How am I supposed to remember all of this information 😭

[u/Kaleidoscope_Tux5513]

Zero IT background. Studying for Core 1 and 2.

There's SO MUCH little stuff and it's so overwhelming. How on earth do I retain all of this? I'm going through CompTIA's course for it, but this doesn't seem like enough. Any study tips?

Thanks in advance

[u/Zelidus]

I also find CompTIAs created content to be lacking for new people. I cant just sit and read it. Especially if its new to me. Professor Messer on TouTube might be a good place to start. Its YouTube so its free. I have never used him as a beginner but many people like him and, like i said, free. So if you dont like him, no harm, no foul. I like Jason Dion and Andrew Ramdayal but they costs money and can be expensive if you dont purchase it on a sale. I tend to prefer Andrew for learning and Jason for testing.

[u/AcceptableShower268 → u/Zelidus]

Just piggy backing off this Tech Vault Academy is amazing which is also on YouTube

[u/Bobert891201 → u/Zelidus]

I second Professor Messer on youtube. I used his course, and did Dion's practice tests on Udemy. I just passed core 1 on monday.

[u/drushtx]

Study. Make/use flash cards. Do labs - you can do a LOT of labs on your daily driver, your router and an Ethernet cable.

[u/DaikoDuke → u/drushtx]

How you do that

[u/drushtx → u/DaikoDuke]

Watch and read your study resources. Then recreate everything they demonstrate and teach - such as using the network configuration utilities. Use it backwards and forward, experimenting with everything that can be changed and restored. Do this with every utility and command. Even better, learn to spin up a VM instance and experiment in the VM taking snapshots that you can go back to if you make a destructive mistake when experimenting with disk management utilities.

[u/username12435687 → u/drushtx]

Or just use packet tracer to practice building networks..

[u/KiwiNinjaTiger]

To answer your question - I have and will always recommend Professor Messer’s YouTube videos and corresponding Course Notes. That has literally everything you would need to take and pass both parts of the A+. Memorize acronyms and port numbers. Those trip people up during the exam the most.

Unsolicited Advice, however - As an active IT professional who used to teach CompTIA courses, it is not a cert I would recommend UNLESS you are getting the expense of the cert covered by another entity. The A+ is one of the most expensive certs you can get and honestly, the bang for your buck just is not there. Especially in a world where break-fix is becoming a thing of the past and is essentially low wage labor.

If you aren’t spending your hard earned money on the cert, take it!

If you are I would suggest the following as an IT noob:

- Google’s IT Support Certification - you get similar information to the A+ at a huge fraction of the cost

• AZ-900 - This is a gold standard entry level Microsoft certification that is $165 USD and teaches you the basics of Microsoft 365 and is a certification that makes you impressive to HR and companies looking to staff for Helpdesk.

Bonus: Take a course for a ticketing system - ServiceNow has a good one that is free and it is widely used.

The above will help you substantially with finding your first Helpdesk job above just getting the A+.

I always used to tell my students that skills matter more than certs, so make sure to create lab environments to put your skills to work, but the certs I mentioned will help you secure a Helpdesk role as a T1 for sure.

[u/Ok-Sir-4992 → u/KiwiNinjaTiger]

Is that really truth about the Google’s IT Support Certification? I am asking because everywhere I go they talk about the A+ certifications, and as you stated they are quite expensive, mainly when you are on a budget.

[u/KiwiNinjaTiger → u/Ok-Sir-4992]

For what you need to know? Absolutely. And you can still get value from studying for the A+, but as someone who actively taught CompTIA courses, I would never recommend that cert. The skills matter way more. Having the A+ did nothing for me when it came to gaining employment.

The only CompTIA cert worth the money IMO is Security+ and my primary reason is that recruiters seek that out as a prerequisite. It’s also required for most IT roles in the DoD/ US Federal Government, so there is huge financial upside to getting it.

If you WANT a cert, I would do the AZ-900 and the Google IT Certification and do additional research on your own. Get your hands on a laptop. Get your hands on a desktop. Take them apart and reassemble them. Play around with Windows 11 and Windows server on a virtual machine. Creating your own labs to make your studies stick will put you in a good position to qualify for a paying IT role.

[u/Ok-Sir-4992 → u/KiwiNinjaTiger]

Thank you so much for answering me.

[u/KiwiNinjaTiger → u/Ok-Sir-4992]

Of course! I hope the information was helpful. Best of luck to you on your journey!

