Mike Meyers has sold over two million CompTIA study guides. That number isn't marketing copy—it's the reason CompTIA itself endorses him and why his courses show up in IT bootcamps, community college programs, and self-study plans worldwide. If you've searched "mike meyers comptia," you're probably trying to figure out which of his courses to take, whether they're current, or whether they're genuinely better than the competition. This review gives you a straight answer.
Who Is Mike Meyers in the CompTIA World?
Mike Meyers founded Total Seminars in 1991 and has been writing and teaching CompTIA prep material since the certifications existed. He wrote the CompTIA A+ All-in-One Exam Guide, which is now in its 11th edition and is considered the standard reference text for A+ candidates. He followed that with comparable books for Network+ and Security+.
His reputation comes from a specific teaching philosophy: he explains how things actually work before drilling you on exam objectives. Most cert prep skips straight to memorization. Meyers builds conceptual foundations first—so when you encounter a scenario question you haven't seen before, you can reason through it rather than guess.
He's not affiliated with CompTIA as an employee, but CompTIA has partnered with Total Seminars for official training content. His Udemy courses regularly sit in the top 3 for CompTIA search results and have accumulated hundreds of thousands of student enrollments across A+, Network+, and Security+.
Mike Meyers CompTIA Courses: What's Available
Meyers teaches three core CompTIA tracks. Each has a corresponding book (the All-in-One series) and a video course typically delivered through Udemy or Total Seminars' own platform.
CompTIA A+ (Core 1 and Core 2)
The A+ certification covers hardware, operating systems, networking basics, troubleshooting, and security fundamentals across two exams (220-1101 and 220-1102). Meyers' A+ course is his flagship—it's the most comprehensive, most frequently updated, and has the largest student base. The course includes hands-on lab segments where he physically disassembles hardware on camera, which is rare in video-based cert prep. If you're coming from zero IT background, this is the right starting point before touching Network+ or Security+.
CompTIA Network+ (N10-008 / N10-009)
The Network+ course covers TCP/IP, subnetting, routing protocols, network troubleshooting, and infrastructure concepts. Meyers co-teaches this one with other instructors from Total Seminars, so the voice varies across sections. It's well-structured but slightly less polished than the A+ course. Worth noting: Network+ is often treated as optional for people heading toward security roles, but Meyers himself recommends completing it before Security+. The subnetting and protocol knowledge pays off when you hit the network security domains in SY0-701.
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
The Security+ course aligns to the current SY0-701 objectives and covers threat management, identity and access management, risk assessment, cryptography, and network security. This is the course most people find when searching "mike meyers comptia" because Security+ is the cert with the clearest hiring signal—it's required or preferred for DoD contractor roles under 8570, and it's the baseline ask at most managed service providers and enterprise IT security teams.
Meyers updated his Security+ material for SY0-701 (which replaced SY0-601 in November 2023). The new exam added more emphasis on cloud security, automation, and zero trust architecture. His updated course reflects these changes, though some student reviews note the SY0-701 content feels slightly rushed compared to his A+ work.
Top Mike Meyers CompTIA Courses Worth Considering
Since Meyers distributes across platforms, here are the main ways to access his content:
Total Seminars (totalsem.com) — Direct Platform
Buying directly from Total Seminars gets you access to Mike Meyers' full course library along with their proprietary practice exam software (called "Total Tester"), which closely mimics the CompTIA exam interface. The practice questions are written by the same team that writes his books, so there's consistency between the study material and the test prep. Bundles that include both the video course and the book are available and priced competitively when you account for what you'd spend buying each separately.
Udemy — Mike Meyers CompTIA A+ Core 1 and Core 2
The Udemy versions of his A+ courses are functionally identical to the Total Seminars versions in terms of video content. The advantage of Udemy is pricing—courses frequently drop to $15-20 during sales, and Udemy's mobile app is better than Total Seminars' for watching on a phone. The downside is that the Total Tester practice exam software isn't bundled; you'd need to purchase that separately or supplement with a third-party practice test tool like ExamCompass or Jason Dion's practice tests.
Udemy — CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
Meyers' Security+ Udemy course is best combined with additional practice exam material. His teaching of cryptography concepts and PKI is notably strong—students who struggle with those sections in other courses often report that Meyers' explanations finally made them click. For hands-on lab practice beyond what the course provides, pair it with TryHackMe's CompTIA Security+ path or Professor Messer's free supplementary notes.
How His Teaching Style Affects Pass Rates
The specific thing Meyers does differently is context-before-memorization. Take subnetting: most courses give you a chart and tell you to memorize subnet masks. Meyers spends time explaining why IP addressing works the way it does, which means students can calculate subnet ranges they've never seen rather than just pattern-matching to memorized values.
