Tech+ study guide
Tech+ · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
CompTIA Tech+ is an entry-level certification for people exploring a career in tech who want a structured first step. CompTIA states that no prior experience is necessary, which makes it a fit for students, career changers, and anyone who needs to demonstrate baseline digital fluency before pursuing a role-specific certification. The Tech+ study guide has 6 sections and about 1,787 words.
01Tech Concepts and Terminology
Everything digital reduces to bits; eight bits make a byte. Storage and file sizes are usually reported in bytes (B), while network throughput is reported in bits per second (bps), so a 100 Mbps link moves at most about 12.5 MB/s.
296 words, about 1 min02Infrastructure
Infrastructure questions test whether you can place a component in the right layer. Physical components include servers, storage arrays, switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points, cabling (copper twisted pair for short runs, fiber for distance and immunity to interference), racks, power (UPS, PDU), and cooling.
326 words, about 2 min03Applications and Software
An operating system manages hardware and provides services to applications: process and memory management, file systems, drivers, and user accounts. Applications sit on top.
279 words, about 1 min04Software Development Concepts
The SDLC frames the work: planning and requirements, design, development, testing, deployment, maintenance. Waterfall is sequential with heavy upfront documentation; Agile delivers in short iterations with continuous feedback.
288 words, about 1 min05Data and Database Fundamentals
Data are raw facts; information is data given context. Structured data fits rows and columns; semi-structured data (JSON, XML) carries tags with a flexible shape; unstructured data (documents, images, video) has no fixed model.
301 words, about 2 min06Security
The CIA triad - confidentiality, integrity, availability - anchors nearly every question. Pair it with AAA: authentication (who you are), authorization (what you may do), accounting (what you did).
297 words, about 1 min