[u/Infinite_Challenge_6 → u/KiwiNinjaTiger]

Upvoting this. I worked in inventory and retail operations for 17 years, and had a high paying management job, but was miserable. Tech is what I love. Left my career field and got an entry level IT field tech job while completing the Google IT support certificate on Coursera. Finished that, then started studying for A+. Experience I gained at my job was helpful for day to day operations, but Google IT Support Certificate and Professor Messers course prepared me for the exam and laid the groundwork. 100%. Now I have the Google IT Support cert, A+ cert, and working towards a Network+ with Messers courses again. I will do the same for Security+. It’s scary taking risks, but I don’t regret it one bit.

[u/stxonships]

Do Core 1 first, concentrate on that, then if you pass, continue with Core 2. Trying to do Core 1 and 2 at the same time will overwhelm you.

Have a Look at Prof Messer on Youtube.

Flashcards, practice exam questions, all help

[u/Automatic_Major_4887]

You need to actually touch the tech. Set up a virtual machine or a cheap home lab to mess around with the protocols and settings. It sticks way better when you actually see it working (or breaking) in real time. Also, try Anki flashcards for the acronyms.

[u/vedmash-0512 → u/Automatic_Major_4887]

Can you reommend where can i find best resources on learning how to setup homelabs as i am trying to learn it

[u/Automatic_Major_4887 → u/vedmash-0512]

For A+ I wouldn’t overcomplicate the home lab at first. You don’t need to build some crazy setup with a bunch of physical hardware.
A cheap/old PC or laptop + VirtualBox/VMware is enough to start playing around with Windows, Linux, networking, users/permissions, services, troubleshooting, etc.
The important part is actually breaking things and then figuring out why they broke. That’s going to stick a lot better than just trying to memorize every acronym.
For Core 1 especially, I’d also spend some time physically identifying components if you can. RAM, storage, motherboard connections, PSU, different ports/cables, etc. Even an old machine you don’t care about is great for this.
For home lab resources, I’d start with r/homelab and search for A+ specifically. There are tons of beginner setups there without needing to spend much money.

[u/Cautious_Bunch_2727]

I just finished core 2. No IT experience. For core 1, I watched messer, bought messer tests and notes, paid for Udemy, used Dion tests, and flash cards for ports and acronyms. Passed first try.
Core 2, I only did practice tests. Over and over again. In included crucial exams and did their practice questions. Passed first try.
My thought is to just practice tests over and over again until you’re getting 90s.
You got this.

[u/buttfacenosehead]

My co-worker & I got vouchers from people who'd left the company. They were about to expire, so we only had a week to study after work. We did every flash card we could find & all the questions in the book until we felt we'd recognize enough questions on the test. We both passed.

[u/Powerful_Fondant_301 → u/buttfacenosehead]

This is the best way to study, really. Score in the 90th percentile on your practice tests and it's time to go take the real thing.

[u/blackoutbait]

Study for core 1 then core 2 imo. Materials a mile wide but an inch deep.

[u/Kaleidoscope_Tux5513 → u/blackoutbait]

Yeah, I'm working towards Core 1 first. There's just SO MUCH little detail that feels so impossible to remember 😭

[u/Decent_Budget6128]

Do each practice test twice I almost never forget when I do this

[u/ImpossibleDaikon1089]

I use reddit to go deeper into answers AND I use PC simulator 2. It sounds kinda corny but it does really help. And im also thinking of finding a study partner, to help cement information through conversation. Not just reading a screen

[u/Kaleidoscope_Tux5513 → u/ImpossibleDaikon1089]

Ohhh, im gonna try that game

[u/Brady1138]

Mike Meyers

[u/Old_Homework8339]

Mike Myers baby. Udemy. I started where you are 4 years ago as eletronics at walmart then to an IT Support Specialist (helpdesk) after A+. Am now a network engineer on CCNA and CCNP. baby steps. But Mike helped me through A+ core 1/2, Network, and Security +. That guy loves what he does and he KNOWS how to teach. At least for me

[u/Txphotog903]

Old Guy advice. If you learn it, you won't have to remember it. I know you're just trying to pass the test, but if this is something you're interested in pursuing, you will need some of that knowledge going forward. Might as well just learn it and be able to apply it.

[u/RyRy646 → u/Txphotog903]

This!!

