If you’re curious about a career in tech but don’t know where to start, the CompTIA Tech+ certification is a great place to begin. It’s CompTIA’s entry point into IT, covering everything from binary numbers and Wi-Fi standards to databases, basic programming logic, and security habits. That breadth can feel like a lot at first.

The good news is that CompTIA publishes exactly what the exam covers. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the exam format, all six domains and their weights, the official resources worth downloading, and the questions candidates ask most often, so you can build a plan and pass on your first try.

What Is the CompTIA Tech+ Exam?

CompTIA Tech+ (exam code FC0-U71) is a foundational IT certification from CompTIA, the nonprofit trade association behind A+, Network+, and Security+. It launched on July 16, 2024, and replaced CompTIA IT Fundamentals (ITF+, FC0-U61), which CompTIA retired in 2025. Existing ITF+ certifications remain valid.

CompTIA describes Tech+ as the essential certification for anyone exploring a career in tech. Compared with ITF+, it emphasizes practical skills and adds newer topics such as artificial intelligence (AI), 6 GHz Wi-Fi, and cloud deployment models. The exam checks that you understand how computers, networks, software, data, and security fit together. It doesn’t expect you to be a working technician yet.

What Is the CompTIA Tech+ Exam Format?

Here is the exam at a glance, based on the CompTIA Tech+ Certification Exam Objectives (FC0-U71) and the official CompTIA Tech+ page:

  • Questions: A maximum of 70 questions.
  • Question type: Multiple choice.
  • Time: 60 minutes.
  • Passing score: 650 on a scale of 100–900.
  • Recommended experience: None. CompTIA says no prior experience is necessary.
  • Languages: English and Japanese.
  • Delivery: Pearson VUE, either at a test center or online through OnVUE remote proctoring.
  • Results: You’ll see your score as soon as you finish the exam.

With up to 70 questions in 60 minutes, you have a little over 50 seconds per question.

What Content Outline Does the CompTIA Tech+ Exam Use?

The current exam is based on the CompTIA Tech+ Certification Exam Objectives (FC0-U71), launched July 16, 2024. The objectives divide the exam into six domains and 31 numbered objectives, each with a detailed list of the topics that can be tested.

Here is how the exam breaks down. The approximate question counts assume a full 70-question exam.

  • Domain 1.0, IT Concepts and Terminology: 13% (about 9 questions)
  • Domain 2.0, Infrastructure: 24% (about 17 questions)
  • Domain 3.0, Applications and Software: 18% (about 13 questions)
  • Domain 4.0, Software Development Concepts: 13% (about 9 questions)
  • Domain 5.0, Data and Database Fundamentals: 13% (about 9 questions)
  • Domain 6.0, Security: 19% (about 13 questions)

Domain 1.0: IT Concepts and Terminology (13%)

This domain lays the groundwork. You’ll need to explain how a computer turns input into output, read different number systems, and use units of measure correctly.

  • Computing basics: input, processing, output, and storage.
  • Notational systems: binary, decimal, hexadecimal, and octal.
  • Units of measure for storage (bit through petabyte), throughput (bps through Tbps), and processing speed (MHz, GHz).
  • The six-step troubleshooting methodology, from identifying the problem to documenting findings, actions, and outcomes.
  • Common devices (smartphones, servers, IoT devices, wearables) and internal components such as the motherboard, firmware/BIOS, RAM, CPU, GPU, and network interface card.

Study tip: Memorize the troubleshooting steps in order. Questions often describe a technician’s action and ask which step comes next, and “verify full system functionality” and “document” are easy to swap.

Domain 2.0: Infrastructure (24%)

Infrastructure is the largest domain and the broadest. It covers the hardware, connections, networks, and operating systems that everything else runs on.

  • Storage types: volatile vs. non-volatile, HDD vs. SSD vs. NVMe, and NAS, file servers, and cloud storage.
  • Installing and configuring peripherals such as printers, webcams, displays, and a UPS, including plug-and-play vs. driver installation.
  • Interfaces: Ethernet/RJ45, fiber SFP, Bluetooth, NFC, USB-A/B/C, Thunderbolt, HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, and DVI.
  • Virtualization (hypervisors and guest OSs), cloud service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), and deployment models (on-premises, cloud, hybrid).
  • Internet service types (fiber, cable, DSL, satellite, cellular), network identifiers (IP address, MAC address, ports), and devices (modem, router, switch, access point, firewall).
  • Small wireless networks: 802.11n/ac/ax and the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands.
  • OS components and purposes, including file systems, permissions, processes, drivers, and OS types.

What questions look like: A home user wants to connect a new monitor, or needs to know which device connects their home network to the internet. You’ll pick the right port, device, or service for the situation.

Domain 3.0: Applications and Software (18%)

This domain focuses on the software people use every day and how to use it well. It includes one of the newest additions to the outline: artificial intelligence.

