What to expect from CompTIA Cloud+ CV0-004 certification

Who is the Cloud+ CV0-004 exam for?

This certification is best suited for those with two to three years of industry experience as a cloud engineer or administrator. Candidates should also have knowledge equivalent to CompTIA Network+ and Server+.

A broad range of candidates can also benefit from the vendor-neutral nature of Cloud+. Most cloud certifications focus on a particular vendor, such as Amazon or Microsoft. However, many of today's organizations use multiple cloud vendors and services. Cloud+ exposes learners to a variety of concepts that are an essential part of multi-cloud environments. This vendor-neutral approach differentiates the Cloud+ certification from vendor-specific options.

Nontechnical cloud decision-makers may benefit from the business-oriented CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002.

Cloud+ CV0-004 objectives overview

CompTIA breaks its exam objectives into domains to organize related topics. Cloud+ CV0-004 includes the following six domains that represent different percentages of the exam:

1. Cloud architecture: 23%.
2. Deployment: 19%.
3. Security: 19%.
4. Operations: 17%.
5. Troubleshooting: 12%.
6. DevOps fundamentals: 10%.

Specific objectives and subtopics exist within these domains. This ensures comprehensive coverage of today's most crucial cloud technologies. Topics cover everything from cloud deployment models to troubleshooting migrations to compliance.

There is a strong emphasis on basic design principles, with 23% of the exam focused on architecture. Day-to-day administration, deployment and migration consume most of the exam's attention. As always, security and troubleshooting are essential. DevOps consumes 10% of the exam, illustrating its importance to cloud administrators.

Cloud networking receives significant attention in the CV0-004 exam. Topics include software-defined networking, load balancers, cloud virtual LANs and more.

CompTIA Cloud+ CV0-003 vs. CV0-004

Compare the above exam domains for CV0-004 against the previous certification objectives listed below:

1. Deployment: 23%.
2. Operations and support: 22%.
3. Troubleshooting: 22%.
4. Security: 20%.
5. Cloud architecture and design: 13%.

Increased DevOps focus

The addition of various topics reflects CompTIA's commitment to keeping certifications current and forward-looking.

The objectives expanded the discussion of DevOps, including extensive coverage of automation and orchestration concepts.

The primary difference is the addition of a DevOps domain. DevOps topics were a smaller part of the CV0-003 learning objectives. The objectives expanded the discussion of DevOps, including extensive coverage of automation and orchestration concepts.

For example, CI/CD pipelines constitute an entire subdomain. DevOps tools, including Ansible, ELK Stack, Grafana, Terraform and Jenkins, also receive more attention. Additionally, the DevOps domain adds more information about version control using Git.

Other new additions

The CV0-004 objectives refocus attention on service availability, with less coverage of capacity planning. The CV0-003 content had more information on business and user requirements, though these are still well represented in CV0-004.

CompTIA's emphasis on current topics also extends to AI, machine learning and IoT.

CompTIA Cloud+ exam preparation tips

Like any test, you need to prepare and start studying. Best practices include the following:

• Get back to basics. You need a strong command of terminology and concepts, so don't neglect basic vocabulary as you prepare. Most Cloud+ exam questions are multiple-choice, but some are performance-based. This means you need to enter correct information or commands based on scenarios. The multiple-choice questions can be extensive and often describe a use case and potential outcomes.
• Use vendor-provided materials. CompTIA offers an extensive certification training library, which includes online books, multimedia resources, hands-on labs and practice exams. It's beneficial to use the learning materials from the organization that created the exam. There are also many resources from third-party vendors that can be helpful.
• Get in the lab. Lab environments provide valuable hands-on experience deploying cloud resources, like VMs and containers. They also offer access to infrastructure-as-code files, optimization tools and access control.
• Get to know your instructor. Cloud+-certified instructors are a critical resource. These instructors typically have industry experience to supplement their knowledge of course materials and are invaluable for answering questions or clarifying information.
• Take practice exams. Practice exams can benefit you with more complex questions. Being familiar with the structure and format of questions is useful before you get to the test center. Practice exams also help you understand how quickly you take exams and how careful you need to be about managing time.

After you pass the exam, remember to celebrate your achievement with your co-workers, social network and family. You've earned it!

Damon Garn owns Cogspinner Coaction and provides freelance IT writing and editing services. He has written multiple CompTIA study guides, including the Linux+, Cloud Essentials+ and Server+ guides, and contributes extensively to TechTarget Editorial and CompTIA Blogs.