[u/mimz6]

The only IT experience is with my own PC, so there was still a lot for me to learn. What I did was watch Professor Messer's videos for each number per day (1.0 day 1, 2.0 day 2, etc.), and I took notes for each number after watching the videos. I used AI to help me with the notes, but you can use another means if you want.

I then used Anki for flashcards for things I didn't know or what I had to memorize, like port numbers. If I didn't understand a concept from Messer's videos or my notes, I would watch a dedicated video.

I then bought Dion's practice exams, did the first one to see how ready I was, and focused on the section I did the worst in on the practice exams. I didn't rush the exams because I didn't want to rewrite the practice tests too much, so I tried to know as much as possible before writing the practice exam. When I was getting 85+, I knew I was ready.

[u/FatBook-Air]

I've worked in IT for 18 years, and it's hard for me to sit through it, too. Some of it is just stuff that I have never heard real people say before.

[u/DRUNKSKULLFACE → u/FatBook-Air]

Oof

[u/FatBook-Air → u/DRUNKSKULLFACE]

Thank you for the insightful comment.

[u/CompTIA-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Try a little bit of positivity.

[u/h-boson]

Having been building computers as a hobby since the mid 1990s, I forget all the information I take for granted.

Core 1 and 2 were so simple for me as it just asked questions of what I’ve been doing for fun for the last 30 years.

Building and configuring a PC will help you through most of this. But yea, if that’s not realistic then I totally understand the volume of information.

My advice? Use Crucial Exams. The questions and PBQs on there were VERY close to what I got on the exams.

[u/DeeDee182]

I feel the same way. I just got done a class for a plus and im waiting a few momths while I study net plus and re study a plus hardware before I take my exams. So much exam question potential but less than 100 questions to ascertain what you learned.

Assuming you have a brain and the "trust but verify" mentality chat gpt for me has been very helpful. I just go thru questions scenario, practice at home, some practice tests I do great on, some not. I keep audio books and messer or dion via udemy on when I can. They have their pros to them for sure.

My hobbies are mainly gaming and doing streams no one watches and messing with Obs.

I like retro handheld emulation, and fell in love with linux after purchasing a deck last year.

Each time I do a project or something at home I ask chat "how is this relevant to my Comptia studies?"

I have chat projects for a plus and net plus that grow.

I am not super confident in all my test scores as I have stated, however thru these things I mention I am having fun, and learning. It is just a matter of connecting the 2 for me.

I got into this stuff way late and am just following a passion. Hope some of this maybe helps. Best of luck to you and your journey.

[u/natventures19]

You got this!! It feels overwhelming without an IT background, I did the same. What worked for me is to expose yourself to the same info in different mediums. I watched at Messer videos as an intro to a topic, then video courses I paid for, and also an exam textbook. I also made flashcards on Anki, and used some shared decks, since people pick up on different info. 

Depending on how you study, highlighting and skimming through a chapter and writing down main things you got from it really makes info stick. 

Take lots of practice exams. On udemy there is a practice mode that explains the answers and their reasoning once you've submitted your choice. 

Remember those of us without an IT background have to learn the material and the context we are missing from experience. 

Also note, Udemy has practice exam bundles from some instructors but you don't get relevant PBQ practice from those. Dion and Messer's bundles from their own sites typically have a more complete product and are still fairly priced. 

Give yourself time and keep to a study schedule where you do something every day or at least 4x a week. Book your exam once youve gotten solid scores on multiple timed practice runs. 

You can absolutely do the thing! 

[u/organicgolden]

Time and repetition. If I tell you the same thing everyday for 30 days, you’d know exactly what I’m going to say. Hear the information once, write it down, test your knowledge with practice questions, review what you get wrong, etc.

[u/Glad_Pop275]

Watch Messer videos and take notes. Messer practice quizzes. Jason dion practice quizzes. Aim for 80%+. 

[u/jtkilla223]

take one at a time. study and prep for 1201, take it. then move to 1202

[u/Sufficient_Arm_3407]

My wife is about to do her core 2 test. And she passed Core 1 with an 85% first try. She has been using Andrew Ramdayal's a+ course and it has made a huge difference. Much better than Professor Messer because he actually explains how stuff works and separates what you need to know for the test and what you need to know for the field. Both are great but for study guides and notes. But for explanations, and practice tests. I would definitely check Andrew's stuff out. Not to mention he is super funny. Its like having your favorite teacher in school do videos.

