CompTIA Tech+ Roadmap: Free Computer Basics Lessons
What you’ll know
Computer basics from zero: how computers store data, what’s inside them, how software and networks work, and how to stay safe. Follow the stages in order, or jump to what you need.
Why it matters. CompTIA Tech+ (it replaced ITF+) is the entry-level IT certificate. Even if you never sit the exam, these are the basics every help desk job, and every family’s “tech person”, needs.
What the exam covers
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1. Tech concepts and terminology | 13% |
| 2. Infrastructure | 24% |
| 3. Applications and software | 18% |
| 4. Software development concepts | 13% |
| 5. Data and database fundamentals | 13% |
| 6. Security | 19% |
Up to 70 questions in 60 minutes; the passing score is 650 on a scale of 100 to 900. Check CompTIA’s official exam objectives before you book, because exams get updated.
Stage 1: Tech concepts (13% of the exam)
- Binary, hex and data sizes — bits, bytes, and why 2 TB shows as 1,863 GB
- Networking glossary — plain-words definitions you can hover over
- The troubleshooting method — the same 7 steps CompTIA uses in every exam (shown in a hands-on lab)
Stage 2: Infrastructure (24% of the exam)
- Computer hardware: CPU, RAM, storage and ports — what’s inside, and how to check yours
- What happens when you type a URL — the internet in one walk-through
- DHCP explained — how your device gets an address
- DNS explained — how names become addresses
- Wi-Fi standards and channels — 2.4 vs 5 vs 6 GHz
- Wi-Fi troubleshooting on Windows — fix the most common ticket
Stage 3: Applications and software (18% of the exam)
- Operating systems, software and file systems — Windows vs macOS vs Linux, NTFS vs exFAT, licenses
- How to open Command Prompt and PowerShell — your first terminal
- Install software safely: sources, hashes, signatures and licenses — app stores vs package managers, check a download, spot fake file extensions
Stage 4: Software development concepts (13% of the exam)
- Programming basics: variables, loops and functions — plus language types, pseudocode and flowcharts, and your first Python script
- Programming languages compared — the same tiny task in Python, C, Bash, PowerShell, HTML and SQL
Stage 5: Data and databases (13% of the exam)
- Data and databases: tables, SQL and backups — keys, the four SQL commands, NoSQL, and the 3-2-1 backup rule
Stage 6: Security (19% of the exam)
- Strong passwords and passphrases — the one habit that stops most break-ins
- Read email headers and report phishing — spot the fake
- Network security explained — common attacks and how networks defend
- Lock down your own devices — updates, antivirus, MFA, password managers, encryption and backups
Study games
Short, free games that drill the same things the exam asks, a different way. Best scores stay on your device.
- Port Match — timed rounds matching ports to protocols
- Binary and Hex — speed drills for subnetting
- Flashcards — acronyms with spaced repetition
- Mnemonic Lab — memory phrases for every ordered list (Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away)
- Put It In Order — OSI, incident response phases, order of volatility, Kill Chain
Test yourself
Take the free Tech+ practice test: 50 questions across all six domains, each with an explanation, a memory hook and a link back to the lesson. You get a score per domain at the end.
After Tech+
Ready for more? The free Network+ roadmap picks up where Stage 2 leaves off, with a 68-question practice test. More free courses and labs: free cybersecurity training and free practice labs.
Roadmap, written by StashGrid with AI help. Domain weights and exam facts from the CompTIA Tech+ FC0-U71 exam details as published on 30 Oct 2026. StashGrid isn’t affiliated with CompTIA. Spotted an error? Tell us.