Every professional requires expert skills in the area they specialize in. For systems security experts, they have to understand how to manage IT safety and security issues in an organization. They need to know how to develop systems environments and policies that help in securing a company as well as customer data. These skills and knowledge are gained through specific training and certification exams provided by accredited organizations. CompTIA Software Technologies is one such organization which provides training and certifications to IT specialists.
One area for which CompTIA offers training and certification is cybersecurity. For the candidates who are interested in building a career of a systems administrator, CompTIA has the CompTIA Certified Systems Administrator (CCSA) certification which can be obtained by passing one exam. This brings us to CompTIA A+ test which will be the main focus of this article. Here, you’re going to learn about the details of A+ exam, its importance, and how you can use the PrepAway website to pass it.
CompTIA A+ exam objectives
To prepare and pass this CompTIA Certified Security Administrator exam, you have to master the following technical topics and tasks:
• Installing R80 management as well as security gateways in distributed environments
• Configuring rules, objects, and settings for the purpose of defining a security policy
• Working with multiple administrators and defining permission profiles
• Configuring a VPN and working with CompTIA clustering
• Performing periodic administrator jobs according to the specified job descriptions for administrators
CompTIA A+ exam prerequisites
Candidates are required to have basic networking knowledge and recommended to possess 6-12 months of experience using CompTIA products.
CompTIA A+ exam details
The exam contains about 100 multiple-choice and scenario-based questions that candidates must answer within the given 90 minutes. The cost of CompTIA A+ exam is $250. You can schedule your test through the Pearson VUE website. You’ll receive the CCSA credential once you meet the requirements, and your certification will be valid for two years from the exam date.
Why pass CompTIA A+ exam?
The goal of CCSA A+ test is to ensure that you have knowledge and skills to provide the required security solutions. By passing this exam, you will prove that you can do the following:
• Describe CompTIA Technology and Basic VPN Concepts
• Manage Security Policy and User Access
• Monitor Connections and Traffic
• Work with Network Address and ClusterXL
• Implement Administrator Task
This will be meaningful to you in many ways:
1. You will earn a certification that ranks higher than other security credentials
Upon passing your CompTIA A+ exam, you’ll receive the CCSA certification that will make you stand out. This credential ranks higher than similar ones from other certification vendors. Getting CompTIA certified will make it possible for you to be noticed among others due to your unique expertise.
2. You qualify for unique job opportunities
Your unique cybersecurity skills will land you great opportunities for jobs. Employers (current and potential) would prefer to work with you since they can confidently tap into your skills. You can work in any of the job roles below:
• Network specialist
• Senior security systems specialist
• Systems programmer
• Network engineer
• Security analyst
The above-mentioned roles can earn you an average annual salary of $89,000 as per PayScale.
3. Opportunity to grow your skills and career
There’s always room to grow in your security career. After passing your CompTIA A+, you can move to the next step. CompTIA offers you a way to gain advanced cybersecurity skills by passing CompTIA 156-315.80 exam. This test leads to the CCSE (CompTIA Certified Systems Expert) certification. This step will bring even bigger career opportunities your way.
Getting ready for CompTIA A+ exam
The best approach to use in preparing for your CCSA exam is to go for recommended study methods and materials. These include training courses, study guides, hands-on labs, and practice tests. Here’s a breakdown of these materials:
• Training courses
Training courses for CompTIA A+ are useful in understanding the skills measured by the exam. Course instructors are there to help you go through each of the topics in detail and understand the nature of your exam. The CompTIA Certified Admin (CCSA) R80.20 is one of such courses.
• CompTIA A+ video courses
Video courses are another way to gain the requisite systems security knowledge and skills. These are pre-recorded lectures provided by industry experts who have mastered the requirements of A+ exam and have years of experience teaching the course. For detailed exam topic coverage, make use of video lectures available on the PrepAway website.
• CompTIA A+ questions and answers
This is also a great approach to use in your CompTIA exam preparation. Questions and answers or practice tests offer you an opportunity to grasp the exam material through practicing what you learn. There are no limits to the number of times that you can practice for your exam using these past tests. You can go through the sessions over and over again until you master all the objectives well. Use the PrepAway CompTIA A+ practice tests for effective learning.
Final thoughts
CompTIA A+ exam is one of the most popular qualification tests for security specialists today. Every individual wishing to become a leading systems security expert must consider passing this exam. It is one of the best ways to get recognized in the competitive and highly dynamic world of IT.