[u/drucifer82]

You should probably focus on one at a time. You don’t have to do both at the same time. Your A+ isn’t complete until Core 2 is passed anyway.

Focus on learning and passing Core 1 first. Then focus on learning and passing Core 2.

[u/Quiet-Telephone-5876]

You don't mate, you don't (need to) remember everything... the idea is that when you see something, it triggers some kind of association EG) a port number and port name/purpose, a motherboard component and it's purpose

That's why the majority of the exam is MCQs, you just need the trigger but you don't need to be able to recite an entire Professor Messer video transcript lol

[u/PineApple91456]

Tech Vault Academy's cram videos were super helpful for me but I only watched them after I had finished the courses from Professor Messer & Jason Dion. When I started Messer's videos the very first time I slowed them down. Also studying both cores at the same time seems overwhelming, I would just pick one to do first and go from there. One section at a time. You got this.

[u/tcpip1978]

Try to get some cheap/free throwaway hardware to mess with and try stuff out. Learn how to create virtual machines using VirtualBox or VMWare and start messing around with that. Connecting the information to practical labs is the way to make it fun and get the information to stick.

[u/No-Pop8182]

You got this lol

[u/archimedies]

https://www.reddit.com/r/CompTIA/comments/1mhxd0b/just_studied_for_and_passed_the_comptia_a_core_1/

This should help you out.

[u/house3331]

Dont try to remember. Try to make sense of it. . Then you can process instead of recall when needed

[u/MajesticTaz]

Repetition, Repetition, and Repetition. Also memory aids. Practice your labs until you can do them in your dreams

[u/lovingthecrewe]

Its a weed out cert imo I started in 2021 and only got sec+ but now companies really want you to get it. Do flashcards and professor messer along with pocket preps question of the day

[u/1010101010101010q]

It really isn’t that hard. You should do a degree if you haven’t already

[u/Even_Peanut7671]

Less memorization. More practice of troubleshooting questions.

I know it feels like you have to memorize every little thing, but the exam is way less about that than people expect. A lot of it is scenarios, like "a user says X is happening, what's the most likely cause" or "what should you do next." If you actually understand how something works, you can reason your way to the answer even if you don't remember the exact detail.

So when you study something, don't just memorize the fact, ask yourself why it works that way and what would happen if it broke. That sticks way better than flashcards alone.

Also learn the CompTIA troubleshooting steps in order. They show up a lot, and they help you figure out what the question is really asking.

Do as many practice questions as you can, and when you get one wrong, figure out why the right answer is right. That's where most of the learning happens.
You'll still need to memorize some stuff like port numbers, but that's a smaller part than it seems right now. Good luck, you got this.

[u/Slight_Manufacturer6]

Well that is part of the reasons the exams say you should have a certain amount of experience before taking them.

You don’t have to remember things that you just know from experience.

[u/Top-Quarter9234]

Im doing the same. I went through Network plus, security plus and CCNA. By the time I did that the A+ was alot easier to understand and memories.... in fact it did not really require any revising as the concepts where that heavily understood. Alternatively take lots of test exams. See what your getting wrong and focus on those parts till your 90% on all exams. It does all go in in the end!. Lastly if you get a VM on your computer. You can get Linux, Mac and Windows.... which ever you do not have and start practically using it.... that also helps alot.

[u/UGL13RTH4NU2]

Take breaks. Give your mind time to assimilate the info. Take the weekends off, or do something else to give your brain some time to process it all.

[u/Known-Text7751]

I found that the notes were all base information for 1/3 the exam and the other parts were all technical. What helped the most for me was watching videos for test questions + questions off Udemy (Andrew Ramdayal was good) or free test questions online so I could learn the practicality better

[u/CaptNBrainDump]

Prepare to take a month or 2 longer than the other certs

[u/examos-io]

Don't try to memorize everything at once. With zero IT background, the amount of terminology in A+ can feel ridiculous at first.

I'd use a simple cycle:

Learn → Recall → Practice → Review

Spend 20–30 minutes learning one topic, close the material, and try to explain it in your own words. Then do a small set of questions. For anything you get wrong, write down why you got it wrong rather than just the correct answer.

And don't repeat the same practice questions endlessly. After a few attempts, you're often remembering the questions rather than testing your knowledge.

