BCCITB study plan

Identify and describe the function of core internal components (CPU, RAM, motherboard, storage, PSU, cooling) and how they interact on the bus and chipset

Differentiate HDD, SATA SSD, and NVMe SSD by interface, throughput, and typical use case

Classify common peripheral and expansion interfaces (USB versions, Thunderbolt, HDMI, DisplayPort, PCIe generations) by speed and purpose

Explain binary/decimal prefixes, file systems, and how storage capacity is measured versus reported

Compare Windows, macOS, and Linux on file systems, user account models, and update mechanisms

Describe the OS boot process from firmware (UEFI/BIOS) through bootloader to kernel and user session

Explain application installation, licensing models, and software update/patch management basics

Distinguish virtualization, containers, and emulation in terms of resource isolation and typical use

Perform and document basic command-line file and process operations in at least one OS

Map the OSI and TCP/IP models and state which layer each common protocol and device operates at

Convert between IP addresses, subnet masks, and CIDR notation for common private ranges and identify usable host counts

Trace a DNS resolution and a DHCP lease sequence step by step

Differentiate TCP and UDP behavior and give a realistic application example of each

Explain the roles of router, switch, access point, and firewall in a small office network

Define the CIA triad and apply it to classify the impact of three realistic incidents

Distinguish authentication from authorization and describe MFA, password policies, and least privilege

Identify common malware and social-engineering categories and the control that mitigates each

Explain encryption at rest versus in transit and where TLS, disk encryption, and hashing fit

Describe data protection obligations in general terms: backup strategy (3-2-1), retention, and breach notification concepts

Apply a structured troubleshooting method (identify, theorize, test, verify, document) to written scenarios

Diagnose common hardware symptoms (no POST, overheating, failing drive) and state the first diagnostic step for each

Diagnose common OS and network symptoms (no connectivity, DNS failure, slow boot) using layered isolation

Select appropriate support tools (event logs, ping/traceroute, ipconfig/ifconfig, disk utilities) for a given symptom

Write a user-facing resolution note that records symptom, cause, action, and outcome

Distinguish IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS and place three real workloads in the correct model

Explain cloud characteristics: elasticity, shared responsibility, availability zones, and pay-as-you-go costing

Describe virtualization versus cloud computing and the role of hypervisors and containers

Summarize emerging technology categories (AI/ML services, IoT, edge computing) and one realistic business use for each

Identify the security implications of cloud identity, data residency, and shared responsibility boundaries

Define incident, service request, problem, and change and route five sample tickets to the correct process

Describe the purpose of SLAs, priority matrices, and escalation paths and apply a priority matrix to three tickets

Explain the value of a knowledge base and write one reusable KB article

Identify professional practice behaviors: clear communication, confidentiality, documentation, and handling frustrated users

Rehearse the troubleshooting method under time pressure on unfamiliar scenarios

Audit weak areas using missed-question logs from weeks 1-7 and rank the three weakest domains

Re-drill the two heaviest domains (1 and 7) with timed mixed practice to rebuild speed

Reconstruct from memory the key reference artifacts: subnetting steps, troubleshooting method, and CIA mapping

Complete a full-length timed mock covering all seven domains and review every miss to root cause

Finalize a one-page exam-day summary sheet of formulas, port/protocol pairs, and process definitions