# CompTIA A+ Core 2 Final Sprint Schedule

**Current Date:** June 19, 2026  
**Primary Exam:** July 7, 2026 — 18 days  
**Hard Deadline:** July 17, 2026 — retake window if July 7 is not a pass  

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## What's Been Completed

| Date | Task | Status |
|------|------|--------|
| Before June 11 | All lessons, labs, quizzes created — OS (1–11), SEC (1–11), TRB (1–4), OPS (1–10) | ✅ Done |
| June 11 | OS-5 quiz: 7/7. Lab pending. | ✅ Done |
| June 17 | SEC-6 (10-Step Malware Removal) studied. Updated OS-4 with DISM/bootrec/taskkill. FLASH_NOTES.md created. Sybex baseline: ~50% — "Next Step" logic identified as weak area. | ✅ Done |
| June 18 | OS-1 and OS-2 quizzes | ✅ Done |

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## Sprint to July 7

### Week 1 — Core Domains (June 19–23)

- **June 19 (Today):**
  - Study: Windows Admin Tools (Disk Mgmt, Event Viewer, Performance Monitor)
  - Lab: OS-3 Admin Tools Practice
  - Drill: 3 "Next Step" scenarios

- **June 20:**
  - Study: Command Line (sfc, dism, chkdsk, gpupdate, bootrec, taskkill)
  - Lab: OS-4 Command Line Practice
  - Drill: SFC vs DISM trap — know when to switch

- **June 21:**
  - Study: macOS & Linux client tools
  - Quiz: OS-8 and OS-9
  - Note: macOS lab optional (use friend's Mac if available)

- **June 22:**
  - Study: Windows Networking (IP config, DNS, firewall, shares)
  - Quiz: OS-7
  - Drill: "Works by IP but not by name" scenario

- **June 23:**
  - Study: Workstation Hardening + Data Destruction
  - Quiz: SEC-7 and SEC-9
  - Drill: Order of operations for secure disposal

### Week 2 — Troubleshooting + Procedures (June 24–30)

- **June 24:**
  - Study: Troubleshooting Windows OS (boot errors, BSOD, profile issues)
  - Quiz: TRB-1
  - Drill: "Clicking hard drive = chkdsk /r" vs "BCD error = bootrec /rebuildbcd"

- **June 25:**
  - Study: Troubleshooting Mobile OS & Apps
  - Quiz: TRB-2

- **June 26:**
  - Study: Operational Procedures — Documentation, Ticketing, SLAs
  - Quiz: OPS-1
  - Note: Domain 4 is 21% — do not skip

- **June 27:**
  - Study: Change Management + Backup/Recovery
  - Quiz: OPS-2 and OPS-3

- **June 28:**
  - Study: Scripting Basics (Batch, PowerShell, Bash syntax)
  - Quiz: OPS-8

- **June 29:**
  - Study: Professionalism, Safety (ESD), AI Concepts
  - Quiz: OPS-7 and OPS-10

- **June 30:**
  - **Mid-Sprint Full Practice Exam** (Professor Messer)
  - Analyze every wrong answer — log weak domains

### Final Push (July 1–7)

- **July 1:** Targeted review of weak areas from June 30 exam
- **July 2:** **Full Practice Exam (Sybex)** — hardest questions, aim for explanation accuracy
- **July 3:** PBQ Marathon — Disk Management, Help Desk, Command Line simulations
- **July 4:** Acronyms, port numbers, and "Next Step" logic review
- **July 5:** **Final Full Practice Exam** — simulate real conditions (90 min, no notes)
- **July 6:** Light review only — 10-Step Malware Removal and Troubleshooting Methodology
- **July 7:** **EXAM DAY.** Trust the process.

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## Retake Window: July 8–17 (Only if July 7 is Not a Pass)

- **July 8:** Review score report — identify exact weak objectives
- **July 9–10:** Intensive drill on the 2–3 weakest objectives only
- **July 11:** Full practice exam focused on weak domains
- **July 12–13:** PBQ simulations + "Next Step" scenario drilling
- **July 14:** Full timed practice exam — aim for 750+
- **July 15:** Light review — acronyms, port numbers, order-of-operations
- **July 16:** Rest. Review the one thing you feel least confident about.
- **July 17:** **RETAKE EXAM — HARD DEADLINE. Must pass today.**

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## Domain Tracking

- [ ] Domain 1.0 Operating Systems — 28%
- [ ] Domain 2.0 Security — 28%
- [ ] Domain 3.0 Software Troubleshooting — 23%
- [ ] Domain 4.0 Operational Procedures — 21%

## Known Weak Areas (from June 17 Sybex baseline)

- "Next Step" troubleshooting logic — official CompTIA order matters
- SFC vs DISM (when SFC fails → cache corrupt → run DISM RestoreHealth)
- Malware response order: quarantine BEFORE scanning
- Disk failures: clicking/missing = chkdsk /r vs BCD error = bootrec /rebuildbcd
- DNS: works by IP not name = nslookup
- Domain 4 Operational Procedures — highest risk for neglect