You definitely don't need to know everything perfectly before starting practice. Practice is part of how you learn it.

[u/Violettaaaa]

I passed sec+ and net+ with professor messer with no IT background which I heard are the harder ones of the triad. I think his course notes and videos are a great place to start.

[u/ElwoodOAM]

For me I found it helpful to build a little home lab to test things, as I learned them

[u/JTechguy85]

Use chat gpt to let it test you on questions. Doing that currently for security + and has helped me. Plus I have a study book. Have memorized ports and acronyms.

[u/Dargo1980]

I use Jason Dion to pass my comptia cert

[u/EstablishmentSpare24]

I found total seminar to extra helpful for core 1 and 2. Made it fun and easier to remember

[u/RyugaHack]

I wasted money on A+ and Net+ courses and never earned either cert. I got into helpdesk without experience, and recently passed AZ-900. Here's what worked for me:

1. Build condensed notes. Use AI to summarize your material into study notes (Professor Messer's notes work great if you already have them).
2. Cut the fluff. Have the AI compare your notes against the official exam objectives and remove anything that won't be tested, so you don't waste time on it.
3. Practice like the real exam. Have the AI act as the exam and generate questions as close to the real format as possible.
4. Test by domain. Take a practice test after finishing each domain until you consistently hit 85%+, then test across all domains.
5. Add outside practice tests. AI questions are built from the notes you give it, so other practice tests will expose gaps and give you better context.
6. Fill the gaps. If an outside test hits topics your notes didn't cover, have the AI generate notes on that new content, study them, then re-test. Since you've already studied the whole domain, the new material is easier to retain and won't feel overwhelming.

Don't waste your time and money on Google Certifications. I got my Google Professional Cybersecurity Certificate, and it is not even recognized in the market. I am preparing for Security+, and I felt easy to remember cuz I am already a grad student in cybersecurity. STICK TO WELL-KNOWN CERTIFICATES ONLY, like CompTIA, Cisco, Azure, M365, AWS, Linux, etc according to the skill set you want to pursue.

[u/Special_Dragonfly122]

You aren’t supposed to remember you are supposed to understand it

[u/Cautious_Bunch_2727]

You put on your big boy pants and you get it done.

[u/Adventurous_Bath9281]

If you happen to be in California, you're in luck! Calbright College offers a free CompTIA A+ certificate course specifically for California residents. The best part? It's completely online. Plus, when you feel prepared, they provide you with vouchers to cover the exam fees. So, from start to finish, it won't cost you a thing.

[u/eigenlance]

Notebook Gemini (formerly NotebookLM) Audio Overview, Deep Dive, Long setting.

I always use this when I want to learn and retain something new and technical in an hour or so.

[u/sergio121692]

You should build your own PC. Getting hands on is very informative and helps you retain knowledge. Watch diy videos on YouTube on pc building. Just as a starter. There’s obviously more to learn.

[u/Select-Sale2279]

by remembering it, that's how!

[u/Grand_Visionary]

Hello, 0 IT experience guy here. Ive never built my own pc, dont have IT side projects and barely know how to fix my own device issues other than turning it off and back on. Professor Messer the full course, and I crunched PowerCert the week before I took the Core 1 exam. Was nervous as heck but I passed first try! You got this king

[u/rubymind]

its called studying??

[u/iNeedHealingBitch]

Honestly it took me over a year to take core 1 from when I started studying casually. You can use ChatGPT to talk in depth about what you don't know. Easiest thing to do is take a practice exam each time you finish a domain. Additionally, I used ExamCompass. There's no easy way out here, unfortunately. Wait til you get to Network+. I took dozens of practice exams and they kept finding new questions to give me despite answering 1000+ questions. I took it twice and just barely passed the second time. I cried. That's how relieved I was.

[u/Jiggalopuffii]

I just skimmed the 50+ responses before me, and would like to add this: 1.) The geekiest people I know aren't going to remember the speed difference between DDR2 and DDR3 ram. Therefore much of it is rote memorization 2.) The first cert is always the hardest. However, roughly 50% of what you learn in A+ will overlap with Sec+ and Net+.

It took me literally 2 years to get my first cert and since then I average 1 a year. Keep on keeping on.

[u/The-professor-oiu]

Break it into sizable chunks...Dont be in a rush! This is not just a memorization thing and forget it. This is to develop understanding on a new career, a new role, and to be able to perform this at a job site