Your CompTIA A+ certification is good for three years from the date you pass your certification exam. Through our continuing education program, you can easily renew CompTIA A+ and extend it for three years. Read on to learn more about the certification period and how to renew CompTIA A+.
CompTIA A+ belongs to a group of globally-recognized certifications with International Organization for Standardization and the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ISO/ANAB) accreditation status. They expire three years from their earned date and can be renewed through CompTIA's continuing education (CE) program.
CompTIA refers to certifications as active within their three-year period after a successful exam or when they are successfully renewed. Certifications are considered expired if they are not renewed within the three-year period. If your certification has expired, the only way to get it back is to pass the certification exam again.
Why does the CompTIA A+ certification expire after three years?
Adoption cycle of new technologies
Your job in IT comes standard with constant change, and it's understood that technology advances at a breakneck pace. Your career success requires you to be ahead of the curve and be familiar with the technology that makes a meaningful impact in the market and constantly changes our lives at work and home.
CompTIA works closely with industry partners and has determined that a substantial change in technology use usually occurs about every three years. To that end, we're continuously updating our exams. Renewing your certification gives you an excellent opportunity to document your knowledge in technology areas that matter to employers and are essential to your IT career.
ISO/ANAB accreditation status
CompTIA's ISO/ANAB accreditation requires us to develop new exam questions after a certain period of time. Maintaining our accreditation is important to ensure that we adhere to the industry's best quality standards.
Having this accreditation is a big reason why CompTIA A+ meets the U.S. Department of Defense requirements. The result is a product that is trusted and globally recognized and can be confidently shown to existing or future employers.
Ways to renew your certification
Even when your employer does not require renewing your certification, keeping your certification current isn't just about keeping your accomplishment alive but simply about being ready for future opportunities to grow your career.
When the experience you gain over the years may be nearly impossible to quantify, a certification delivers the necessary documentation of your expertise. Experience and certification in tandem are a powerful toolset for climbing the career ladder.
- Renewal option 1: Training
CompTIA offers a CertMaster CE A+ training course, which enables you to renew your CompTIA A+ certification online without taking a certification exam. Some users renew their CompTIA A+ certification in six hours or less with CertMaster CE. - Renewal option 2: Additional certifications
You can also renew your CompTIA A+ certification by earning a qualifying higher-level IT certification (CompTIA or otherwise) or by passing the latest release of the CompTIA A+ exam. Learn more about this single activity renewal. - Renewal option 3: CE activities
Completing multiple qualifying activities will earn you the required continuing education units (CEUs) for certification renewal. CompTIA A+ renewal requires 20 CEUs. Learn more about multiple activity renewal.
Want to learn more? Visit our Continuing Education section to learn about the renewal process and how to get started.
Ready for a career in IT?
CompTIA A+ is the preferred qualifying credential for technical support and IT operational roles and will help you launch your IT career – and it's about much more than PC repair. Click here to learn more about CompTIA A+ and how it can help you get started.
We've made it easy to get started planning your path in IT. Begin by reading up on important steps toward your certification. Learn everything you need to know about the CompTIA A+ certification and view the exam objectives to start learning right away.
CompTIA now offers a set of comprehensive learning resources that include books, eLearning, labs, and exam prep software. These resources are developed in-house by CompTIA based on feedback we hear from learners like you. Learn more about the exam training options for CompTIA A+ that have been designed to fit your particular learning style and schedule, many of which may be combined as you prepare for your exam.
There's a wealth of information to take you all the way from deciding if CompTIA A+ is right for you to take your exam. We're with you every step of the way!