Prepare for Server+ SK0-005 by reviewing hardware, administration, security and recovery, and troubleshooting. Use the full objectives to find gaps and current product documentation to check practical tasks. This guide includes a topic map, exam format, original recovery exercise, and preparation checklist.
Which Server+ version should you study?
The current exam is Server+ V5, code SK0-005, launched May 18, 2021.
The scope covers server installation, administration, security, disaster recovery, and troubleshooting across data center, on-premises, and hybrid environments. Match your preparation to the SK0-005 objectives.
As checked on September 14, 2026, the official page lists SK0-005. No confirmed retirement date was supplied by the retrieved sources. Check the issuer page for updates before booking rather than inferring a deadline from the exam's age.
Sources used: Server+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA — certification page, exam details and objectives summaries; CompTIA Server+ SK0-005 Exam Objectives (CompTIA-authored PDF) — About the Exam, test details, domains 1.0–4.0
What to expect on the exam
Expect a maximum of 90 questions — multiple choice plus performance-based items — in 90 minutes, scored on a 100–900 scale with 750 required to pass. Testing is available at Pearson VUE centers and online, in English or Japanese.
The question limit matters: CompTIA states a maximum of 90, not a guaranteed count, so a given attempt may contain fewer. The passing score of 750 sits on a scaled 100–900 range. Do not convert it into a percentage or a number of questions you can miss — scaled scoring does not work that way, and CompTIA does not publish per-domain question counts.
CompTIA recommends A+ certification or equivalent knowledge and about two years of hands-on server experience. These are preparation recommendations, not a stated admission requirement to hold A+.
Check current prices, identification requirements, voucher terms, and appointment policies with CompTIA before booking.
Sources used: Server+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA — certification page, exam details and objectives summaries; CompTIA Server+ SK0-005 Exam Objectives (CompTIA-authored PDF) — About the Exam, test details, domains 1.0–4.0
What to study in each domain
Use all four domains to check coverage, combining the weights with your own knowledge gaps.
The percentages describe exam emphasis, not guaranteed question counts or a fixed study schedule. The full objectives supply the detailed tasks. The activities below are preparation suggestions.
| Domain | Weight | Topics and suggested practice |
|---|---|---|
| Server Hardware Installation and Management | 18% | Racks, cabling, power, cooling, storage, RAID, and maintenance. Review a fictional installation plan against the requirements and the chosen hardware documentation. |
| Server Administration | 30% | Operating systems, network services, high availability, virtualization, scripting, assets, and licensing. Practice an authorized lab task and explain how to verify the result. |
| Security and Disaster Recovery | 24% | Data and physical security, access, hardening, decommissioning, backup, and recovery. Compare a recovery report with the stated RPO and RTO. |
| Troubleshooting | 28% | Methodology and hardware, storage, OS, network, and security problems. Separate symptoms from theories and identify evidence needed before a change. |
Sources used: CompTIA Server+ SK0-005 Exam Objectives (CompTIA-authored PDF) — About the Exam, test details, domains 1.0–4.0; Server+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA — certification page, exam details and objectives summaries
How to prepare for hardware and storage scenarios
Identify the equipment, configuration, and required outcome before selecting a maintenance or storage action.
The objectives include redundant components, out-of-band management, firmware, storage configurations, and hardware maintenance. For study, compare a fictional maintenance request with the selected manufacturer's documentation and list the checks or constraints that affect the procedure.
For a RAID calculation, specify the level, disk sizes, layout, spare allocation, and whether overhead is included before computing capacity. Use documentation for the implementation to check fault tolerance and maintenance behavior. A RAID level name alone does not supply every operational detail.
Similarly, the presence of redundant power supplies does not establish that removal is supported while a particular server is running. A useful practice answer explains what documentation and state information are needed, without treating a generic example as authorization for a live hardware change.
Sources used: CompTIA Server+ SK0-005 Exam Objectives (CompTIA-authored PDF) — About the Exam, test details, domains 1.0–4.0
Practice: did a fast restore meet the recovery policy?
Check the recovery point and the recovery duration separately. Meeting the time limit does not establish that the recovered data is recent enough.
NIST defines RPO as the point in time to which data must be recovered after an outage, and RTO in terms of how long recovery can continue before the organization is harmed. The original exercise below expresses both limits explicitly.
The scenario supplies the latest consistent recovery point and excludes additional copies or logs. It does not assume that a named backup type or schedule guarantees recovery.
