CompTIA Tech+ Review
Welcome, Tech Learner! This page covers everything you need for the midterm — hardware, software, networking, binary math, ethics, and more. Work through each section at your own pace.
📋 Your Completion Checklist
Check each section off as you finish it. Progress saves in your browser — no account needed.
Hardware, Devices & Connectors
Hardware is anything you can physically touch on or connected to a computer. Let's break it down.
🔑 Key Terms
- Desktop Computer
- A full-sized personal computer designed to sit on or under a desk. It has separate components: monitor, keyboard, mouse, and tower. Example: the computers in your school's lab.
- Tablet
- A portable, flat touchscreen device (like an iPad). Smaller than a laptop but more powerful than a phone. Good for reading, browsing, and light work.
- Touchscreen Monitor
- A monitor you can tap and swipe like a phone screen. It acts as both an input device (you give it touch commands) and an output device (it shows you the results).
- CPU (Central Processing Unit)
- The "brain" of the computer. It processes every instruction — calculations, running apps, opening files. A faster CPU = a faster computer.
- Peripheral Devices
- External hardware you connect to a computer. Examples: printer, scanner, webcam, external hard drive.
- Input Devices
- Hardware that sends data into the computer. Examples: keyboard, mouse, microphone, webcam, touchscreen.
- USB Connectors
- Universal Serial Bus — a common port for connecting peripherals. Types include USB-A (rectangular), USB-C (oval, reversible), and USB 3.0 (blue color, faster speed).
⚙️ The Basic Computing Cycle
Every computer follows this 4-step cycle for everything it does:
Real-world example: You type a paper (input) → Word formats it (processing) → you see it on screen (output) → you save the file (storage).
🧩 Matching Activity — Hardware
For each device, select the correct category from the dropdown. Then click Check Answers.
✅ Quick Check
A touchscreen monitor is considered which of the following?
Which step in the computing cycle is the CPU most responsible for?
Software & Operating Systems
Software is the set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do. Without software, your computer is just an expensive paperweight.
🔑 Key Terms
- Operating System (OS)
- The master program that manages all hardware and software on a computer. Examples: Windows 11, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux.
- System Software
- Software that runs the computer itself. Includes the OS, device drivers, and utilities. Runs in the background automatically.
- Application Software
- Programs you use to do tasks. Examples: Microsoft Word, Chrome, Spotify, Zoom. Also called "apps."
- Web Browser
- An application you use to access websites. Examples: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari.
🆚 System Software vs. Application Software
System Software
- Controls the hardware
- Runs automatically
- Examples: Windows, macOS, Android
- Without it, the computer won't start
Application Software
- Helps users complete tasks
- You open it on purpose
- Examples: Word, Zoom, Gmail
- Without the OS, apps can't run
💡 Think of it this way: the OS is the stage; apps are the performers.
✅ Quick Check
Microsoft Word is an example of which type of software?
Which of the following is NOT an operating system?
RAM, Storage & Optical Media
Not all memory is the same. Learn the difference between RAM (short-term) and storage (long-term).
🔑 Key Terms
- RAM (Random Access Memory)
- Temporary, fast memory your computer uses right now while running programs. Clears when you shut down. More RAM = smoother multitasking.
- Secondary Storage
- Permanent storage that keeps data even after the computer is off. Examples: HDD, SSD, USB flash drive.
- Optical Storage
- Uses a laser to read/write data on a disc.
🧠 RAM vs. Storage — Easy Way to Remember
What you're actively working on right now. Clear the desk and the work is gone.
Where you keep things long-term. Even when you're not looking at a file, it stays there.
✅ Quick Check
Which type of memory is CLEARED when you shut down your computer?
Which optical disc holds the MOST data?
Networking & Internet Basics
Understanding how devices connect and communicate is a core skill for any tech professional.
🔑 Key Terms
- Network
- Two or more devices connected together to share data and resources. Your home Wi-Fi is a network.
- Internet
- A massive global network of networks — billions of devices connected worldwide using cables, satellites, and wireless signals.
- World Wide Web (WWW)
- The collection of websites you visit using a browser. The Web runs on top of the Internet — the Internet is the roads; the Web is the stores on those roads.
- Internet Service Provider (ISP)
- The company that provides your internet connection. Examples: Comcast/Xfinity, AT&T, Charter/Spectrum.
- TCP/IP
- Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol — the rules that govern how data is packaged and sent across the Internet.
- SSID
- Service Set Identifier — the name of a Wi-Fi network. When you see available Wi-Fi networks on your phone, every name is an SSID.
- Ethernet
- A wired network connection using a cable plugged directly into a router or wall port. Faster and more stable than Wi-Fi.
- Cat6 Cable
- Category 6 Ethernet cable — supports speeds up to 10 Gbps. Looks like a thick phone cable with an RJ-45 plug at each end.
- Fiber Optic Internet
- Ultra-fast internet that transmits data as pulses of light through glass or plastic fibers. Speeds can reach 1 Gbps or more.
- Cloud Computing
- Using the Internet to access software, storage, or computing power on remote servers. Examples: Google Drive, Microsoft 365, AWS.
- Browser
- Software that lets you access and display websites. Examples: Chrome, Firefox, Edge.
- Cookies
- Small text files a website stores on your device to remember information — like your login status or shopping cart.
🌐 Internet vs. World Wide Web
The Internet
- The physical infrastructure
- Cables, routers, satellites
- Carries all data (email, video, websites)
- Has existed since the 1960s
The World Wide Web
- A service that runs on the Internet
- Websites, web pages, hyperlinks
- Accessed through a web browser
- Invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989
💡 All Web traffic uses the Internet, but not all Internet traffic is the Web.
