Over 600,000 students have enrolled in Mike Meyers' CompTIA A+ courses on Udemy alone. That's not a marketing number — it's a signal that something about his approach works in a category where most video courses are forgettable. If you're deciding whether to use Mike Meyers CompTIA material for your certification prep, this is a practical breakdown of what you're actually getting.
Who Mike Meyers Is (and Why It Matters for CompTIA)
Mike Meyers is the founder of Total Seminars and the author of the CompTIA All-In-One (AIO) exam guides — the thick McGraw Hill books you'll see recommended on every IT subreddit. He's been producing certification training since the late 1990s, and he holds CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, and CISSP certifications himself.
What distinguishes Mike Meyers CompTIA content from generic exam prep isn't the credential list — it's his methodology. Most CompTIA prep material teaches you to memorize answers. Meyers teaches you to understand what's actually happening. His A+ content, for instance, doesn't just define RAM types; it walks you through why DDR5 matters differently in a workstation versus a server, so you can reason through scenarios you haven't seen before.
His reputation is strongest on three exams: A+, Network+, and Security+. These are the three CompTIA certifications that function as genuine career entry points — they're consistently required or preferred in job postings for help desk, network technician, and junior security analyst roles.
Mike Meyers CompTIA Course Breakdown by Certification
CompTIA A+ (Core 1 220-1101 and Core 2 220-1102)
This is where Mike Meyers built his reputation. The A+ is a two-exam certification covering hardware, operating systems, networking fundamentals, troubleshooting, and security basics. His Udemy courses split these into separate purchases aligned with the two exam codes. Combined, they run roughly 30-35 hours of video content.
The A+ course is hardware-heavy at the start — you'll see actual components, not just diagrams. Meyers' approach here is deliberate: the A+ tests real-world troubleshooting, and you can't troubleshoot what you haven't seen. Students who passed other courses but failed the A+ often report that Meyers' hands-on framing is what finally clicked for them.
CompTIA Network+ (N10-009)
The Network+ is where the Mike Meyers CompTIA catalog shows its depth. Networking is abstract by nature — subnetting, OSI model, routing protocols — and it's where many self-study candidates stall. Meyers uses packet-tracing analogies and draws extensively on real topology diagrams rather than textbook abstractions. The current course covers the N10-009 exam objectives released in 2024.
One practical note: the Network+ course pairs well with his AIO book if you're using a multi-source approach. Many candidates use the video for initial understanding and the book as a reference during review.
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
The Security+ is now required for DoD 8570 compliance, which means it's a hard prerequisite for a large portion of government IT and defense contractor work. Mike Meyers released an updated course covering the SY0-701 exam (current version as of 2023). The course runs roughly 20+ hours and covers the expanded threat intelligence and automation content that CompTIA added in this version.
Security+ is where his style is most useful — threat actors, attack vectors, and incident response are conceptually dense, and Meyers' scenario-based approach helps more than straight memorization would.
Where to Access Mike Meyers CompTIA Courses
There are two main places to find Mike Meyers CompTIA material:
- Udemy — Most students start here. His A+, Network+, and Security+ courses are regularly on sale for $10-15. The downside is that Udemy's platform doesn't include structured practice exams or adaptive quizzing natively.
- Total Seminars (totalsem.com) — Meyers' own platform bundles video content with practice exams and lab simulations. It's more expensive than Udemy ($49-79 per exam) but includes his Mike Meyers-authored practice questions, which tend to be closer to actual CompTIA question style than third-party question banks.
His McGraw Hill AIO books are sold separately and are genuinely worth having alongside the video content. The books go into more depth on certain objectives than the video courses can cover in time.
Top CompTIA Courses to Pair With Your Study Plan
If you're building a full study stack around Mike Meyers CompTIA material, these courses on this site cover exam objectives in complementary depth:
CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202) Full Course & Practice Exam
Covers the operating systems, security, and troubleshooting half of the A+ exam — the part most candidates underestimate. Good companion if you're using Meyers for Core 1 hardware content but want additional practice questions for Core 2.
CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) Full Course & Practice Exam
Covers the updated N10-009 objectives including cloud networking and automation — the sections CompTIA expanded most recently. Useful as a second pass after Meyers' course to reinforce weak areas before exam day.
