A Plus

A Plus (A+) is a certification that states the holder is nominally qualified to be a personal computer technician. The certification exams are administered by CompTIA (The Computer Technology Industry Association). The name of the certification is the highest possible letter grade in school.

To obtain an A+ certification, one must pass two exams: the A+ Core Hardware exam and the A+ OS Technologies exam. The core hardware exam deals with identifying, installing, and upgrading common computer hardware such as motherboards, CPUs, and hard drives. The OS technologies exam covers operating system installation and maintenance with a heavy bias towards Microsoft Windows.