Udemy (Total Seminars)
TOTAL: CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) by Mike Meyers Review — Honest Analysis from 28 Opinions
The TOTAL: CompTIA A+ Core 1 by Mike Meyers on Udemy is the most widely recommended A+ exam-prep course for IT career entrants, and the 28 analysed opinions confirm why. Mike Meyers is an exceptional instructor whose live hardware demonstrations and accessible humor consistently outperform slide-based competitors in learner retention and conceptual depth. The course maps tightly to 220-1201 exam objectives and has a documented track record of first-attempt passes for learners who combine it with dedicated practice-test sessions. The main caveat is practice-exam volume: the bundled exams are useful for format familiarity but insufficient as a standalone readiness tool. Strategic advice — complete the video course for concept mastery, then layer two to three Jason Dion or Professor Messer practice packs, targeting consistent 80%+ scores before booking your exam date. Final score 4.4/5 — a strong recommendation for complete beginners and career-changers entering IT with the CompTIA A+ as their foundation credential.
Final score
from 28 analysed opinions
Published AI-researched, editor-audited
Distribution of opinions
Per-criterion scores
The course maps tightly to all 220-1201 exam objective domains — mobile devices, networking, hardware, virtualization, cloud computing, and troubleshooting — in a logical sequence that mirrors the exam blueprint. Mike Meyers' live demonstrations using real physical components (CPUs, RAM sticks, motherboards, storage drives, and expansion cards) are the standout differentiator: reviewers consistently cite them as providing comprehension depth unavailable from slide-based courses. Content accuracy is high and the course is updated to reflect the current 220-1201 objectives.
Mike Meyers is the author of the bestselling CompTIA A+ All-in-One Exam Guide and has taught IT certification to over 2 million learners across his Udemy courses and physical books. His signature blend of technical depth with irreverent humor — recurring character analogies, deliberately mispronounced terms corrected on screen, and self-deprecating asides — keeps learners engaged through 14+ hours of dense exam-prep content. Reviewers consistently describe him as one of the best IT instructors online, specifically praising his ability to explain how components work conceptually rather than drilling exam keywords.
At the typical Udemy sale price of $14–$20 for over 14 hours of video plus bundled practice exams, the course offers exceptional value relative to alternatives: Pluralsight ($45/month), CompTIA CertMaster ($199 per exam), or in-person bootcamps ($800–$2,500). The practice-exam bundle is frequently cited as worth the purchase price on its own for learners who do not yet hold a practice-exam subscription.
The course bundles a practice-exam component that reviewers find useful for familiarising themselves with question format and timing. The most consistent critical feedback, however, is that the practice-exam volume is insufficient as a sole preparation source. Multiple learners explicitly recommend pairing the course with Jason Dion's dedicated practice-exam packs or Professor Messer's free practice tests to achieve timed exam-day readiness and score confidence in the 85%+ range.
Multiple reviewers report passing the Core 1 exam on their first attempt after completing the course, with several noting they went from zero IT experience to passing within 60–90 days. A minority reported feeling underprepared — typically after relying solely on the course without supplementary practice tests. No official score-improvement guarantee is published, and outcomes depend substantially on a learner's prior IT exposure and how thoroughly they work through the practice-exam component.
What learners said
What people loved
5- Live hardware demonstrations with real physical components — CPUs, motherboards, drives, and peripherals — deliver comprehension depth unavailable in slide-heavy competitors×18
- Mike Meyers' humor-driven teaching style keeps learners engaged through 14+ hours of dense certification content, with reviewers frequently citing improved retention compared to textbook study alone×15
- Comprehensive coverage of all 220-1201 exam objectives with conceptual explanations rather than rote exam-keyword drilling×12
- Exceptional value at typical Udemy sale price of $14–$20 for the full course plus bundled practice exams — substantially cheaper than subscription or bootcamp alternatives×10
- Accessible to complete beginners with no prior IT experience — multiple reviewers report going from zero IT background to a first-attempt Core 1 pass within 60–90 days×9
What frustrated learners
3- Practice-exam volume is insufficient as a sole preparation source — most learners need to supplement with Jason Dion's packs or Professor Messer's free tests for genuine timed exam-day readiness×11
- Learners with existing IT field experience find some foundational sections too slow-paced and would benefit from a faster-paced track or the ability to skip known material×6
- A minority of learners report feeling underprepared for Core 2 after completing Core 1 alone with this course, suggesting the full A+ certification requires supplementary resources beyond Mike Meyers' materials for both cores×4
Real quotes from real users
“Mike is an incredible instructor and very engaging. Actually teaches you about technologies and how they work rather than just what you need to know to pass an exam.”
“Blown away by the quality of the material! Especially the live demonstrations with real components really give one a far superior learning experience compared to ppt slides.”
“I went from barely understanding little bits here and there to passing the 1001 on my first try with the help of this course.”
“A positive, knowledgeable instructor who clearly speaks. Not only is the instructor positive, but fun and engaging — very easily relays information in an easy to understand and easy to remember format.”
“I would highly recommend this course paired with his practice tests.”
“His sense of humor makes even the more complicated concepts easy to remember — they become more memorable in your brain.”
“I purchased the Total A+ book and Udemy videos and felt grossly underprepared. I passed the first exam but failed the second twice before eventually passing. I wish I had used multiple sources from the beginning rather than relying on a single resource.”
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How we evaluated this
This review synthesizes 28 opinions collected across the public web. Final score = Bayesian average penalising small samples, then weighted by the positivity ratio. No paid placements, no hidden agenda.
- 10 from Official course platform
- 10 from Other
- 5 from Forums
- 3 from class-central