CompTIA A+ has a first-attempt pass rate somewhere around 57%. That means nearly half the people who sit the exam fail — including plenty who studied hard. Professor Messer's free training appears in almost every "how to pass CompTIA A+" thread on Reddit, and for good reason: his videos track the official exam objectives more precisely than most paid courses, and the core content costs nothing.
This review breaks down exactly what you get with Professor Messer CompTIA A+ training, what's free versus paid, how to build a realistic study plan around his materials, and where his resources fall short so you can fill the gaps before exam day.
What Professor Messer's CompTIA A+ Training Actually Covers
James Messer — the actual person behind the brand — is a working IT professional who started posting certification prep videos in 2008. His CompTIA A+ content is built around the two-exam structure: 220-1101 (Core 1) and 220-1102 (Core 2). Each exam has its own complete video course aligned to the current exam objectives published by CompTIA.
Core 1 covers mobile devices, networking fundamentals, hardware, virtualization, cloud computing, and hardware/network troubleshooting. Core 2 covers operating systems, security, software troubleshooting, and operational procedures. Professor Messer records a new video series every time CompTIA updates the objectives, so the content you're watching on his site or YouTube is current to the active exam version.
Free Content on YouTube vs. ProfessorMesser.com
Everything on his YouTube channel is genuinely free — no upsell walls, no "watch 5 minutes and then subscribe." His A+ playlists run roughly 10-12 hours per exam, broken into short modules of 5-15 minutes each. The videos are dense. He moves quickly through concepts without a lot of repetition, which is efficient if you already have some hands-on IT background, but can feel fast if you're completely new to hardware and operating systems.
On ProfessorMesser.com, the video content is also free. The paid products are:
- Course Notes (PDF) — $15 per exam. Condensed study guide that follows the video structure. Useful for review, not a replacement for watching.
- Practice Exam bundle — roughly $30-35 for 3-5 practice tests per exam. These are the most valuable paid purchase he offers.
- Study Groups — monthly live sessions, around $10-15/month. Optional, but the community Q&A is genuinely useful if you're stuck on a concept.
You can pass both A+ exams using only the free videos plus a third-party practice exam — that's a realistic path. But skipping practice tests entirely is how people fail despite "knowing the material."
How to Use Professor Messer CompTIA A+ Materials in a Study Plan
Most people who fail A+ either underestimate Core 2 (which has more abstract security and OS concepts than the hardware-heavy Core 1) or rely entirely on videos without doing enough questions. Here's a structure that works:
- Watch the relevant video module, then immediately try 10-15 questions on that domain from a practice bank. Don't batch all viewing and then test — the feedback loop matters.
- Track where you miss. If you're getting networking questions wrong in Core 1, that's a sign to rewatch those modules and spend time on a subnet calculator, not just re-read notes.
- Do a full timed practice exam two weeks before your scheduled test date. Professor Messer's practice exams simulate the 90-question, 90-minute format and use scenario-based questions that match the actual exam style.
- Use his Course Notes as a final review, not as primary study material. Reading the PDF without watching the videos first means you're memorizing terms without understanding the underlying concepts.
Realistically, most candidates need 60-80 hours per exam if they're starting without hands-on IT experience. If you're working a help desk job while studying, cut that to 40-50 hours because you're already reinforcing the concepts daily.
What His Content Does Well
The objective alignment is the strongest thing about Professor Messer's approach. CompTIA publishes the exam objectives publicly, and his videos map to them domain by domain. If an objective is in the 220-1101 document, he covers it. This matters because many paid courses — including some Udemy bestsellers — skip or skim objectives that are less popular but still tested.
His explanations of hardware components, troubleshooting methodology, and networking fundamentals are consistently clear. The A+ content on cable types, RAM installation, POST errors, and printer troubleshooting is particularly strong.
Where Professor Messer Falls Short
Two gaps are worth knowing upfront:
Hands-on labs. His content is video-lecture only. CompTIA A+ includes performance-based questions (PBQs) that require you to actually do something — configure a network, identify a component, walk through a troubleshooting flow. If you don't have access to real hardware or a virtualization environment, you'll struggle with PBQs regardless of how many videos you've watched. Supplement with a free VirtualBox setup or TryHackMe's entry-level paths if you need lab time.
Depth on Core 2 security and scripting. The 220-1102 security section has gotten broader in recent objective revisions. Professor Messer covers the objectives, but if security concepts are new to you, you may want a supplemental resource that goes deeper on topics like social engineering, malware types, and basic scripting (PowerShell, batch files, Python basics).
