The Eight Edition of the Complete A+ Guide to IT Hardware and Software: AA CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1001) & CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1002) Textbook has been updated to reflect the latest exam objectives.

New Core 1 Exam Objectives: Bigger Cloud Emphasis, New Technology

The A+ 220-1002 exam features an increased emphasis on new technology, such as the introduction of a separate domain on cloud and virtualization. Previously, cloud and virtualization were lumped in with other systems and technologies (and was part of Core 2 rather than Core 1). The “other OS/technologies” domain in the old version also included Mac and Linux, servers, mobile OS, mobile device connectivity and synchronization – which together were worth 12 percent of the score. In the new version, cloud and virtualization are now worth 12 percent on their own.

Much of the cloud knowledge covered is the same, but new cloud-related topics listed in the 220-1002 exam objectives include:

Shared resources (internal versus external)
Off-site email applications
Cloud file-storage services
Virtual application streaming and cloud-based apps
Virtual desktops

The change reflects the growing complexity of the environments that IT support professionals need to understand and operate in. As Sears explained: “With the new A+ certification, there’s attention paid to devices other than laptops and mobile phones. There is discussion of how to support IoT devices. It all ties back to an increase in the sophistication of these technological environments.”

Other changes in the various domains represent current IT and technology trends. For example, phablets (devices between phones and tablets) and docking stations are out from the mobile domain, while VR/AR headsets are in; syncing to automobiles was added under mobile-device synchronization methods; and more networking protocols are included, such as 5G, under wireless networking protocols.

New Core 2 Objectives: Bigger Emphasis on Security

The 220-1002 exam takes security skills to the next level, according to CompTIA. For example, it’s no longer enough to simply recognize malware – you need to be able to detect and remove it.

Changes to the security domain include:

Physical and logical (digital) security practices have been separated into individual sections
New concepts have been introduced, such as the “principle of least privilege” and mobile-device management (MDM) policies
Social engineering has been expanded and includes a lot of other vectors beyond phishing, like spearphishing, shoulder-surfing and even dumpster-diving
Workstation security practices have been expanded to include basic active directory functions like account deletion

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Complete A+ Guide to IT Hardware and Software: A CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1001) & CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1002) Textbook, 8th edition

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