A+ Core 1 exam fee
Varies by country
CompTIA shows the price for your country before you pay
Cost, pay and fit
Is A+ worth it?
Yes, if you’re after your first IT job and have no experience or degree to point to. It’s written for help desk and desktop support work. If you already work in IT, skip it: your experience says more than the certificate would. Remember that it takes two exams, so two fees.
Last updated
The cost
What it costs
The exam fee is the certification’s fixed cost. Study material and your own time come on top.
A+ Core 2 exam fee
Varies by country
CompTIA shows the price for your country before you pay
Keeping it
Valid for 3 years
Earn 20 CEUs within the three years and pay the CE fee
A fee covers one attempt: if you don’t pass, the next attempt is paid for again. What every exam costs
The return
What the jobs pay
US government figures for the occupations this certification most often leads to.
Computer user support specialists
$61,860
Median pay a year, 2025
- Employed
- 750,600
- Openings a year
- About 39,700
- Outlook
- Expected to decline (−1% or lower) from 2025 to 2035
A+ leads to this occupation: help desk analyst, desktop support technician and similar roles. It’s usually a first job, and a step toward networking, systems or security.
These figures cover everyone in the occupation in the United States, with or without the certification, at every level of experience. Starting pay is lower, and no certification guarantees a job.
Source: O*NET OnLine (US Department of Labor), from Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data and employment projections. Checked November 10, 2026. How we check our facts
Recognition
What the vendor says
Quoted from the vendor’s own page, so read it as their claim.
CompTIA says A+ is approved by the US Department of Defense to meet Directive 8140.03M requirements, for work roles including technical support specialist and system administrator.
CompTIA’s A+ page · Read November 10, 2026
Your decision
Is A+ worth it for you?
It’s worth it if
- you’re starting in IT and need something concrete on your resume.
- you’re changing career and want a structured way to learn hardware, operating systems and troubleshooting.
- an employer or a US Department of Defense contract asks for it.
Think twice if
- you already have a year or two of IT support behind you.
- you’re heading straight for networking, security or cloud and can go directly to Network+, Security+ or a cloud certification.
- the cost of two exams is a stretch and no job you’re applying for asks for A+.
FAQs
Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers.
Find quick answers or contact our support team.
Is A+ worth it in 2026?
Yes, if you’re after your first IT job and have no experience or degree to point to. It’s written for help desk and desktop support work. If you already work in IT, skip it: your experience says more than the certificate would. Remember that it takes two exams, so two fees.
How much does A+ cost?
A+ takes 2 exams, and each is paid for separately. For each one: varies by country. CompTIA shows the price for your country before you pay.
What jobs does A+ lead to, and what do they pay?
The closest occupation is computer user support specialists (median pay $61,860 a year in 2025). The figures are for the United States, from O*NET OnLine, the US Department of Labor’s occupation database. They cover everyone in the occupation, with or without the certification, so starting pay is lower.
Does A+ expire?
Valid for 3 years. To keep it: earn 20 CEUs within the three years and pay the CE fee.
How hard is A+?
We rate it beginner, going by the level CompTIA gives it and the experience it expects. You need 675 out of 900. CompTIA recommends 12 months in IT support. It isn’t required to sit the exam.