Top Courses to Supplement Your Studies
Professor Messer's free training is the foundation — these courses address specific gaps or career skills you'll need once you're certified.
Photoshop Professor Notes - Volumes 1-5
From a structured notes-based learning approach similar to Professor Messer's own course notes format — useful if you want to understand how professional technical documentation is structured, and relevant for IT support roles that handle creative software environments.
Innovation That Works with Professor Jagdish Sheth
Covers frameworks for thinking about technology adoption and change — relevant once you're in a help desk or sysadmin role and need to communicate IT decisions to non-technical stakeholders.
How to Write Emails and Engage Professors
A practical communication skills course that's directly applicable to IT support roles where clear written communication with users and vendors is a daily requirement.
Customer Centricity with Professor Jagdish Sheth
CompTIA A+ certified techs land in end-user support roles where customer service skills matter as much as technical knowledge — this course builds the soft skills that get you promoted past the help desk.
Is Professor Messer Enough to Pass CompTIA A+?
For most candidates with some prior IT exposure: yes, his free videos plus a practice exam investment of $30-60 is a complete study package. That said, three types of people will need more:
- Complete beginners with no IT background. His pace assumes you've at least seen inside a desktop PC. If you haven't, start with a slower-paced intro before his content — CompTIA's own IT Fundamentals (ITF+) study material or a basic YouTube hardware channel can bridge that gap.
- People who learn by doing. His format is watch-and-absorb. If you retain information by doing rather than watching, supplement with hands-on labs even if it means extending your timeline.
- Candidates retaking after a failed attempt. If you've already gone through his videos once and failed, adding a different instructor's perspective on weak domains often breaks the pattern. Paying for a Udemy course from a different instructor on just the sections you're failing is more efficient than rewatching Messer on the same content.
FAQ
Is Professor Messer's CompTIA A+ course completely free?
The video content — both on YouTube and ProfessorMesser.com — is fully free with no registration required. He charges for supplemental products: PDF course notes ($15/exam), practice exam bundles ($30-35/exam), and optional study group access. The videos alone are a complete content course; the paid additions are study tools, not gated content.
Which CompTIA A+ exam version does Professor Messer cover?
He maintains courses for the current active exam version. As of 2026, that's the 220-1101 and 220-1102 exams. When CompTIA retires an exam version and releases a new one, he records new courses from scratch rather than patching old videos. Check his site for the most recent playlist to confirm you're watching the right version before starting.
How long does it take to complete Professor Messer's CompTIA A+ course?
His Core 1 (220-1101) video series runs approximately 10-11 hours. Core 2 (220-1102) is similar in length. Watching the videos is only part of study time — factor in practice questions, hands-on time, and review, and most candidates need 60-150 hours total depending on prior experience.
Are Professor Messer's practice exams worth buying?
Yes, specifically because they include scenario-based and performance-based question formats that match the actual exam. Many free practice tests online use outdated multiple-choice-only formats that don't reflect the current exam's question style. His practice tests are regularly updated and the explanations for wrong answers are detailed enough to be study material on their own.
Can you pass CompTIA A+ without Professor Messer?
Plenty of people do, using Mike Meyers' books, Jason Dion's Udemy courses, or CompTIA's official CertMaster platform. Professor Messer is popular because he's free and thorough, not because he has a monopoly on good A+ instruction. If his teaching style doesn't click for you, switching to a different resource isn't a failure — finding what actually sticks is the whole point.
Does the CompTIA A+ certification lead to a job?
It's the most widely recognized entry-level IT credential and appears in a large percentage of help desk and IT support job postings. Starting salaries for CompTIA A+ certified roles average around $40,000-$55,000 depending on location. The certification is more effective as a door-opener than a long-term differentiator — most people use A+ to get a first IT job, then pursue Network+ or Security+ within 12-18 months to move up.
Bottom Line
Professor Messer's CompTIA A+ training is the best free option available, and it's competitive with most paid courses on content quality and exam-objective coverage. The combination of his free videos plus his paid practice exam bundle — total investment under $70 — is a complete study package for most candidates.
The gaps are real but fixable: if you're completely new to IT hardware, find supplemental hands-on experience before relying solely on his videos. If you're targeting a retake, consider mixing in a different instructor's perspective on the domains where you're weak.
Don't skip practice exams to save $30. That's consistently where underprepared candidates lose points — on scenario-based questions that require applying knowledge, not just recognizing it.