank a worse score in a lighter domain, and your free paper will rank it for you.
What you get back from a FigigExams A+ paper
A percentage tells you where you stand. It does not tell you what to do next. Every FigigExams A+ paper produces two things beyond the score:
- A weighted domain board. Every domain you answered, ranked by weighted shortfall - the blueprint weight multiplied by your miss rate - so the domain at the top is the one costing you the most marks, not merely the one you scored lowest in. You get one board per core, so you can see which of the two exams is actually the risk.
- An Exam Tips block on every single question. Each item ships an Explanation that teaches the question and a separate Exam Tips block - the memorize-this table or rule for the concept. It is the part candidates pull up the night before, and it is in the free exam too.
The arithmetic behind the board is written out in full on the study path method page - no black box, no proprietary "readiness score" you cannot check.
One free full-length paper, no credit card. If you want the rest of the bank afterwards it is $39 once for lifetime access to every practice exam in that certification, including papers we add later - not a subscription, nothing to cancel, and no auto-renewal.
Test both cores on fresh questions
A+ requires passing both papers, so check both before you book either. The codes auto-apply after sign-up.
APLUS1-EXAM-FULL
Free Core 1 (220-1201)
APLUS2-EXAM-FULL
Free Core 2 (220-1202)
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Where this sits in the certification path
A+ is the entry rung of the CompTIA ladder
A+ is the support-technician entry certification. The conventional next step is Network+, then Security+ - none of them are formal prerequisites for each other, but the sequence minimises relearning: A+ introduces networking at a shallow depth, Network+ takes it seriously, and Security+ assumes it.
If your goal is a security role rather than a support role, plenty of people skip Network+ and go A+ to Security+ directly. The cost of doing that shows up in Security+'s Security Architecture domain, which assumes networking fluency. Companion pages: Network+ readiness check and Security+ readiness check.
Test both A+ cores on fresh questions - free
Full-length Core 1 and Core 2 practice exams with a weighted domain board. No credit card.
Start Free A+ Practice ExamA free full-length practice exam, no credit card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Dion Training A+ practice exams enough?
They are well regarded, and the limitation is repetition rather than quality. A bank you have already worked cannot measure you - your rising score mixes genuine learning with recall of items you have seen. One unseen full-length paper per core gives you a clean final reading before you book.
Do I need to pass both A+ exams?
Yes. CompTIA A+ requires passing both Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202). They cover different domains, so prepare and test for each separately - a strong Core 1 result tells you nothing about Core 2.
Which A+ core is harder?
Most candidates find Core 2 deceptively harder. Its Security and Operational Procedures domains are full of best-practice judgment questions - the "what should you do FIRST" family, where the correct answer is a process step rather than the eventual fix. Core 1 is more factual and therefore more directly drillable.
Is there a free CompTIA A+ practice exam?
Yes - full-length practice exams for both Core 1 and Core 2, free, no credit card. The codes APLUS1-EXAM-FULL and APLUS2-EXAM-FULL apply automatically after sign-up. Every question carries an Explanation and an Exam Tip. The rest of the pack is one $39 purchase per certification, for life.
Should I take Network+ after A+?
It is the conventional next step and it minimises relearning: A+ introduces networking shallowly, Network+ takes it seriously, and Security+ assumes it. None are formal prerequisites, so you can go A+ straight to Security+ if your goal is a security role - the cost shows up in Security+'s Security Architecture domain, which assumes networking fluency.