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Certification Training
Alternative Security+ course covering SY0-701 objectives with a heavier focus on exam simulation. Helpful if you want to cross-reference Meyers' conceptual explanations with a different instructor's framing of the same objectives.
Cybersecurity Assessment: CompTIA Security+ & CySA+ Course
Bundles Security+ prep with CySA+ (CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst) content — worth considering if your target role is SOC analyst, where employers increasingly want both credentials on a resume.
Cost and ROI of Mike Meyers CompTIA Training
The full Mike Meyers CompTIA path — A+, Network+, Security+ — costs roughly:
- Video courses (Udemy on sale): $30-50 total for all three
- Exam vouchers: approximately $1,200 total (A+ is two exams at ~$246 each; Network+ and Security+ are ~$338 each)
- Practice exam bundles: $50-100 if purchased separately from Total Seminars
Total prep investment runs $1,300-1,400 before accounting for any retakes. The return depends on where you're starting. According to BLS data, entry-level help desk roles (which A+ qualifies you for) average around $45,000-55,000 nationally. Network+ and Security+ roles — network technician, junior security analyst — start at $55,000-75,000 in most markets, with government-adjacent Security+ roles often paying $80,000+ due to clearance demand.
For someone moving from retail or food service into IT, the ROI math works clearly. For someone already employed in IT who's seeking a raise or promotion, the calculus is tighter and depends heavily on employer-specific requirements.
FAQ: Mike Meyers CompTIA
Is Mike Meyers CompTIA A+ course enough to pass the exam?
For most candidates, the video course alone isn't enough. You'll need to supplement with practice exams — either through Total Seminars or a third-party question bank like ExamCompass or Jason Dion's practice tests. Meyers' course builds understanding; practice exams build exam stamina and expose gaps. Most candidates who pass use both.
Are Mike Meyers' courses up to date with current exam versions?
Generally yes, but check the course description before purchasing. CompTIA updates its exams on roughly three-year cycles. Meyers typically releases updated courses within a few months of a new exam version. As of 2025-2026, his A+ (220-1101/1102), Network+ (N10-009), and Security+ (SY0-701) courses are current.
How does Mike Meyers compare to Professor Messer for CompTIA prep?
Professor Messer's courses are free (supported by paid study group access), which makes them the default recommendation for budget-constrained candidates. Meyers costs more but is considered more thorough on hardware topics for A+ and arguably better for conceptual depth on Network+. Most serious candidates use both: Messer for free concept review, Meyers for the detailed explanations. Neither is objectively superior — the choice usually comes down to how you learn.
Which Mike Meyers CompTIA course should I start with?
Start with A+ if you have limited IT background. It's the broadest certification and covers foundational knowledge that makes Network+ and Security+ easier to learn later. If you already work in IT and just need the credential, Security+ is often the most valuable single certification for career advancement, particularly if government or defense work is a goal.
Is Total Seminars better than buying on Udemy?
Total Seminars includes Mike Meyers-authored practice exams, which are worth the premium if you're close to exam date and want question-level feedback. Udemy is better value for initial study since you'll spend more time watching than testing early in your prep. A reasonable approach: buy the Udemy course during a sale for the video content, then buy Total Seminars practice exams separately in the final few weeks before the exam.
Do employers actually care about CompTIA certifications?
Depends on the employer and the role. For government IT and defense contractors, Security+ is explicitly required by DoD 8570/8140 — it's not optional. For private-sector roles, A+ is often a filter in applicant tracking systems for entry-level help desk positions. Network+ and Security+ are more useful as differentiators than as hard requirements in most private-sector hiring. That said, CompTIA certs consistently show up in job postings and LinkedIn recruiter searches, which matters for discoverability even if a hiring manager isn't specifically requiring them.
Bottom Line
Mike Meyers CompTIA courses are the right choice if you want to actually understand the material rather than memorize exam answers. His A+ and Network+ content in particular is more thorough than most alternatives at the same price point. The Security+ course is solid but faces more competition from equally strong options.
The most common mistake candidates make is treating the video course as the entire study plan. Use Meyers' videos for concepts, add a dedicated practice exam bank for the last 3-4 weeks, and schedule your exam before you can talk yourself out of it. The certification itself is only valuable when you actually sit for it.
If you're new to IT and trying to decide where to start, the A+ remains the most defensible first credential — it's the one that opens the most doors at the entry level, and Mike Meyers' A+ course is about as good a starting point as exists for self-study preparation.