  • Productivity, collaboration, instant messaging, web-browsing, and remote support software.
  • Configuring browser features: private browsing, extensions, clearing the cache, pop-up blockers, profile sync, default search engine, and password management.
  • Common uses of AI, including chatbots, AI assistants, generative AI for code and content, and AI predictions and suggestions.

Study tip: Know which browser fix matches which symptom. A site that still shows old content after an update points to clearing the cache, not reinstalling the browser.

Domain 4.0: Software Development Concepts (13%)

You don’t need to write real code for Tech+, but you do need to read simple logic and know the vocabulary developers use.

  • Programming language categories: interpreted (scripting and markup), compiled, query, and assembly.
  • Data types: char, strings, integers, floats, and Boolean.
  • Programming concepts: variables, constants, arrays, functions, and objects with properties, attributes, and methods.
  • Organizational techniques (pseudocode, flowcharts, object-oriented methods, comments) and logic (sequence, branching, looping).

What questions look like: You might trace a short pseudocode loop to find the output or choose the best data type for a value such as a ZIP code or a true/false setting.

Domain 5.0: Data and Database Fundamentals (13%)

This domain explains why organizations value data and how databases store and protect it.

  • Data as an asset, data-driven decisions, data monetization, analytics, and big data.
  • Database uses and the advantages of a database over a flat file (concurrent users, scalability, speed).
  • Structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data; relational databases with schemas, tables, primary keys, foreign keys, and constraints; and non-relational key/value and document databases.
  • Backup concepts: file vs. system backups, restoring data, and local vs. cloud storage locations.

Study tip: Be able to explain the difference between a primary key (uniquely identifies each row in a table) and a foreign key (points to a primary key in another table).

Domain 6.0: Security (19%)

Security is the second-largest domain. It covers the concepts and daily habits that keep people and devices safe.

  • The CIA triad (confidentiality, integrity, availability), privacy, PII, GDPR, and cookie consent.
  • Authentication (single-factor, multifactor, SSO), authorization (permissions, least privilege), accounting, and nonrepudiation.
  • Security awareness (social engineering, phishing), device hardening, software licensing, and safe browsing.
  • Password best practices, password managers, and changing default credentials.
  • Encryption for data at rest and in transit, and securing a small wireless network with WPA2 or WPA3.

What questions look like: A user gets an urgent email asking them to “verify” their bank login. You’ll need to recognize phishing and choose the safest response.

How Should You Use the CompTIA Tech+ Blueprint to Study?

Treat the objectives document as your master checklist. Every bullet under an objective is fair game, so turn each one into a question you can answer without notes, and mark it strong, developing, or weak.

  1. Take a baseline. Answer a mixed set of practice questions before you start reviewing so you know where you stand.
  2. Weight your time. Infrastructure (24%) and Security (19%) together make up 43% of the exam. Weak spots there deserve attention first.
  3. Don’t skip the 13% domains. Three domains sit at 13%, and together they’re 39% of the exam. Software development and databases are often the least familiar topics for newcomers.
  4. Map every miss to an objective. If you miss a question about Wi-Fi bands, tag it to objective 2.7 and review that whole objective, not just the one fact.
  5. Get hands-on where you can. Change a browser setting, look up your IP and MAC address, or log in to your home router.

What Official Resources Should You Use?

Frequently Asked Questions About the CompTIA Tech+ Exam

What is the passing score for CompTIA Tech+?
You need a 650 on a scale of 100–900. It’s a scaled score, so it doesn’t translate directly into a percentage of questions answered correctly.

Are there any eligibility requirements?
No. Anyone can buy a voucher and schedule the exam, and CompTIA recommends no prior experience. It’s a common choice for high school students, career changers, and professionals in tech-adjacent roles.

How soon will I get my results?
Your score appears on screen when you finish the exam.

What happens if I don’t pass?
Under the CompTIA retake policy, you can retake the exam right away after a first attempt. Before a third or later attempt, you must wait at least 14 calendar days. You pay the exam price for each attempt.

Does CompTIA Tech+ expire?
It depends on the exam code you take. FC0-U71 is good for life and never needs to be renewed. CompTIA also offers FC0-U71-CE, which has the same content but is valid for five years. You renew it by passing the next CE version of the exam. A Tech+ voucher works for either version.

Is Tech+ the same as ITF+?
No. Tech+ replaced ITF+ and has an updated outline with topics such as AI, cloud deployment models, and newer Wi-Fi standards. If you already hold ITF+, it remains valid.

Start Preparing for the CompTIA Tech+ Exam With Pocket Prep

Pocket Prep’s CompTIA Tech+ practice questions give you 600 exam-style questions across all six domains, and each one comes with a detailed explanation, so you learn why the right answer is right. Use Quick 10 for short sessions on busy days, and use the Weakest Subject quiz to go straight to the domain that needs the most work. You’ve got this, one question at a time.