Free CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) practice test

CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) covers the hands-on half of the A+: hardware, mobile devices, networking fundamentals, virtualization and cloud basics, and hardware and network troubleshooting. This site gives you 348 original Core 1 practice questions and 21 performance-based questions, free and without an account.

Practice two ways: adaptive drills that repeat your weak topics more often and explain every answer, or a full exam simulation with 50 questions plus 3 PBQs in 90 minutes, scored on the real 100 to 900 scale with Core 1's actual 675 pass line. Every topic links to the matching free Professor Messer video.

What 220-1201 covers

220-1201 domainExam weightQuestions here
1.0 Mobile Devices13%about 45
2.0 Networking23%about 80
3.0 Hardware25%about 87
4.0 Virtualization & Cloud11%about 38
5.0 Hardware & Network Troubleshooting28%about 97

Real exam facts: up to 90 questions, 90 minutes, passing score 675 on the 100 to 900 scale. Preparing for both cores? The combined A+ practice test page covers Core 1 and Core 2 together, and Core 2 has its own 220-1202 practice test page.

Practice questions from this bank

Sample question 1 · 220-1201 · 1.0 Mobile Devices

A technician is upgrading a laptop's mechanical hard drive to a faster component that has no moving parts. Which drive is being installed?

  1. AAn SSD
  2. BA second HDD
  3. CAn optical drive
  4. DA power supply
Show answer and explanation

A. An SSD

A solid-state drive (SSD) has no moving parts, is faster and more shock-resistant than an HDD, and is a common laptop upgrade.

Topic: Laptop Hardware

Sample question 2 · 220-1201 · 2.0 Networking

Which transport-layer protocol provides reliable, connection-oriented delivery with acknowledgments and retransmission?

  1. ATCP
  2. BUDP
  3. CICMP
  4. DARP
Show answer and explanation

A. TCP

TCP is connection-oriented and guarantees ordered, acknowledged delivery; UDP is connectionless and faster but unreliable.

Topic: Introduction to IP

Sample question 3 · 220-1201 · 3.0 Hardware

Which drive interface uses the M.2 form factor with PCIe lanes to deliver the fastest consumer SSD performance?

  1. ANVMe
  2. BA SATA hard drive
  3. CA SATA SSD
  4. DeMMC
Show answer and explanation

A. NVMe

NVMe drives communicate over PCIe and are far faster than SATA-based SSDs or mechanical hard drives.

Topic: Storage Devices

Sample question 4 · 220-1201 · 4.0 Virtualization & Cloud

Which software layer allows multiple virtual machines to share one physical host's hardware?

  1. AA hypervisor
  2. BA device driver
  3. CA bootloader
  4. DA container registry
Show answer and explanation

A. A hypervisor

The hypervisor abstracts and allocates physical hardware (CPU, RAM, storage) to multiple guest VMs.

Topic: Virtualization Concepts

Sample question 5 · 220-1201 · 5.0 Hardware & Network Troubleshooting

A PC powers on with spinning fans but shows no display and emits a pattern of beeps at startup. What do the beep codes indicate?

  1. AA hardware fault detected during POST
  2. BA hard drive that has run out of space
  3. CA software license that has expired
  4. DA wireless signal that is too weak
Show answer and explanation

A. A hardware fault detected during POST

Beep codes during POST report hardware faults such as bad RAM or a missing GPU before the OS loads.

Topic: Troubleshooting Hardware

Sample question 6 · 220-1201 · 1.0 Mobile Devices

A smartphone leaves Wi-Fi range but still has internet through the carrier. Which network provides this wide-area data?

  1. ACellular
  2. BA Bluetooth PAN
  3. CNFC
  4. DInfrared
Show answer and explanation

A. Cellular

Cellular networks (LTE/5G) provide wide-area mobile data when Wi-Fi is unavailable.

Topic: Mobile Device Networks

Sample question 7 · 220-1201 · 2.0 Networking

Which device connects multiple wired devices in a LAN and forwards frames using MAC addresses?

  1. AA switch
  2. BA router
  3. CA modem
  4. DA firewall
Show answer and explanation

A. A switch

A switch forwards Ethernet frames only to the port of the destination MAC address, unlike a hub which floods every port.

Topic: Network Devices

Sample question 8 · 220-1201 · 3.0 Hardware

Which twisted-pair cable category is rated for 10 Gbps up to 100 meters?

  1. ACat 3
  2. BCat 5
  3. CCat 5e
  4. DCat 6a
Show answer and explanation

D. Cat 6a

Cat 6a supports 10GBASE-T to 100 m with improved shielding; Cat 5e tops out at 1 Gbps over that distance.

Topic: Network Cables

Common questions

How many questions are on the 220-1201 exam?

Core 1 has a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, mixing multiple choice with performance-based questions. The passing score is 675 on a 100 to 900 scale.

What does 220-1201 cover?

Five domains: mobile devices, networking, hardware, virtualization and cloud computing, and hardware and network troubleshooting. Hardware and troubleshooting carry the most weight, so hands-on familiarity matters.

Should I take Core 1 or Core 2 first?

Most candidates sit Core 1 (220-1201) first because its hardware and networking material underpins Core 2's operating system and security topics, but CompTIA allows either order. You need both to earn the A+.

Is this actually free?

Yes. Every Core 1 question, every PBQ, and the full exam simulator are free with no account. Every topic links to the matching video in Professor Messer's free 220-1201 course.

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