Practice exercise
A fictional file-server policy allows a maximum 30-minute gap between the recovered data point and an outage (RPO), and at most 120 minutes from the outage until service returns (RTO). The server fails at 14:00. The latest usable, consistent backup represents data at 13:20. No other copies or logs exist. Service is restored at 15:30. Is each requirement met?
Show answer
No. The recovery time objective is met, but the recovery point objective is missed by 10 minutes.
Service returns 90 minutes after the outage, within the 120-minute RTO. The latest recoverable point is 40 minutes before the outage, exceeding the allowed 30-minute data gap by 10 minutes. That RPO failure does not establish the amount of actual changed data lost; no change history is supplied. A faster restore of the same copy would not make its recovery point more recent.
Sources used: CompTIA Server+ SK0-005 Exam Objectives (CompTIA-authored PDF) — About the Exam, test details, domains 1.0–4.0; Recovery Point Objective - Glossary | CSRC — NIST definition of RPO; Recovery Time Objective - Glossary | CSRC — NIST definition of RTO
How to approach troubleshooting questions
Follow the objectives' method: identify the problem, establish and test a theory, plan an action, implement or escalate, verify full functionality, and document throughout.
Begin with the scope, observed symptoms, recent changes, and available logs or documentation. State a possible cause and how to test it. If the theory is not confirmed, investigate another theory or escalate.
For a proposed fix, identify its potential effects and how to verify full functionality afterward. Record findings, actions, and outcomes throughout the work.
As a study activity, write two plausible theories for a fictional symptom and identify the evidence that would distinguish them. This helps prevent a familiar symptom from becoming an untested diagnosis.
Sources used: CompTIA Server+ SK0-005 Exam Objectives (CompTIA-authored PDF) — About the Exam, test details, domains 1.0–4.0
How do simulation PBQs work?
Server+ includes simulation-style performance-based questions (PBQs): approximations of tools or environments where you complete a task. You can skip a simulation PBQ and return to it later, and your work is saved while you move through the exam.
CompTIA lists Server+ among certifications with simulation PBQs. Simulations approximate tools or environments and may restrict functionality. Multiple valid solution paths may be recognized, and partial credit may be available; per-item scoring is not disclosed.
You can skip a simulation and return later, with work saved between questions. Reset clears that question only. Try CompTIA's sample PBQs to learn the controls; these illustrate the format and are not actual exam questions.
Sources used: Performance-Based Questions Overview | CompTIA IT Certifications — simulation PBQ list including Server+, PBQ handling tips; Performance-Based Questions FAQs | CompTIA Blog — PBQ mechanics: reset, navigation, partial credit
Your preparation checklist
Use the objectives to identify gaps, practice selected tasks, and review the reasoning behind your answers.
Commercial course-hour estimates describe those products, not a required or proven preparation duration. Adjust your plan to the tasks you still need to learn.
- Match your material to SK0-005 and read the complete objectives.
- Mark tasks you can explain, tasks you have practiced, and remaining gaps.
- Check hardware and storage examples against the actual implementation documentation.
- Calculate both results in the recovery exercise before reading its explanation.
- Practice explaining a troubleshooting theory and how you would test it.
- Use an authorized lab and official sample PBQs to build practical familiarity.
- Review timed-practice errors against the relevant objectives and confirm booking details.
Sources used: CompTIA Server+ SK0-005 Exam Objectives (CompTIA-authored PDF) — About the Exam, test details, domains 1.0–4.0; Server+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA — certification page, exam details and objectives summaries
What happens if you need a retake?
There is no required wait between a first failure and a second attempt. Before a third or later attempt, wait at least 14 calendar days after your last attempt.
Each attempt normally requires payment. The standard policy does not promise free retests; any retake-assurance bundle has its own terms. After earning a certification, retaking the same exam code requires prior CompTIA consent.
Sources used: CompTIA Certification Retake Policy | CompTIA IT Certifications — waiting periods and paid retakes; Server+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA — certification page, exam details and objectives summaries
Sources used
Exam facts checked September 14, 2026:
- Server+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA
- Recovery Point Objective - Glossary | CSRC
- Recovery Time Objective - Glossary | CSRC
- Performance-Based Questions Overview | CompTIA IT Certifications
- Performance-Based Questions FAQs | CompTIA Blog
- CompTIA Certification Retake Policy | CompTIA IT Certifications
- CompTIA Server+ SK0-005 Exam Objectives (CompTIA-authored PDF)