This matters most for scenario-based questions, which make up a significant portion of current CompTIA exams. Performance-based questions (PBQs) on Security+ ask you to configure a firewall, identify a vulnerability in a given setup, or match protocols to use cases. Rote memorization doesn't help with those. Meyers' conceptual approach does.
The tradeoff is pace. His courses are long. The A+ video content exceeds 20 hours per core. Students who want a fast-track, exam-dump-heavy approach will find his courses frustrating. Students who want to actually understand what they're doing in an IT role—and pass the exam—tend to report strong outcomes.
Career Outcomes: What CompTIA Certs Actually Get You
CompTIA certs are entry-level signals, not senior-level differentiators. Here's what the realistic hiring landscape looks like:
- A+: Help desk, desktop support, field technician roles. Starting salaries in the $38K-$52K range depending on market. DoD 8570 baseline for IAT Level I.
- Network+: Network technician, NOC analyst, junior network admin. Adds $5K-$10K to A+ salaries on average. Not as widely required as A+ or Security+ for specific job postings.
- Security+: SOC analyst, security administrator, junior penetration tester, IT auditor. Starting salaries $55K-$75K. Required for all DoD 8570 IAT Level II roles, which covers a massive number of federal contractor positions.
The Security+ is the highest-ROI cert in the CompTIA stack for most people's career goals. If you have A+ or equivalent experience, jumping directly to Security+ (skipping Network+) is defensible depending on your target role. If you're heading into networking or infrastructure, do Network+ first.
One realistic note: the certification alone doesn't get you hired. It gets your resume through ATS filters and into human review. You still need a home lab, some practical experience (even self-built), or a portfolio of documented projects to compete for roles that get more than a handful of applicants.
FAQ
Is Mike Meyers' CompTIA course good enough to pass without other materials?
For A+, yes—his book plus video course plus Total Tester practice exams is a complete package for most students. For Security+, his course is strong but benefits from supplementary practice exams from a third party (Jason Dion's or Darril Gibson's are commonly recommended) because the SY0-701 question pool is large and scenario-heavy.
Which Mike Meyers CompTIA course should I start with?
Start with A+ if you have limited IT experience. If you already work in IT or have a few years of hands-on exposure, you can usually jump to Security+ directly. Network+ is valuable but often skipped by people targeting security roles rather than networking roles.
Are Mike Meyers' CompTIA courses up to date?
As of mid-2026, his SY0-701 Security+ course is current (the exam doesn't retire until 2026). His A+ Core 1 (220-1101) and Core 2 (220-1102) courses are current. Always check the course "last updated" date on Udemy or the Total Seminars website before purchasing—CompTIA retires exam versions on a roughly 3-year cycle.
Mike Meyers vs Professor Messer for CompTIA prep—which is better?
Professor Messer offers free video content and sells practice exams separately, which makes him the go-to for budget-constrained students. Meyers charges for his courses but provides more depth, better lab segments (especially for A+), and the Total Tester software. If you can afford Meyers, most students find the depth worth it. If budget is the constraint, Messer's free videos plus paid practice exams is a legitimate path.
Does Mike Meyers cover the performance-based questions on CompTIA exams?
Yes, and it's one of his strengths. His A+ and Security+ courses specifically address PBQs with walkthroughs of scenario-style problems. That said, PBQs are best practiced in actual lab environments—tools like TryHackMe, Hack The Box's beginner paths, and virtualized home labs will fill gaps that video-only learning leaves.
Can I use Mike Meyers' material to pass CompTIA without a home lab?
You can pass the exam without a physical lab—his video labs provide enough exposure to get through exam questions. But if your goal is a job (not just the cert), employers interviewing you will notice immediately if you can't talk through practical scenarios. Build something: a virtualized network in VirtualBox, a Raspberry Pi project, anything hands-on. The cert opens the door; the practical knowledge is what keeps you in the room.
Bottom Line
Mike Meyers is the strongest choice for CompTIA A+ prep, full stop. His A+ content is the most comprehensive available, and the Total Seminars bundle (video + book + practice exams) is a complete, self-contained study package.
For Security+, he's very good—particularly for building conceptual understanding of cryptography, PKI, and network security protocols. Supplement with third-party practice exams to get full coverage of the SY0-701 question variety.
The main reason not to choose Meyers is if you're on a tight deadline and need a faster-paced, exam-focused resource. His courses are thorough, not quick. If you have 8-12 weeks to study and want to actually understand what you're learning rather than memorizing dumps, his material is well worth the cost.
For DoD contractor roles or any position requiring DoD 8570 compliance, Security+ is non-negotiable and Meyers' course is one of the most reliable ways to get there on the first attempt.