Is the CompTIA Server+ Worth It?

Server+ is one of CompTIA's lesser-known certifications. It's a basic certification for IT professionals with 2 to 4 years of tech experience. Although not as well-known as CompTIA's A+, Network+, and Security+ certifications, earning a Server+ cert will almost certainly add value to your resume.

CompTIA Server+ is the only vendor-neutral server certification available today, competing primarily with vendor-specific certifications such as MCSA Server Administrator and CCNA Data Center. 

While these latter accreditations focus on their own products and implementations, CompTIA Server+ zooms out to a broader scope, covering fundamental principles of servers and networking.

What is the CompTIA Server+?

CompTIA Server+ is an entry-level, broad-scope certification that focuses on working with, you guessed it, servers. Server+ was created in 2015 and focuses on on-premises data center architecture, with limited emphasis on the cloud. Many aspects of server administration within Server+ assume physical access to servers, which is  

The current version of the CompTIA Server+ is V5, released in March 2021. 

What Does the CompTIA Server+ Test?

Server+ verifies knowledge and ability in four domains:

• Server Hardware Installation and Management: 18%

• Server Administration: 30%

• Security and Disaster Recovery: 24%

• Troubleshooting: 28%

The CompTIA Server+ Certification Exam Objectives Guide explains how the questions are structured in each of the four domains listed above. Review this list and self-evaluate. If you feel comfortable in a given area, you probably won't need much prep time for those details—remember, this is a foundational-level cert.

The questions are all multiple-choice, and there are quite a few. You can expect to see up to 100 items on an exam that only allows 90 minutes. The good news is that this means they’re looking for a grasp of general networking concepts and an understanding of what to do in situations that are pretty black-and-white.

The passing score for Server+ is 750 out of 900 possible points, or 83 percent. Once you earn the CompTIA Server+ certification, it is valid for life and does not require renewal. 

Additionally, passing the SK0-005 exam will automatically renew your lower-level CompTIA certifications, such as A+ and Network+.

Server Hardware Installation and Management Domain

CompTIA summarizes Server Hardware Installation and Management as being able to "install, configure, and manage server hardware and server operating systems." These are knowledge-based scenario questions that require you to know procedures that are generally standardized in any IT situation.

• Given a scenario, install physical hardware

• Given a scenario, deploy and manage storage

• Given a scenario, perform server hardware maintenance

Server Admin Domain 

The Server+ exam assesses basic Server Administration skills at a high level. If you have a year or two of working with servers under your belt, you're probably not going to have any problems answering questions in this area. 

Specifically, Server+ wants you to be able to:

• Given a scenario, install server operating systems

• Given a scenario, configure servers to use network infrastructure services

• Given a scenario, configure and maintain server functions and features

• Explain the key concepts of high availability for servers

• Summarize the purpose and operation of virtualization

• Summarize scripting basics for server administration

• Explain the importance of asset management and documentation

• Explain licensing concepts

Security and Disaster Recovery Domain 

Establishing a base level of both physical and virtual security is foundational to effective server administration. The material in this area is highly conceptual and places much less emphasis on scenarios than the other three domains. 

CompTIA wants candidates to “demonstrate an understanding of key disaster recovery, high-availability, and backup concepts," asking candidates to:

• Summarize data security concepts

• Summarize physical security concepts

• Explain important concepts pertaining to identity and access management for server administration

• Explain data security risks and mitigation strategies

• Given a scenario, apply server hardening methods

• Summarize proper server decommissioning concepts

• Explain the importance of backups and restores

• Explain the importance of disaster recovery

Keep in mind, this is the largest domain on the Server+, taking up around 30% of the total exam. 

Troubleshooting Domain

The Troubleshooting domain of the Server+ exam is the opposite of the Security and Disaster Recovery domain. In this area, CompTIA wants you to "successfully troubleshoot common server problems" and demonstrate your knowledge of which actions to take in frequently encountered scenarios. Nearly all of the questions in Security+’s Troubleshooting area are scenario-based.

• Explain the troubleshooting theory and methodology

• Given a scenario, troubleshoot common hardware failures

• Given a scenario, troubleshoot storage problems

• Given a scenario, troubleshoot common OS and software problems

• Given a scenario, troubleshoot network connectivity issues

• Given a scenario, troubleshoot security problems

How Much Does the CompTIA Server+ Cost?

The exam voucher for CompTIA Server+ will cost $390 if that’s all you purchase. Depending on how confident you feel about your current knowledge and ability to pass on the first try, you might want to consider some of CompTIA’s bundles. 

For example, $439 will get you two exam vouchers, in case you need to retake it. Or, for $10, you can add on a frameable certificate, wallet-sized certification, and a personal recognition from CompTIA's CEO.   

What Experience is Required for the CompTIA Server+?

CompTIA doesn’t require anything other than purchasing a voucher to sit for the Server+ exam. However, they highly recommend that a candidate have 18 to 24 months of IT experience. 

The term “IT experience” is intentionally vague and indicates the certification’s broad, conceptual focus. If you have that level of expertise, or you’re a sharp technician with a year under your belt, you shouldn’t have any issues passing the exam.

Who Should Take the CompTIA Server+?

Generally speaking, anyone who works with servers at any level could find the CompTIA Server+ certification valuable. Keep in mind that this is a basic certification, and you’ll see diminishing returns the further you go in your career. However, if your employer requires you to earn new certifications or you have other CompTIA certs that are about to expire, this may be a good option for you.

CompTIA Server+ for Server Administrators

Server+ is an ideal certification for young server administrators. Regardless of which vendor equipment you end up working with, the knowledge covered in Server+ will apply. If you’re early enough in your career that job switches seem likely, you might jump from Microsoft to Cisco to Juniper equipment in a short span. Earning certs for those specific vendors is undoubtedly a priority, but Server+ will give your resume the broadest boost.

CompTIA Server+ for Server Support Technicians

The knowledge you gain as a server support technician is excellent preparation for the Server+ exam. CompTIA intentionally centered the content on foundational concepts and scenarios you will encounter frequently. Earning the Server+ certification may well be a key differentiator when competing with other server support techs.

CompTIA Server+ for IT Technicians

Virtually any IT technician position will prepare you for Server+. While there may be particular focus areas in some domains where you feel weak, the lion's share of the information is something you'll learn just working in any IT field day to day. The CompTIA Server+ certification will almost certainly add value to the knowledge and experience you bring.

Is the CompTIA Server+ Worth It?

If you keep in mind what the CompTIA Server+ cert is, it's worth it. Server+ was designed to validate foundational knowledge and experience of universal skills for a broad range of IT professionals.

According to PayScale, salaries for Server+ certified professionals range from $52,000 to $142,000 depending on experience and employer. For context, that's competitive with other entry-level CompTIA certs and reflects the broad applicability of server skills across industries.

Here's a quick way to think about it:

Server+ is worth it if you:

• Are early in your IT career and want a vendor-neutral credential

• Have CompTIA certs expiring and need a renewal path

• Work with servers daily but lack a formal certification to show for it

• Want the broadest possible resume boost across different employers and vendors

Server+ may not be worth it if you:

• Already have significant server experience and vendor-specific certs

• Are targeting a specialized role where certs like MCSA or CCNA carry more weight

• Are further along in your career where foundational certs offer diminishing returns

The sweet spot for Server+ is early-career IT pros who want a vendor-neutral foundation before specializing.

Ready to tackle the Server+? Try CBT Nuggets and get instant access to Server+ training.