About 64% of CompTIA A+ candidates fail their first attempt. That number drops significantly for people who trained with structured practice exams rather than just watching videos. Jason Dion's CompTIA A+ courses built their reputation almost entirely on this: the practice exams are unusually close to the real thing, and the explanation quality on wrong answers is what separates them from cheaper alternatives.
This article covers what's actually in the Jason Dion CompTIA A+ course, where it genuinely helps, where it falls short, and how to use it alongside free resources to maximize your pass probability.
Who Is Jason Dion and Why His CompTIA A+ Courses Have a Following
Jason Dion is a former DoD contractor and U.S. military IT professional turned instructor. He's not a career educator who learned from textbooks — he worked in IT operations, cybersecurity, and network administration before building his course catalog. That background shows in how he frames exam topics: less "here's the definition" and more "here's when you'd actually see this in a ticket queue."
His CompTIA A+ courses (sold primarily through Udemy) cover both exam halves: Core 1 (220-1101, hardware and networking) and Core 2 (220-1102, operating systems and security). The courses have collectively accumulated hundreds of thousands of enrollments, which for a niche certification prep market is substantial.
What distinguishes Dion from competitors like Professor Messer (free, very thorough) or Mike Meyers (entertaining, deep) is the bundled practice exam quality. Dion's practice sets are written to mirror CompTIA's actual question style — performance-based questions (PBQs), drag-and-drop scenarios, and the specific wording traps the real exam uses. If you've sat the A+ before and been surprised by how questions are phrased, Dion's practice tests prepare you better for that than almost anything else.
What the Jason Dion CompTIA A+ Course Actually Covers
The Core 1 (220-1101) course covers:
- Mobile devices — teardown, repair, connectivity, synchronization
- Networking fundamentals — OSI model, TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, switching, routing basics
- Hardware — RAM types, storage interfaces (NVMe, SATA, M.2), CPUs, motherboards
- Virtualization and cloud computing concepts
- Hardware and network troubleshooting — the largest domain by weight
The Core 2 (220-1102) course covers:
- Operating systems — Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS (installation, configuration, command-line)
- Security — malware types, physical security, authentication, basic hardening
- Software troubleshooting — browser issues, OS errors, application crashes
- Operational procedures — documentation, change management, disaster recovery basics, ticketing
Both courses include labs and simulations, though the hands-on component is lighter than what you'd get from a full Cybrary subscription or a dedicated lab environment like Jason Dion's own exam simulator. If you're completely new to hardware, building or disassembling a physical machine once — even an old one — will do more for the hardware domain than any video.
The Practice Exams: What Separates Dion from the Competition
This is the real product. The Dion CompTIA A+ practice exams include six full 90-question timed tests per exam half, plus a set of performance-based question simulations. The explanations on wrong answers are written at roughly the same detail level as the question itself — not just "the answer is B because B is correct" but an actual breakdown of why A, C, and D are wrong, which is how you eliminate traps on the real exam.
CompTIA's official practice tests (sold separately at $39 each) have roughly 100 questions per exam half with less detailed explanations. Dion's bank gives you more exposure at a fraction of the cost, especially when the Udemy bundle goes on sale (frequently under $20).
One thing to note: the Dion practice exams are harder than the real exam by design. Some students panic when they're scoring 65-70% on Dion's tests and assume they're not ready. In practice, consistent 75%+ on Dion's practice sets correlates well with passing the actual exam. Don't use raw score as your only readiness signal — focus on whether you understand why you're getting questions wrong.
Jason Dion CompTIA A+ vs. Other Prep Options
There are three main alternatives worth comparing:
Professor Messer (free, messer.com) — The most comprehensive free resource available. His study notes, video course, and course notes PDFs are genuinely excellent and cover every exam objective. Where Messer falls short is practice test quality — his official practice exams are decent but the question style doesn't mirror CompTIA's as closely as Dion's does. Recommendation: use Messer for content, Dion for practice exams.
Mike Meyers (Udemy / Total Seminars) — Meyers wrote the official CompTIA A+ certification textbook. His courses are thorough and entertaining but assume more baseline comfort with hardware than Dion's. Better for people who've worked with computers before and want depth. Dion tends to be clearer for absolute beginners.
CompTIA CertMaster Learn — CompTIA's own official platform. Expensive ($299-$499 depending on bundle), adaptive learning engine, official content. Useful if your employer will reimburse it or if you want the psychological reassurance of studying from the source. The practice questions are notably easier than the actual exam, which is the opposite problem from Dion's.
For most people studying independently on a budget: Professor Messer's free videos + Dion's practice exams is the optimal combination. The total cost is under $20 on a Udemy sale day.
Top CompTIA A+ Courses to Consider
If you're looking for structured preparation beyond the Dion ecosystem, these courses on this site cover overlapping material and exam objectives:
CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202) Full Course & Practice Exam
Covers the OS, security, and troubleshooting domains that most candidates underestimate. The bundled practice exam is calibrated to the updated 220-1202 objectives, which added more cloud and remote support scenarios than the previous version.
CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) Full Course & Practice Exam
The natural next step after A+. If you're planning a help desk or sysadmin path, pairing A+ with Network+ opens significantly more job listings than A+ alone — many mid-tier IT roles list both as baseline.
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Certification Training
The certification with the strongest salary premium in the CompTIA stack. DoD 8570 compliance requirements make Security+ effectively mandatory for federal IT contractor roles, which is where many A+ holders end up aiming.
CompTIA Security+ & CySA+ Cybersecurity Assessment Course
Combines Security+ prep with CySA+ (the analyst-level cert) in a single course. If your end goal is a SOC analyst or threat analyst role, this path is more direct than stopping at Security+.
Career Outcomes After CompTIA A+
CompTIA A+ is an entry point, not a destination. The certification qualifies you for roles like:
- Help desk technician (Tier 1-2) — $38,000–$52,000 median starting salary in the U.S.
- Desktop support specialist — $42,000–$58,000
- IT support analyst — $45,000–$65,000
- Field service technician — $40,000–$55,000
The salary jump comes with stacking. A+ alone gets you in the door; A+ + Network+ + Security+ opens mid-level sysadmin, network technician, and junior security roles at $60,000–$85,000. Most people who hit that stack within 12-18 months via self-study have used Dion's practice exams as the connective tissue across all three.
One underrated outcome: the DoD pipeline. If you have any interest in government IT contracting (defense, intelligence, federal civilian), CompTIA A+ satisfies the DoD 8570 IAT Level 1 baseline requirement. Combined with Security+ (IAT Level 2), you're eligible for contract roles that have structured career ladders and strong job security. Jason Dion's background in this space means his courses tend to surface these pathways more explicitly than civilian-focused alternatives.
Is the Jason Dion CompTIA A+ Course Worth It in 2026?
At full Udemy price ($89-$130), the value proposition depends on how you're budgeting. At sale price ($13-$20, which happens constantly), it's a near-automatic yes for the practice exam bundle alone.
Where the course is weakest: hands-on hardware labs. If you've never opened a desktop or installed RAM, the video instruction alone won't be enough. Supplement with YouTube teardown videos or, ideally, practice on actual hardware.
Where the course is strongest: exam confidence. The combination of detailed wrong-answer explanations and harder-than-real-exam practice questions means you walk into the testing center having seen harder material than what you'll face. That psychological preparation matters more than people admit.
FAQ: Jason Dion CompTIA A+
Is Jason Dion's CompTIA A+ course enough to pass the exam on its own?
For most people with some baseline computer familiarity, yes — if you watch all the videos, take notes, and score consistently above 75% on the practice exams. Complete beginners may want to supplement with Professor Messer's free course notes for additional depth on weak domains.
How long does it take to complete the Jason Dion CompTIA A+ course?
The Core 1 and Core 2 video content together runs roughly 40-50 hours. Most working adults complete it in 6-10 weeks studying 5-7 hours per week. Add 2-3 weeks for focused practice exam repetition before scheduling the real exam.
Does Jason Dion's course cover the latest CompTIA A+ exam objectives?
Dion updates his courses when CompTIA releases new exam versions. Always check the course landing page for the specific exam code (220-1101/1102 or 220-1201/1202) and verify it matches the version you're scheduled to take. Udemy shows the last update date prominently.
What score should I aim for on Dion's practice exams before taking the real CompTIA A+?
Consistent 75%+ across multiple practice tests is a common benchmark. Because Dion's exams are deliberately harder than the real thing, a 75% on his tests translates to higher confidence on the actual exam. Don't take the real exam on a single good practice test — do it multiple times on different days to ensure consistency.
How does Jason Dion's CompTIA A+ course compare to Professor Messer's free resources?
Messer's content is more encyclopedic; Dion's is more exam-focused. Messer covers concepts from first principles; Dion prioritizes what's tested and how questions are structured. For pure pass-rate optimization, Dion's practice exams outperform Messer's. For depth of understanding that serves you in the actual job, Messer fills gaps Dion's course-by-omission may leave.
Can I use Jason Dion's courses for Network+ and Security+ as well?
Yes — Dion has full course + practice exam bundles for Network+, Security+, CySA+, and PenTest+. If his teaching style works for you on A+, the format is consistent across all his courses. Many people buy the entire CompTIA certification stack from Dion as a bundle.
Bottom Line
Jason Dion's CompTIA A+ course is worth buying specifically for the practice exams. The video content is solid — better than average for exam prep, clear explanations, good pacing — but the real differentiator is how well his practice questions train you to handle CompTIA's specific question style and the performance-based items that trip up underprepared candidates.
If you're on a tight budget: get Professor Messer's free videos for content, buy Dion's practice exam pack on the next Udemy sale. If you want a single-source solution: the full Dion bundle (video + practice exams) at sale price is one of the better values in IT certification prep.
The A+ is the starting line, not the finish line. Use it to get your first IT role, then move directly to Network+ or Security+ — the salary jump for stacking certs is disproportionate to the additional study time required.