Is the CompTIA A+ Worth It?
Strengths
- Solid salary potential at $75,000 average
- High employer demand with 42.0K active job listings
- Achievable exam with 80% community-reported pass rate
- No prerequisites required — accessible to career changers and newcomers
Considerations
- Moderate exam investment at $358
- Has prerequisites — not suitable for complete beginners
Bottom line: At $358 exam cost with an average salary of $75,000, the CompTIA A+ offers a solid return on investment for cloud professionals. Not sure if this is the right choice? See how it stacks up in our CompTIA A+ vs CompTIA Network+ comparison.
Who Should Get the CompTIA A+?
This certification is a good fit if you are:
- IT newcomers looking to validate foundational knowledge
- Career changers transitioning into technology
- Anyone targeting roles that list CompTIA A+ as preferred or required
This certification is a key step on the Linux Systems Administrator career path and 1 other career roadmap.
Exam Details
Salary Data
Professionals holding the CompTIA A+ certification earn between $50,000 and $95,000 annually, with an average of $75,000. For context, the AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty averages $155,000.
Job market demand trend: Stable (+5% YoY)
Disclaimer: Salary figures are US-median estimates compiled from BLS wage statistics, Glassdoor, and job-posting aggregates. They are estimates only, not financial advice or a guarantee of earnings. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, employer, and negotiation.
Prerequisites
- No formal prerequisites required
- 9-12 months of hands-on IT experience recommended
Skills Covered
Best Study Resources
CompTIA CertMaster Learn for A+
Free CourseProfessor Messer — Free A+ Video Course
CourseMike Meyers — Total Seminars Udemy Course
Comparisons Featuring CompTIA A+
Career Paths With CompTIA A+
Linux Systems Administrator
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is CompTIA A+ worth it in 2026?
How hard is the CompTIA A+ exam?
CompTIA A+ vs Network+ — which should I take first?
Explore other options in cloud: AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty, AWS Solutions Architect Professional, and more in our Cloud Certifications hub.
Sources for every data point
Each quantitative claim on this page is mapped to a verifiable source. Official vendor pages and government datasets are preferred; community estimates and editorial extrapolations are flagged explicitly.
| Data point | Source | Tier | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam duration | CompTIA — official exam guide Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Exam code | CompTIA — official certification page Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Passing score | CompTIA — official exam guide Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Exam price | CompTIA — official certification page Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Question count | CompTIA — official exam guide Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Job listings | LinkedIn — active US postings mentioning "CompTIA A+" Count sampled quarterly; fluctuates daily. | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Average salary | Glassdoor — CompTIA A+ role salary (US) Aggregate from public salary postings. Cross-checked against BLS OEWS for the closest SOC category. | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Salary range | Glassdoor + Payscale — CompTIA A+ salary distribution 10th–90th percentile derived from public salary aggregators. | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Pass rate | Community consensus — CompTIA pass-rate discussions Most vendors do not publish pass rates. Community data is self-reported with survivor bias. | Community | verified 29d ago |
| Study hours | Community consensus — certification subreddits and TechExams threads Typical range for candidates with modest prior experience in the domain. | Community | verified 29d ago |
| Demand trend | LinkedIn + Indeed — multi-quarter listing comparison Editorial summary of YoY listing change. | Editorial estimate | verified 29d ago |
Data Sources & Transparency
- Salary data — Bureau of Labor Statistics, Glassdoor, and job posting aggregates (US median)
- Job listings — LinkedIn, Indeed, and Dice active postings (sampled quarterly)
- Pass rates — Community-reported estimates from Reddit, TechExams, and certification forums
- Exam details — CompTIA official certification documentation