🧩 Matching Activity — Networking Terms
Select the correct definition for each term. Then click Check Answers.
✅ Quick Check
Which BEST describes cloud computing?
What is an SSID?
Basic Network Commands: ipconfig & ping
Tech pros use command-line tools to troubleshoot networks every day. These two commands are your starting point.
💻 ipconfig
What it does: Displays your computer's network configuration — IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway.
When to use it: When you can't connect to a network and need to check if your computer has an IP address assigned.
C:\Users\Student> ipconfig
Windows IP Configuration
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
IPv4 Address . . . . . : 192.168.1.105
Subnet Mask . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . : 192.168.1.1
- IPv4 Address
- Your computer's unique address on the local network.
- Subnet Mask
- Defines which part of the IP address is the network vs. the device.
- Default Gateway
- Usually your router's IP address — the doorway to the Internet.
💻 ping
What it does: Sends a test packet to another device or website and waits for a reply. Tells you if a destination is reachable and how fast.
C:\Users\Student> ping google.com
Pinging google.com [142.250.80.46] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 142.250.80.46: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=117
Reply from 142.250.80.46: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=117
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss)
- time=14ms
- How long the reply took (milliseconds). Lower is better.
- Lost = 0 (0% loss)
- No packets dropped — connection is healthy.
- Request timed out
- No reply received — destination may be unreachable.
🛠️ Hands-On Activity: Try It Yourself!
Open Command Prompt (Windows key → type cmd → Enter) and try these commands.
ipconfig and press Enter.ping google.com and press Enter.📝 This page does not store any responses you type here.
✅ Quick Check
What information does the ipconfig command provide?
A ping with "0% packet loss" indicates:
Binary & Hexadecimal
Computers only understand 1s and 0s. Everything is stored as binary. Let's make it make sense.
🔑 Bits, Bytes, and Binary
- Bit
- The smallest unit of computer data — a single 1 or 0. From binary digit.
- Byte
- 8 bits grouped together. One byte can represent a single character (like "A"). 1 KB = 1,024 bytes.
- Binary (Base-2)
- A number system using only 0 and 1. Computers use binary because switches are either OFF (0) or ON (1).
📐 How to Convert Decimal to Binary
Binary uses powers of 2. Each position doubles in value from right to left:
Example: Decimal 253 → Binary
128 fits (253−128=125) → 64 fits (125−64=61) → 32 fits (61−32=29) → 16 fits (29−16=13) → 8 fits (13−8=5) → 4 fits (5−4=1) → 2 does NOT fit → 1 fits.
✅ Decimal 253 = Binary 11111101
Example: Decimal 7 as 4-Bit Binary
Using 4 positions (8, 4, 2, 1): 8 does NOT fit → 4 fits (7−4=3) → 2 fits (3−2=1) → 1 fits.
✅ Decimal 7 in 4-bit binary = 0111
🧮 Binary Conversion Practice
Enter a decimal number (0–255), type your binary guess in each bit box, then click Convert & Check.
🔡 Hexadecimal (Base-16)
Hexadecimal uses 16 symbols: 0–9 and A–F. One hex digit = 4 binary bits.
💡 F is the highest single hex digit — decimal 15, binary 1111. Seen in color codes (#FF5733) and MAC addresses.
✅ Quick Check
What is decimal 253 in binary?
What decimal value does hexadecimal F represent?
Decimal 7 in 4-bit binary is:
Digital Ethics
Being a tech professional means more than knowing the tools — it means using them responsibly.
🔑 Core Digital Ethics Principles
- Digital Property Rights
- Digital content has owners. Music, photos, software, and written works are protected by copyright. Using them without permission is theft.
- Confidentiality
- Keeping private information private. In the workplace, this means not sharing client data, patient records, or company secrets.
- Human Dignity
- Every person deserves respect online — just as in person. Don't create or share content that demeans or humiliates others.
- Civility
- Being respectful and constructive in online communication. Trolling, cyberbullying, and harassment violate civility.
🤔 Ethics Scenario — What Would You Do?
Scenario: You work as an IT support technician at a healthcare clinic. While fixing a coworker's computer, you accidentally see a file containing patient names and health conditions. Later, your friend asks if you know anything about a mutual acquaintance who is also a patient at the clinic.
What is the ethical and legal response?
✅ Quick Check
Downloading copyrighted music without paying is a violation of:
Civility in the digital world means:
Final Review Quiz
Put it all together! Answer all 15 questions, then submit for your score and instant feedback.
Question 1 of 15
Which component is considered the "brain" of the computer?
Question 2 of 15
What is the correct order of the basic computing cycle?
Question 3 of 15
Which type of memory is TEMPORARY and cleared when the computer shuts down?
Question 4 of 15
An operating system such as Windows 11 is an example of:
Question 5 of 15
What does SSID stand for and what does it identify?
Question 6 of 15
Decimal 253 in binary is:
Question 7 of 15
What hexadecimal value represents the decimal number 15?
Question 8 of 15
Which command tests whether a remote website is reachable?
Question 9 of 15
Fiber optic internet transmits data using:
Question 10 of 15
A small file stored by a website to remember your preferences is called a:
Question 11 of 15
Which optical storage medium holds the MOST data?
Question 12 of 15
TCP/IP is best described as:
Question 13 of 15
Using someone else's digital photo without permission violates their:
Question 14 of 15
A Cat6 cable is used for:
Question 15 of 15
Decimal 7 expressed as a 4-bit binary number is:
🎓 Exit Ticket
Before you go, reflect on what you learned today. Nothing here is sent or saved.
📝 Reflect & Respond
Bootcamp Complete!
Great work reviewing all 8 sections. You are ready for the Tech+ midterm!
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