Best CompTIA A+ PBQ practice and lab simulators (2026)
The A+ exams include performance-based questions, and CompTIA lists A+ among its exams with simulation PBQs: tasks in a simulated environment, not multiple choice. Here is where to practise them, grouped by what you need. We make one of the options, ExamWizardz; it sits in its group, not at the top, and every price below was checked on the vendor's own site on October 13, 2026.
Quick comparison
| Product | Price | What you practise on | Exams |
|---|---|---|---|
| CertMaster Labs (CompTIA) | $139 per exam, 12 months | Live virtual machines in the browser | 220-1201, 220-1202 |
| TotalSims (Total Seminars) | $69 for one year, both exams | 296 simulations: screens, command line, PBQ-style challenges | 220-1201, 220-1202 |
| Boson Practice Lab | $99 a year | Live lab on real equipment, 30 modules | 220-1202 only |
| uCertify A+ Labs | $239.99 for one year | 150 browser labs | 220-1201, 220-1202 |
| Dion Training PBQ Practice Pack | $29.99 per exam | 50 PBQ-style questions in sets of 5 | One pack per exam |
| PBQSimulator | $19 a month or $99 lifetime | Drag-and-drop, terminal and diagram PBQs | 220-1201, 220-1202 |
| Crucial Exams | From $19.99 a month, all its IT exams | 12 PBQs for Core 1 and 7 for Core 2, plus question banks | 220-1201, 220-1202 |
| 101 Labs | Membership from $20 a month | Guided labs on your own virtual machines | 220-1201, 220-1202 |
| ExamWizardz (ours) | $99 for 6 months or $24 a month; free tier | 184 interactive PBQs, 90 of them full labs: desktops, a terminal and a PC bench | 220-1201, 220-1202 |
If you want real systems: live labs
CertMaster Labs (CompTIA's own, $139 per exam) and Boson's 220-1202 Practice Lab ($99 a year, on real equipment) put you on actual operating systems. Anything works and anything can break, which builds job skills beyond the exam. 101 Labs takes the do-it-yourself route: it walks you through labs on your own virtual machines using free trial software.
If you want the exam's format: simulators
The exam's PBQs are simulations, so simulators rehearse the format directly. TotalSims ($69 a year) covers both cores with 296 simulation elements but doesn't run on iOS or Android. uCertify sells 150 browser labs for $239.99 a year. ExamWizardz includes 184 PBQs, 90 of them full labs (Windows and Linux desktops, a terminal, and a PC bench where you build and boot a machine) in the Pass Plan, and they work on a phone.
If you only need PBQ reps: PBQ packs
Dion Training's PBQ Practice Pack is 50 PBQ-style questions per exam for $29.99. PBQSimulator gives you 3 free simulations, then costs $19 a month or $99 for life. Crucial Exams puts a handful of PBQs (12 for Core 1, 7 for Core 2) beside large question banks for every IT exam it covers.
Free ways to practise A+ PBQs
- Free A+ PBQ practice on ExamWizardz, playable with no account
- Free A+ labs: full desktop and PC bench labs, no account
- PBQSimulator: 3 free simulations
- Crucial Exams: a limited free tier
Check the exam version before you buy
The current A+ exams are 220-1201 and 220-1202. Some products still sell material for the retired 220-1101 and 220-1102: on October 13, 2026, CertLabz's CompTIA page still listed A+ as 220-1101/1102. Check the exam codes on a product page before paying. For a side-by-side look at the biggest courses, see ExamWizardz vs CertMaster, vs Dion Training and vs Professor Messer.